5 ms·

If you get everything on one ticket (and sometimes not) you can usually simply take the next train, with or without proof of delay on your ticket.

casenmgreen 2y ago
Crossing multiple countries over a couple of days, I've never seen this as possibility. Going from one country to another is normally one train company, from the origin country, and then moving on from that city - in another country - means a different company, from that second country, and so on.
- alamortsubite 2y ago
  If you've never seen it as a possibility, have you looked at OBB NightJet? Every one I've taken has been this way.
  - lucb1e 2y ago
    I keep seeing in reviews that people get woken up no matter what hour of night and have to present their documents for border checking, despite going between Schengen countries. Is that a guarantee whenever you cross a border or is this review bias? (Where annoyed customers are more likely to seek out where to leave a review, I mean.) Apparently you can't just leave the documents with the conductor because they need to check in the cabin for stowaways and match faces to pictures. I've only ever taken a Nightjet within Germany so I haven't experienced one myself
    - alamortsubite 2y ago
      It's happened to me. The good news is they're unfazed if you present said documents in your underwear.
    - immibis 2y ago
      Seems to be certain borders. I've only been from Germany to Denmark twice and each time the Danish police decided to check everyone's passports. Denmark to Germany, Germany to Belgium, and Belgium to Germany, they didn't.
    - Symbiote 2y ago
      10+ years ago there were very few checks — the police would need a specific suspicion to carry out a check. I saw this once on a daytime train, when they checked three people who clearly matched a description, and arrested the third one! I've also seen this twice when disembarking a within-Schengen plane, with police on the jetbridge checking documents — until they find the person they want. The neverending "refugee crisis" (the official reason several countries have introduced checks within the Schengen area) has allowed more frequent checks, but it seems fairly random whether or not they happen. Out of perhaps 10 overnight journeys, I've not been checked going south or east, but around half the time I've been checked going into Denmark from Germany. It's so disruptive that I no longer take the overnight train into Denmark. You should prepare for it — put the passport in the mesh holder so you can just hand it over — but I find it difficult enough to sleep on a moving train anyway.
    - askew 2y ago
      Leaving Germany? Fine. Entering Germany from Austria? Yes, knock at the door at 4AM. Having recently visited Germany via plane, they have certainly gotten stricter/performative. Leaving Munich for London and despite already have presented passports to immigration, they had police checking passports on the gangway to the aeroplane…
- glenneroo 2y ago
  That's exactly why Interrail[1] has existed for many years. I haven't used it in 10+ years and the webpage is a bit confusing, but generally you would just buy one ticket for e.g. a week and then get on/off wherever/whenever you want. [1]: https://www.interrail.eu https://www.interrail.eu
  - lucb1e 2y ago
    You need seat reservations for most trains per my understanding. They're cheap and flexible so you're mostly right, but it's a little more involved than "get on whenever you want" unfortunately
    - seabass-labrax 2y ago
      It very much depends on the operator; Eurostar and SNCF requires very expensive seat reservations for all TGV services, but hardly any services in the German-speaking countries do so. More important than the price though is the availability - only a small proportion of seats are open to Interrailers on the French trains, so if they sell out you could find yourself unable to board a train that is still half-empty! The situation in eastern Europe is more variable, but the reservations aren't generally as prohibitive as in France.
      - lucb1e 2y ago
        Ah, I thought ICE also required reservations but that's only the case if the train is otherwise booked out (source https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/72538/what-if-i-use-an-interrail-pass-on-a-german-ice-train-without-optional-reservati https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/72538/what-if-i-u...). For me, trains like TGV, ICE, and perhaps Nightjet make up the bulk of the distance to most places I go, so for me the reservations were pretty much required no matter where you go; apparently not really for ICE then!
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
- ta1243 2y ago
  Certainly the case in Summer when I travelled from London to Leipzig on one ticket. Delays (Germany is awful over the last couple of years) and flooding meant I had to reroute. No problem with my ticket, despite through 4 countries. Likewise a delay from Berlin to Geneva (only two countries, but a long trip) and again no problem with my re-route. Ended up 30 minutes late

casenmgreen 2y ago

Crossing multiple countries over a couple of days, I've never seen this as possibility. Going from one country to another is normally one train company, from the origin country, and then moving on from that city - in another country - means a different company, from that second country, and so on.

