Train reservations in europe?

I am an American traveling to Spain and France, this May. Over ten days, I will be traveling from Madrid to Barcelona, then Barcelona to Paris, and finally Paris back to Madrid. I am 24 year old. Should I obtain a eurorail pass? How far in advance do I need to make reservation for the trains? Where do I make reservations? As is the case with every 24-year-old traveler, I am on a budget. Thank you for the help.Train reservations in europe?
A good site with a lot of information on rail in Europe is the site of the man in seat sixty-one:

http://www.seat61.com/

He has a page on rail passes, and whether to buy them, including links to the sites selling them.

Click on rail passes at the top of the page.

Rail passes are often not cheaper.



If you want to use the high speed trains, and I would for a travel like that, you will need to pay hefty surcharges on a Eurail pass, while you can buy tickets right now and spend much less. The same site has the info on where to buy your tickets too.

In any case, you should try the national railway site to check prices and times, Renfe for Spain and SNCF for France, links to be found on above site, just click on France and on Spain in the bar on the left.

Buy as soon as you can, the prices will go up when more seats are sold.

What you pay depends on when you buy and how much flexibility you want.



By the way, are you sure you want to include Paris in your travels, as it is a long way away from Spain and will cost you twice a day of your already short time here for the travel alone, or two overnight travels for which you should consider couchettes and an higher cost. Even the travel Madrid Barcelona will take most of a day, if you also calculate the time you will need to check out of your hostel, travel to the railway station, and on the other end, find your way to your new place to stay, check in and get settled.

If you need to be in Paris, it makes more sense to fly home from there and not backtrack to Madrid.



The German railsite is very easy to use for timetable information:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.e鈥?/a>
Make reservations for high-speed trains (they are common in Spain, France, Italy) and night trains.

I'm not sure how far in advance you have to book, but I was fine with only 4 hours in advance, in less popular destinations that is...

Normally, you won't have to reserve more than 3 days earlier. Reservations are possible through the internet, at the train operator's site (http://www.renfe.es and http://www.sncf.com/en_EN/flash), or at http://www.bahn.de and http://www.raileurope.com.

You can also make reservations at the train station, where you buy your tickets.



I found out for you the fares you'll be called to pay (reservations included):

-Madrid-Barcelona 159$ (2 hours and 38 minutes, approx)

-Barcelona-Paris 102$ (12 hours approx, night train)

-Paris-Madrid 102$ (13 hours and 23 minutes approx, night train)



Considering the high fees you'll have to pay, you might need a Eurail pass after all.Train reservations in europe?
Your Accounting GURU



The United States of America is the only place on the planet that is dependent on automobiles: The rest of the world goes by train. Europe has an extensive train system, called "TREN" in Italy. You can cross all the countries within hours and there are high speed trains and local trains. No cars are necessary in Europe. Wouldn't it be nice if you could get on a bullet train and go from Raleigh, NC to Atlanta in 2 1/2 hours. Yes, it would. But, we are so fixated on oil. Go figure:



You can buy a EuroRail pass in advance and there are night trains (sleeper cars) available also.



Here is a link: There is another link that I like, but you have to translate it from Italian to English and I did not think you would be up for that..



Oops, I changed it to English for you. The prices are cheaper here. Did you know you can go from Rome to Venice in 4 1/ 2 hours. There is an ancient city in Europe that I hope you get a chance to see called "Bruggee" All of the Volvos, Saabs are shipped from there.



http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/index.h鈥?/a>

http://www.raileurope.com/index.html



Try riding the TGV or ICE trains while over in Europe: You'll love those. I have been totally fascinated with trains since childhood and would much rather be on a train than a car any day. I hate driving