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HOW TO AVOID SEAT RESERVATION

  • February 11, 2026
  • 5 replies
  • 242 views

Hey everyone I am a student studying in Lille and have taken a 3 month Global Eurorail pass planning to cover Europ, but I facing the following issues:

1) I am planning my Central Europe trip and then when I try to go to Berlin from Amsterdam it says seat reservation recommended. So what does it mean I can travel by not booking as well?

 

2) Also Lille to Berlin shows a non seat reservation of 24 euros but if I travel to to Amsterdam from Lille and then Berlin it shows only on 8 euro for seat reservation for almost the same time. Why is the rail planner not optimising to show me the optimised travel option ?

How do I navigate this issue?

 

It would be great if someone could throw some light on this issue. I am facing

Best answer by rvdborgt

For Lille to Amsterdam, take the direct TER/IC to Antwerp, then the ECD to Amsterdam Zuid (metro and tram available there). For Amsterdam Centraal, change at Schiphol Airport. No reservations needed.

For Lille to Berlin, you could travel to Brussel via either Gent or Tournai, then ICE to Cologne and then ICE to Berlin. Or via Antwerp - Rotterdam - Amersfoort. All possible without reservations, except in summer, when you need a reservation on the ICEs from Amsterdam and Brussels.

In Germany, if you're alone, you can often still find a free seat. If it's very busy, check the train composition in the DB Navigator app and go to the carriage with the BahnBonus seats. These can't be reserved. Or head to the end of the train with 2nd class carriages (assuming you have 2nd).

Seat reservations in Germany are €3 per train on tickets.oebb.at or cd.cz. Or €5.50 per journey (including all trains) on bahn.de. Don't book seats via Interrail. Instead, use thbis page as a guide:

https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm

5 replies

Railly clever
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  • eurocity101
  • Railly clever
  • February 11, 2026

You can always travel with your pass (= your ticket) without a reservation as long as it is not required.

If you want a reserved seat on trains with optional reservations depends on the number of travelers, the date of travel, the personal preferences (rather pay a few euros vs. to stand/switch seats) etc.

You can get your reservations cheaper on the webpages of the operators.

Avoid Eurostar towards Amsterdam. Their mandatory reservation fee is €25+. Take the slightly slower IC/EC with free-seating instead.

And plan your trip elsewhere than on the railplanner app. The DB Navigator app is a good alternative.

I'm NOT working for Interrail/Eurail.
Railmaster
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  • rvdborgt
  • Railmaster
  • Answer
  • February 11, 2026

For Lille to Amsterdam, take the direct TER/IC to Antwerp, then the ECD to Amsterdam Zuid (metro and tram available there). For Amsterdam Centraal, change at Schiphol Airport. No reservations needed.

For Lille to Berlin, you could travel to Brussel via either Gent or Tournai, then ICE to Cologne and then ICE to Berlin. Or via Antwerp - Rotterdam - Amersfoort. All possible without reservations, except in summer, when you need a reservation on the ICEs from Amsterdam and Brussels.

In Germany, if you're alone, you can often still find a free seat. If it's very busy, check the train composition in the DB Navigator app and go to the carriage with the BahnBonus seats. These can't be reserved. Or head to the end of the train with 2nd class carriages (assuming you have 2nd).

Seat reservations in Germany are €3 per train on tickets.oebb.at or cd.cz. Or €5.50 per journey (including all trains) on bahn.de. Don't book seats via Interrail. Instead, use thbis page as a guide:

https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
  • laurentemma
  • Rail rookie
  • September 9, 2026

The main thing is to separate "reservation recommended" from "reservation required." With a Eurail pass, you are still allowed to board trains where reservations are optional. You might have to find an empty seat or move if someone has reserved the seat.

For Lille to Berlin, I would avoid paying the higher reservation fee through Rail Planner unless the specific train requires it. Check the individual railway operator instead, since reservations are often cheaper there. DB Navigator is also useful for finding routes with fewer or no reservation requirements.

For Amsterdam to Berlin, the route through Belgium and Cologne gives you more flexibility, while the direct options tend to have more reservation rules depending on the service and season. During busy summer periods, check the requirements again before travelling.

If you're planning several student trips like this, keeping the route details and travel dates in one place also helps. I use a student attendance calculator  for keeping track of attendance around travel days, since missing a class for a long rail journey adds up quickly.

Full steam ahead
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  • Danhiel
  • Full steam ahead
  • September 9, 2026

​@rvdborgt Seat reservations for internal journeys in Germany are no longer available on oebb.at for €3, you must now also pay €5.50/€6.90 and you have a contract with DB instead of ÖBB. Therefore, I think that reservations are no longer refundable, but I didn’t test that.

The information I provide may contain errors and are not official responses from Eurail/Interrail.
Railmaster
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  • rvdborgt
  • Railmaster
  • September 9, 2026

​@rvdborgt Seat reservations for internal journeys in Germany are no longer available on oebb.at for €3, you must now also pay €5.50/€6.90 and you have a contract with DB instead of ÖBB. Therefore, I think that reservations are no longer refundable, but I didn’t test that.

ÖBB indeed show, already before payment, that cancellation of these domestic reservations for Germany is not possible:

 

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
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