alamortsubite 2y ago
If you've never seen it as a possibility, have you looked at OBB NightJet? Every one I've taken has been this way.
- lucb1e 2y ago
  I keep seeing in reviews that people get woken up no matter what hour of night and have to present their documents for border checking, despite going between Schengen countries. Is that a guarantee whenever you cross a border or is this review bias? (Where annoyed customers are more likely to seek out where to leave a review, I mean.) Apparently you can't just leave the documents with the conductor because they need to check in the cabin for stowaways and match faces to pictures. I've only ever taken a Nightjet within Germany so I haven't experienced one myself
  - alamortsubite 2y ago
    It's happened to me. The good news is they're unfazed if you present said documents in your underwear.
  - immibis 2y ago
    Seems to be certain borders. I've only been from Germany to Denmark twice and each time the Danish police decided to check everyone's passports. Denmark to Germany, Germany to Belgium, and Belgium to Germany, they didn't.
  - Symbiote 2y ago
    10+ years ago there were very few checks — the police would need a specific suspicion to carry out a check. I saw this once on a daytime train, when they checked three people who clearly matched a description, and arrested the third one! I've also seen this twice when disembarking a within-Schengen plane, with police on the jetbridge checking documents — until they find the person they want. The neverending "refugee crisis" (the official reason several countries have introduced checks within the Schengen area) has allowed more frequent checks, but it seems fairly random whether or not they happen. Out of perhaps 10 overnight journeys, I've not been checked going south or east, but around half the time I've been checked going into Denmark from Germany. It's so disruptive that I no longer take the overnight train into Denmark. You should prepare for it — put the passport in the mesh holder so you can just hand it over — but I find it difficult enough to sleep on a moving train anyway.
  - askew 2y ago
    Leaving Germany? Fine. Entering Germany from Austria? Yes, knock at the door at 4AM. Having recently visited Germany via plane, they have certainly gotten stricter/performative. Leaving Munich for London and despite already have presented passports to immigration, they had police checking passports on the gangway to the aeroplane…
glenneroo 2y ago
That's exactly why Interrail[1] has existed for many years. I haven't used it in 10+ years and the webpage is a bit confusing, but generally you would just buy one ticket for e.g. a week and then get on/off wherever/whenever you want. [1]: https://www.interrail.eu https://www.interrail.eu
- lucb1e 2y ago
  You need seat reservations for most trains per my understanding. They're cheap and flexible so you're mostly right, but it's a little more involved than "get on whenever you want" unfortunately
  - seabass-labrax 2y ago
    It very much depends on the operator; Eurostar and SNCF requires very expensive seat reservations for all TGV services, but hardly any services in the German-speaking countries do so. More important than the price though is the availability - only a small proportion of seats are open to Interrailers on the French trains, so if they sell out you could find yourself unable to board a train that is still half-empty! The situation in eastern Europe is more variable, but the reservations aren't generally as prohibitive as in France.
    - lucb1e 2y ago
      Ah, I thought ICE also required reservations but that's only the case if the train is otherwise booked out (source https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/72538/what-if-i-use-an-interrail-pass-on-a-german-ice-train-without-optional-reservati https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/72538/what-if-i-u...). For me, trains like TGV, ICE, and perhaps Nightjet make up the bulk of the distance to most places I go, so for me the reservations were pretty much required no matter where you go; apparently not really for ICE then!
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
ta1243 2y ago
Certainly the case in Summer when I travelled from London to Leipzig on one ticket. Delays (Germany is awful over the last couple of years) and flooding meant I had to reroute. No problem with my ticket, despite through 4 countries. Likewise a delay from Berlin to Geneva (only two countries, but a long trip) and again no problem with my re-route. Ended up 30 minutes late