On certain trains viz. high speed premier trains, night trains with sleeper / couchette facilities, you are required to make advance reservations in addition to possessing a valid ticket or pass.
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With a pass or a ticket you may board the train, but you are not guaranteed a seat. It is always necessary to make a reservation if you want to guarantee a seat for a specific train at a specific time/date.
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Reservations are required for all high-speed Premier trains -- such as TGV, AVE, Eurostar and certain InterCity and EuroCity trains and Swiss scenic trains -- during the day.
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It is also essential to make a reservation for any sleeper or couchette accommodations on all night trains.
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For busy sections and long journeys, making reservations is highly recommended since space can get sold out, thus disrupting travel plans
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In several other cases, reservations are not required or cannot be made.
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Reservations are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, so these must be reserved in advance. Reservations can generally be made up to 60 days in advance (120 days for Eurostar & 90 days for Thalys).
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For your convenience, you can also reserve seats in Europe directly at the train stations, as late as the day of departure. However, it is recommended to reserve at least 24 hours in advance, as reservations are subject to availability.
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With a pass, you can reserve a seat, sleeper or couchette by purchasing a passholder fare. Please check fare rules when booking to make sure the passholder fare is applicable to your pass
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Premier Trains Supplement includes the compulsory seat reservation and sometimes a meal on board the train or other amenities. Certain passes, such as the Eurail Selectpass may require associated countries to be included in the pass in order to qualify for travel, reservations and discounted fares.
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In case of the Eurostar, tickets with specially discounted passholder fares, which are inclusive of reservations, a meal and other amenities can be purchased, in conjunction with selected Eurail Passes or BritRail Passes.
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Standard seat reservations are non-refundable and non-changeable. While some trains may not require reservations, all sleeping accommodations require reservations. In the event that you have a reservation but miss your train, you lose the reservation.
