A seat reservation guarantees you a place on a specific train: a seat on day trains, or a seat or bed on night trains. Seat reservations aren’t included in your Pass, so they cost extra. The price depends on the train and the route.
Trains that need a reservation are often faster and usually come with extras, like Wi-Fi, power sockets or sleeping facilities.
When do I need a seat reservation?
You can board most trains with just your Pass. Some trains need a seat reservation before you board:
- Night trains
- Most high-speed trains
- Many trains in France, Italy and Spain
To check whether your train needs one, search for it in our timetable or in the Interrail app. The timetable also shows what the reservation costs.
On trains where a reservation is optional, it can still be worth booking one on busy routes, so you know you’ll have a seat.
What to do next
- See how much seat reservations cost
- Book seat reservations for most countries in our network
- Find other ways to book if your train isn’t available with us
- Find out how to travel without seat reservations
- Check which trains need a supplement