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Eurorail reservation question?
Tue, 02/26/2008 - 00:34
Viscera
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I’m going to be travelling via rail in Europe when tourist season begins… for a major overnight train, for example, Lisbon to Madrid, will I still be safe waiting to purchase a reservation once I reach Lisbon for a train 3 or 4 days in advance?  Do you think this could be too late to purchase a reservation for such a train?  This will be my first time travelling by rail so I’m just trying to make sure I know what to expect and to prepare for…

Thanks a lot in advance, you guys are helpful

Tue, 02/26/2008 - 11:25
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oldlady
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3 to 4 days is generally adequate….. but this seems a little dicey.  Is your overnight on a weekend?  Weekend trains are more likely to sell out.  There’s really only one direct train on this route and only one other train that’s a reasonable alternative, so unless you’re willing to change your plans by a full day, you don’t have a lot of wiggle room.

You could try checking trains on the Portuguese rail web site to see if trains routinely sell out  http://www.cp.pt  The site seems pretty user-friendly in English although there’s not much information on the international trains.  The Spanish rail site is www.renfe.com

Is Lisbon your arrival city in Europe, or will you be arriving in another city where you could buy the reservation — you should be able to buy it at any major train station in Europe.

Tue, 02/26/2008 - 16:33
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Quote:
ORIGINAL: oldlady

3 to 4 days is generally adequate….. but this seems a little dicey.  Is your overnight on a weekend?  Weekend trains are more likely to sell out.  There’s really only one direct train on this route and only one other train that’s a reasonable alternative, so unless you’re willing to change your plans by a full day, you don’t have a lot of wiggle room.

You could try checking trains on the Portuguese rail web site to see if trains routinely sell out  http://www.cp.pt  The site seems pretty user-friendly in English although there’s not much information on the international trains.  The Spanish rail site is www.renfe.com

Is Lisbon your arrival city in Europe, or will you be arriving in another city where you could buy the reservation — you should be able to buy it at any major train station in Europe.


Other then a connecting flight in London, Lisbon is my arrival city, yes… train would be on either a Monday or Tuesday I believe… you raise another question however…

“you should be able to buy it at any major train station in Europe.”

You can buy reservations for unrelated trains at any train station?  For example, I can buy a Paris to Nice ticket reservation in Lisbon?

The Lisbon-Madrid train will be in the second week or so of May if that makes any difference… thanks for your input.

Tue, 02/26/2008 - 17:27
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Quote:
You can buy reservations for unrelated trains at any train station?  For example, I can buy a Paris to Nice ticket reservation in Lisbon?
Generally, yes.  At the major train stations there’s usually an international window or a travel agency in the train station that will sell reservations for almost any train in Europe.   If you have a specific itinerary you can buy all your reservations at once.

I would not be particularly worried about buying the reservation for a weekday in mid-May assuming there are no special festivals or holidays involved.