Swiss Half Fare Card

• Q. I bought a print at home e ticket but now don’t have access to a printer to print it. What should I do?

  A. French print at home e-tickets can be re-issued from a self-service kiosk at the station. You will need the e-ticket # located on your booking confirmation email.

  Eurostar print at home e-tickets can be re-issued at the Eurostar desk in the departure station, but there is a 15£ fee per ticket. You will need the e-ticket # located on your booking confirmation email.

  No other print at home e-tickets can be re-issued at the station. Your best option is to find an internet cafe or self-service print shop where you can go online and print your e-ticket.

• Q. I placed a booking on your website but received a message saying my booking needs to be reviewed by a Travel Consultant. Why?

  A. Sometimes, certain products within your booking are not available for confirmation at the time of booking and one of our Travel Consultants needs to manually confirm your booking. Once confirmed, we will contact you to advise it has been finalized and issued.

• Q. How much luggage can I take on the train?

  A. Technically, you’re not restricted in terms of luggage. However, keep in mind that you’ll need to carry your bags through the train station and onto the train. Once on board you’ll need to find a place to put your bag(s). Small and medium sized bags typically fit on racks located above the seats. Larger suitcases and such can be stored in luggage racks found near the train door entrance.

  Be aware that you are responsible for your luggage. The railways assume no responsibility in case of loss or theft of baggage carried on board.

  When traveling on a Eurostar, Thalys, or TGV train, you are limited to two large items per traveller (one large item per child on Eurostar trains), maximum 85cm (33 inches) in any one dimension, plus one small item of hand luggage.

  Your bag(s) must be properly labeled with your first and last name. In general, it’s a good idea to keep luggage tags on your baggage for easy identification.

• Q. Should I buy my seat reservations prior to arriving in Europe, or can I just get them at the station locally?

  A. We recommend that you purchase your reservations as soon as possible, once you’ve determined which train journeys you’d like to take and what dates you’ll need them.

  In most cases, rail carriers set aside a limited number of seats for stand-alone reservations. Once those seats have sold out, only regular full-fare tickets can be bought for the train. Because of the limited reservation-only inventory, these seats do in fact sell out, especially during peak travel seasons such as the holidays or summer. The cost difference between a stand-alone reservation and a full-priced ticket can amount to a hundred dollars or more. There’s nothing more frustrating than being unable to use your rail pass and having to buy a full priced ticket at significant cost. Therefore, we highly encourage you to lock down your reservation and make the most of your travel budget as soon as possible.

  Also keep in mind that reservations can be purchased online from Rail Europe’s website and iPhone App. Many rail carriers do not sell stand-alone reservations through their website and in most cases, you will have to go in person to the rail station to buy your reservation when in Europe.

• Q. What should I do if my train ticket is lost or stolen?

  A. If your paper ticket is lost or stolen, you’ll need to purchase a new one in order to travel.

  If you purchased the Rail Protection Plan™ and your ticket is covered, you may be eligible for reimbursement if you meet the requirements of this plan, this includes filing a police report within 24 hours of the loss or theft and purchasing replacement train ticket.

• Q. In the event of a strike, is my rail pass covered under the Rail Protection Plan™?

  A. In general no – the Rail Protection Plan™ doesn’t provide specific coverage for rail passes, city passes, or tours in the event a strike occurs during your travels.

  During a strike, there are usually trains that operate along all routes, as well as substitute buses. While you may not be able to take the exact train you were planning on using, there are usually trains or some other method of transportation that can get you to where you need to go.

  In case a severe strike occurs that significantly prevents you from using your pass as intended, you may contact our customer relations team. We will review your particular circumstances and may provide compensation, if appropriate.

• Q. Should I buy my rail pass or train ticket before I leave for Europe?

  A. Yes. We find that when traveling abroad, it’s always best to book before you depart from home. That way, you’ll arrive with the proper paper documents in-hand and avoid fully booked trains that can disrupt your travel plans. This is especially important during the summer months when trains in Europe tend to sell out quickly due to increased tourism.

  Most trains can be reserved 90-days in advance of the day you’d like to travel. Again, it’s best to reserve as soon as possible to guarantee that you’ll have a seat on board.

• Q. Can I take any train that travels between the two cities for which I bought my train ticket, or do I have to take a specific train?

  A. The answer depends on what type of ticket was issued for your journey. In most cases, we issue tickets that include a seat reservation whenever required or possible. If your tickets include a reservation, you will need to board the train for which the reservation was issued.

  If you were issued a train ticket without a reservation, then yes - you can board any train traveling between the cities for which your ticket was issued. It is always advisable to inquire at the train station whether or not a reservation is needed for the train you intend to board. There are certain countries that we cannot issue reservations for: Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and other Balkan nations. Reservations may be required but will need to be purchased locally.

• Q. What does the “Login with Facebook” button do?

  A. The “Login with Facebook” button allows you to log in to the Rail Europe website with your Facebook login credentials, even if you have never registered to the Rail Europe website before.

• Q. Do you offer e-tickets?

  A. Yes, on certain rail lines. There are two types of e-tickets:
  Print at home and Print at the Station

  Let’s begin with Print at Home e-tickets, of which there are 3 different types.

  The first type of e-tickets are those issued as a PDF’s which will be emailed to you and can be downloaded via a link contained in your Rail Europe email confirmation. You must print the PDF (using a printer) and bring your ticket with you to board the train.

  The second type of e-tickets are those that are individually emailed to you. You must print the email (using a printer) and bring it with you to board the train – this is your train ticket. Each ticket will be in a separate email, so if you booked more than one ticket, please be sure you print all tickets that were emailed to you.

  The last type of e-tickets are those which have a unique e-ticket confirmation code that is printed on your Rail Europe confirmation email. You must provide the e-ticket confirmation code along with your id to the conductor on board the train.

  Next, Print at the station e-tickets!
  You will receive a 6 or 8 alpha-numeric e-ticket confirmation code (also known as a PNR or Passenger Name Record) in your Rail Europe confirmation email, which you then enter into a self-service kiosk at the train station in Europe to print out your actual train ticket.

  Use this e-ticket confirmation code at a self-service kiosk at the train station to retrieve your ticket. Not all rail lines offer these e-ticket options. Once you have selected a ticket on our website, you’ll be able to choose from its available methods of issuance at checkout.

Browse our FAQ

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 ...