Reservation of German train seats
Oct 7th 2022 | 7:10 pm
#1
Thread Starter
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 9,021
From: Alsace
Reservation of German train seats
I bought return tickets to Germany from Strasbourg for ICEs on-line, without seeing any option to reserve seats. I'm now a bit worried that the respective trains will be full up and that I'll be standing for several hours....
I've since discovered that it costs 4€ (?) for each seat reservation and I'm wondering whether it's possible to request them on-line, using the Customer Reference (bearing in mind that I suffer from illectronism and it was a miracle that I managed to buy the tickets in the first place).
At worst, I could ask at my local rural Railway Station in France, but fear that they'd be overwhelmed by such a request. The ticket office had already recommended me to book my tickets myself from home
.....
Has any one, having already bought ICE tickets, reserved seats on-line? If so, please share the procedure to follow!
I've since discovered that it costs 4€ (?) for each seat reservation and I'm wondering whether it's possible to request them on-line, using the Customer Reference (bearing in mind that I suffer from illectronism and it was a miracle that I managed to buy the tickets in the first place).
At worst, I could ask at my local rural Railway Station in France, but fear that they'd be overwhelmed by such a request. The ticket office had already recommended me to book my tickets myself from home
.....Has any one, having already bought ICE tickets, reserved seats on-line? If so, please share the procedure to follow!
Oct 22nd 2022 | 7:28 pm
#2
Thread Starter
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 9,021
From: Alsace
Re: Reservation of German train seats
Update for any one interested:
As expected, the French ticket counter obviously didn't want to wade around in foreign territory, and told me to ring the DB!
I finally found the correct place on the DB site, not realizing that you first had to click on "Buchbare Zusatzleistungen"
. Sigh of relief to see the obvious "Sitzplatzreservierung" come up, after which it was plain sailing. The customer reference wasn't necessary, you simply choose the trains for which you've already got tickets. 4,50€ for each reservation - well worth it, after all that stress....
P.S. I take it that not all that many BE members travel by train in Germany (or you manage to book seats at the same time as buying the tickets!)
As expected, the French ticket counter obviously didn't want to wade around in foreign territory, and told me to ring the DB!
I finally found the correct place on the DB site, not realizing that you first had to click on "Buchbare Zusatzleistungen"
. Sigh of relief to see the obvious "Sitzplatzreservierung" come up, after which it was plain sailing. The customer reference wasn't necessary, you simply choose the trains for which you've already got tickets. 4,50€ for each reservation - well worth it, after all that stress....P.S. I take it that not all that many BE members travel by train in Germany (or you manage to book seats at the same time as buying the tickets!
)
Oct 25th 2022 | 7:01 am
#3
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 315
From: Canton Berne, Switzerland
Re: Reservation of German train seats
First, glad you figured it out. Probably it is just me, but I prefer not to travel by train in Germany, given that I want to arrive in time - at least kind of.
Oct 30th 2022 | 4:59 am
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,420
From: Halfway between Ricard & Absynthe
Re: Reservation of German train seats
Update for any one interested:
As expected, the French ticket counter obviously didn't want to wade around in foreign territory, and told me to ring the DB!
I finally found the correct place on the DB site, not realizing that you first had to click on "Buchbare Zusatzleistungen". Sigh of relief to see the obvious "Sitzplatzreservierung" come up, after which it was plain sailing. The customer reference wasn't necessary, you simply choose the trains for which you've already got tickets. 4,50€ for each reservation - well worth it, after all that stress....
P.S. I take it that not all that many BE members travel by train in Germany (or you manage to book seats at the same time as buying the tickets!)
As expected, the French ticket counter obviously didn't want to wade around in foreign territory, and told me to ring the DB!
I finally found the correct place on the DB site, not realizing that you first had to click on "Buchbare Zusatzleistungen"
. Sigh of relief to see the obvious "Sitzplatzreservierung" come up, after which it was plain sailing. The customer reference wasn't necessary, you simply choose the trains for which you've already got tickets. 4,50€ for each reservation - well worth it, after all that stress....P.S. I take it that not all that many BE members travel by train in Germany (or you manage to book seats at the same time as buying the tickets!
)Can't remember the last time I travelled by train anywhere. Whenever it was the chap shovelling the coal though was probably George Stephenson.......
Oct 30th 2022 | 7:50 pm
#5
Thread Starter
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 9,021
From: Alsace
Re: Reservation of German train seats
Somewhat off-topic, but I remember a steam-train line serving my part of town, before Dr. Beeching got his axe out. I suddenly feel old.....
