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REDSOX847
ok, I am Canadian and have never booked a train in Europe before. I want to go from Munich to Paris but I'm a little confused about the booking terms. From Eurail's website i got to bahn.de which does german trains. Normal tickets are 258EUR but there's something called a "savings fare" for 138EUR. for that it says "Number of tickets is limited, use of selected train is required" is that a rip off or is it worth it? Also, seat selection.... I want a window seat but it first offers "centre aisle coach OR compartment". what's the difference? does centre asle mean there's no window seat? Then later it says "window or aisle seat". but i'm confused... wouldn't centre aisle mean its not a window seat? Lastly, should i book this online or would i be safe showing up at Munich station the day of departure to buy 2 tickets to Paris?
your help to a first-timer would be deeply appreciated!!!
would you prefer a centre aisle coach or compartment? i imagine that a compartment would be more quiet, but also that there would be more window space in the centre aisle coach and it may be more scenic to see everything. your oppinion? also, the train i'm looking at has no transfers and would take 6 hours. would it be cheaper to purchase the ticket at the station on the day of, instead of online now?
its a TGV train according to the website
Answer
First of all, there are two types of "savings fares":
a) A limited number of tickets sold on a first come, first serve base. These are always very good deals and thus sold out early. Prices vary from 29 ⬠over 39 ⬠and 49 ⬠up to 59 ⬠both depending on the distance and the number of available tickets.
b) Return tickets which you have to buy a few days in advance, these are called "Savings fare 25" (25% off) and "Savings fare 50" (50%off).
Both ticket types are valid only on the train you book. Regular tickets in contrast may be used on any train on that route, so if you e.g. miss your train, you can hop on the next one an hour later with your regular ticket, all you'd loose would be a seat reservation. If you miss your train with a savings ticket, you'll have to buy a regular one.
These are the only differences, apart from that, you'll get same same service and ride on the same train, regardless if it's a savings fare or not.
The terms and conditions are described if you click on "Check availability", too. The site will also always show you the best deals.
Note that bahn.de is the site of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn, owned by the state, the biggest employer in Germany and a major player in international logistics, too. Rest assured that whatever you get through bahn.de will be anything but a rip-off.
About the coaches:
A centre aisle coach is a rail car with one large room, there's the aisle in the middle and two seats on each side of it. A compartment is a car with compartments of six seats each.
A centre aisle coach is on display at http://www.bahn.de/p/view/mobilitaet/zug/fahrzeuge/2klasse_3d.shtml . You can find example seating plans at http://www.bahn.de/p/view/mobilitaet/zug/fahrzeuge/ice_grundrisse.shtml (green areas are central aisle, yellow areas are compartments, the page is German only but you'll surely get the idea).
The major difference in my opinion is that in a compartment you'll sort of travel with the other five while in a centre aisle coach you just have one seating neighbour.
While the window size is the same, in a compartment you will have a full window, in a central aisle coach you might get one of the few seats that's unluckily located between two windows. Central aisle coaches have more open space, though.
The compartment is the better choice if you're traveling with someone else since then both of you can sit opposite of each other and have a window seat.
Your ticket:
The standard fare Munich - Paris is 130 ⬠to 140 â¬. I would recommend to buy your ticket online in advance and early, not only because with a savings fare the price goes as low as 39 â¬, but you'll definitly get window seats, too. Buying long-distance tickets on the same day is not a good idea because most trains are usually well booked (unless you're going first class, there's always a free seat).
Another option would be a night train. NZ 260 leaves Munich main station daily at 20:56 and arrives in Paris Est 6:46 next morning. Tickets start at 29 ⬠/ person (savings fare in a seat) up to 171 ⬠in a deluxe double cabin (see http://www.nachtzugreise.de/nachtzugreise/view/en/klassen/komfortklassen_en.shtml for the different types; timetable, prices and booking as usual at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?S=Munich&Z=Paris ). You'll save one day and the cost for a night in the hotel.
Apart from that, if you're planning to travel by rail more than once, you might be interested in the Eurail passes. See http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/prices/intercontinental/eurail_pass.shtml for more info. These are only available outside Europe (except for a few stations).
First of all, there are two types of "savings fares":
a) A limited number of tickets sold on a first come, first serve base. These are always very good deals and thus sold out early. Prices vary from 29 ⬠over 39 ⬠and 49 ⬠up to 59 ⬠both depending on the distance and the number of available tickets.
b) Return tickets which you have to buy a few days in advance, these are called "Savings fare 25" (25% off) and "Savings fare 50" (50%off).
Both ticket types are valid only on the train you book. Regular tickets in contrast may be used on any train on that route, so if you e.g. miss your train, you can hop on the next one an hour later with your regular ticket, all you'd loose would be a seat reservation. If you miss your train with a savings ticket, you'll have to buy a regular one.
These are the only differences, apart from that, you'll get same same service and ride on the same train, regardless if it's a savings fare or not.
The terms and conditions are described if you click on "Check availability", too. The site will also always show you the best deals.
Note that bahn.de is the site of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn, owned by the state, the biggest employer in Germany and a major player in international logistics, too. Rest assured that whatever you get through bahn.de will be anything but a rip-off.
About the coaches:
A centre aisle coach is a rail car with one large room, there's the aisle in the middle and two seats on each side of it. A compartment is a car with compartments of six seats each.
A centre aisle coach is on display at http://www.bahn.de/p/view/mobilitaet/zug/fahrzeuge/2klasse_3d.shtml . You can find example seating plans at http://www.bahn.de/p/view/mobilitaet/zug/fahrzeuge/ice_grundrisse.shtml (green areas are central aisle, yellow areas are compartments, the page is German only but you'll surely get the idea).
The major difference in my opinion is that in a compartment you'll sort of travel with the other five while in a centre aisle coach you just have one seating neighbour.
While the window size is the same, in a compartment you will have a full window, in a central aisle coach you might get one of the few seats that's unluckily located between two windows. Central aisle coaches have more open space, though.
The compartment is the better choice if you're traveling with someone else since then both of you can sit opposite of each other and have a window seat.
Your ticket:
The standard fare Munich - Paris is 130 ⬠to 140 â¬. I would recommend to buy your ticket online in advance and early, not only because with a savings fare the price goes as low as 39 â¬, but you'll definitly get window seats, too. Buying long-distance tickets on the same day is not a good idea because most trains are usually well booked (unless you're going first class, there's always a free seat).
Another option would be a night train. NZ 260 leaves Munich main station daily at 20:56 and arrives in Paris Est 6:46 next morning. Tickets start at 29 ⬠/ person (savings fare in a seat) up to 171 ⬠in a deluxe double cabin (see http://www.nachtzugreise.de/nachtzugreise/view/en/klassen/komfortklassen_en.shtml for the different types; timetable, prices and booking as usual at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?S=Munich&Z=Paris ). You'll save one day and the cost for a night in the hotel.
Apart from that, if you're planning to travel by rail more than once, you might be interested in the Eurail passes. See http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/prices/intercontinental/eurail_pass.shtml for more info. These are only available outside Europe (except for a few stations).
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