Rail Europe charges more than you would pay if you were making that booking in Europe, and I wouldn’t pay those fees. A ticket without a pass for a berth in a second class couchette can be bought on the TGV website for 110 (youth) or 158 (adult) euros on short notice. I searched April 24, 26, and 27 and it seems tickets are still available, so what I would do is get to a train station once you arrive in Europe and book it paying only the passholder supplement of 69 euros according to this site:
http://www.eurail.co…

Thanks a lot augustin for the quick reply. That makes sense, I just worry that I might be cutting it close. I get into London on the 3rd, then take the Eurostar to Paris on the 4th. I’m in Paris for 2-3 days, so hopefully it will give me enough time to reserve it.

Thanks for the info though, this stuff can be a bit intimidating the first time around.

I completely understand being worried about trying to book it on short notice, so you just have to decide if you want to save some money or have the peace of mind of knowing you’ve already got the reservation before you get there. It’s a bit of a gamble, but you’re going mid-week in early May (not crazy yet), and there are multiple ways to get from Paris to Madrid by train overnight. The easiest is that Elipsos train because it doesn’t require any stops, but if it’s booked solid you can always try another train that will require a change or two somewhere along the line.

As soon as you arrive in Paris, go to the ticket counter and look at your options. This will save you a trip back to the train station during your stay. Be sure you understand what station the train departs from in Paris. Each big city has more than one station. Circle it on the free metro maps or free city map at your hostel so you can plan in advance how to get to that station so you won’t miss your train. The train does not wait for you even though you have a reservation. Hopefully all of you first timers have learned a good lesson from what DesignEx has gone through. Read as much as you can from MORE THAN ONE Eurail Pass web site and use their 800 numbers and call and ask questions before you decide on your route or trains. If you made a mistake, chalk it up to experience. Know the facts before you book. Travel is a great learning experience. So, don’t assume, think about it and ask questions.

This is a really useful thread for me as I am also looking to travel from Paris to Madrid on the 27th August, taking the overnight train that departs at 7.40 pm. I found raileurope.com.au to be a little steep, asking for an additional $133 on top of my 3 month global pass for the Elipsos train (2nd class/couchette).

I am arriving in Paris on 24th August via the Eurostar from London. Do you think I could wing it by booking it while I’m in Paris, since I’m in the sort of off-peak season?

Cheers

3 days in advance would normally be enough for a Wednesday. However, August 24 is the absolute height of the tourist season in Europe (European schools don’t start until September and virtually all Europeans go on vacation in August) and the overnight train from Paris to Barcelona is a very popular route. I would try to buy the ticket in London. Try one of these two offices (pasted from eurail.com):
Great Britain * German Rail UK Booking Centre (Surbiton) London German Rail UK Booking Centre P.O. Box 687 A Surbiton KT6 6 UB Tel: 08718 808 066 Mon-Fri: 9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.

* Rail Europe Travel Centre 1 Regent Street London SW1 Weekdays: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Or try a big, full-service, travel agency like Thomas Cook or American Express.

I’m back, and the trip was absolutely awesome… Everyone has to do it.

Anyway, I realized like a lot of other people that the global pass isn’t even all that necessary.. unless you’re on a train basically everyday, the cost of the individual tickets will be about the same or a little less.

I just showed up at a lot of the trains that recommended ‘days in advance’ reservations, and had no problem getting the tickets a couple hours before.

Trains are seldom completely full, so I generally only buy a reservation if the train requires one — particularly if you have an adult railpass. There are usually plenty of empty seats in 1st class.

We have been using Global passes for many years, and believe it or not, the only time we make a reservation is for night trains. As travel is first class ,we have never encountered a full train [1st Class], and have never been asked for any additional charges once on the train!
Living on the edge sometimes can keep you young.