I (Lisa) booked us train tickets from Vienna to Munich.
Same ticket. Same class. Same departure time.
I assumed we’d be sitting together. But when we boarded, I was in car 3 and Matt was in car 6. That’s when I learned a hard lesson about how to book a train in Europe the right way.
If you’re planning to take the train in Europe and want to avoid that same mistake, here’s what happened, what we do differently now, and a few tips to make booking smoother.
What Went Wrong When We Booked
I used the Trainline app. It’s a great tool for checking train schedules and comparing prices.
But when I went to book, it just asked me if I preferred a window or aisle. It didn’t show a seat map. I had no idea where the seats were or what car we’d be in.
When the tickets came through, we were assigned to different cars.
And with most trains in Europe, once the seats are confirmed, you usually can’t change them without cancelling the whole booking. That was not an option for us. So we rode separately.
That’s when I realized I needed a better way to book a train in Europe if we wanted to sit together.
The Better Way to Book Train Tickets
Now we still start with apps like Trainline or Omio.
They’re great for searching routes and comparing prices.
But, like Expedia or Travelocity, Omio and Trainline are third-party booking apps. Which means they sell tickets but don’t operate the trains themselves. So they don’t have the same features and functionality as the train operators themselves.
Because of this, we no longer use those apps to actually book. Instead, we go to the official train company’s website or app to make the reservation.
This is how we now book trains in Europe:
- We search on Trainline or Omio to see all the options
- Then we go to the train operator’s site to book our seats
- These include ÖBB in Austria, Deutsche Bahn in Germany, Trenitalia and Italo in Italy, SNCF in France, and SBB in Switzerland
When you book directly, you usually get access to a seat map.
You can choose two seats side by side, across from each other, or even reserve a table. It takes a few extra minutes, but it saves a lot of stress later.
Side note, Trainline DOES let you choose specific seats in the UK, but in most of Europe you can only pick ‘preferred’ window or aisle.
Pro Tip for Motion Sickness
I sometimes gets motion sickness on trains.
So we try to book a table with two seats facing each other.
That guarantees one person will be facing forward no matter which end of the train is the front. And it also gives you more space for snacks, work, or just stretching out.
When I book directly on the train operator’s site, I can select those table seats and be sure that I am facing forward. Bless Matt for not caring whether he’s riding forward or backward!
Why This Makes a Big Difference
We love traveling by train in Europe.
It’s fast, scenic, and often easier than flying.
But the way you book a train in Europe really does matter.
Third-party apps are great for research. But when it comes time to choose seats, booking direct gives you more control.
Since we changed how we book, our train rides have been more comfortable and less stressful. No more sitting apart or wondering where our seats are.
Just smooth travel the way it should be.
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Comments 3
What do you do when the train travels between countries? E.g. Germany to Austria, it’ll be co-marketed by OBB and DB and sometimes unclear whose metal it actually is (or sometimes they both run trains at different times during the day). I’ve run into a situation where the pricing was vastly different between DB and OBB, but only one let me choose specific seats (the more expensive one, naturally).
Another pro tip is that sometimes you can JUST buy a seat assignment with no ticket for like €3, which is useful if you want an extra seat for your bags or to reserve the entire table of 4 seats so you’re not sharing your space with someone else’s legs.
Author
Great points. We took a train from Budapest to Hungary and the choice of Hungarian or Austrian rail. But we could pick seats on both. We chose Hungarian just because the schedule worked best. Always pays to shop around.
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