Travel tickets on the national rail network national rail enquiries. The reason why this restriction exists is that national rail only confirms timetables this far in advance for most routes. The earlier you book, the more likely it is that youll snap up a. We help you save on rail tickets by highlighting the cheapest prices for your next uk national rail booking. If you know where you re going and when, booking train tickets in advance can really help you to save money. Not all train services will let you reserve a seat, but youll stand a better chance of. Usually, you can buy your train tickets as early as 60 days in advance. Below is a summary of the farthest travel dates in the future where it is possible to reserve seats.
Youll need a valid credit or debit card to complete your purchase. The advance booking times are called booking horizons. Anytime offpeak advance season national rail enquiries. Most people know if you book early, you can get cheaper train tickets. If you choose to have your ticket posted to you, you ll need to allow 7 days for delivery in the uk, 14 days for delivery to europe, and 28 days for delivery to the rest of the world. Advance train tickets are available from train operators up to 12 weeks before the date of travel. Italian train tickets and rail passes can be purchased through eurail, italiarail and rail europe, all private entities, the latter of which are brokers of trenitalia tickets. The price of your ticket is dependent on when you re looking to travel, your age, who you re travelling with and how far in advance you book. Please note that some operators can be slow to open reservations as far in advance as they claim. If you re booking online or over the phone, you can choose to receive an eticket that can be shown on your smartphonetablet, sent an sms ticket or have your ticket posted to you. How far in advance depends on the popularity of the journey. Southern do not offer seat reservations but have quota controlled advance purchase products. Some companies such as db german railways have a standard fare and cheaper tickets that you must book in advance, have a fixed quota per train, and if theyre gone, theyre gone and you are stuck with a more expensive ticket.
Remember that advance tickets are limited in number, so when one fare is sold out, it wont be available anymore for that train. If you are flexible with your time of travel, use our best fare finder to find cheap train tickets other customers have found. Alternatively, go to a travel service center or a travel agency ticket sales office. A guide to train travel in britain train times, fares. How far in advance to reserve any given train also depends on the rigidity of your schedule do you have hotel reservations or a flight to catch. Child fare a child fare is half the price of either a standard or fully flexible adult fare. Usually, the earlier you book, the cheaper your fare will be.
Advance ticket terms and conditions national rail enquiries. Book in advance and buy cheap train tickets mytrainticket. This is possible up to 24 hours before a trains departure. We know how important it is to book your tickets in advance. If you plan to travel on these dates, reserve your ticket well in advance. Well put advance tickets on sale up to 12 weeks ahead of time and you can buy them up until 23.
If you want to upgrade, you can select one of our first class advance tickets for. Advance train tickets ticket types south western railway. Some of the hgh speed trains allow 90 days in advance. Because fares vary based on the date and time you travel. If youre buying tickets in advance before travelling to the uk, its easiest to buy your tickets online and collect them when you get here. Trenitalias train schedules and fares are typically only released between 90120 days in advance, so its not a good idea to solidify travel plans before that pointthe timetable can change seasonally. Here is a helpful guide to let you know when bookings become available on rome2rio. Do check every option before you book though a standard ticket for me to london costs over 100, travelling off peak and booking over 7 days in advance i paid 15 return. When to buy your train tickets for italy tripsavvy. Feb 26, 2020 you can t buy tickets directly through national rail. If you book a train and the timetable does not come up please wait a few days and try again as not all trains are open exactly as per the day ranges below. They are oneway tickets purchased and booked in advance for specific trains.
You may book your travel up to 11 months in advance. Oct 18, 20 similarly, the train from sheffield to glasgow is. Advance train tickets buy advance train tickets online. Summer vacations you need to book in advance readers digest. Eurostar tickets to paris, lille, brussels and amsterdam can usually be booked up to 180 days before your return travel date, however this can vary for instance if theres engineering work on one of the lines and there are a few exceptions lyon, avignon and marseille. Christmas travel the best time to book train tickets 2019. In general, the further ahead you book, the cheaper the advance fare will be. You must book in advance and fares are sold in limited numbers and so subject to availability. Below is a list of trains that we can confirm along with their opening times.
Dont worry if youve not planned that far ahead, though. Oct 08, 2019 you can also find out how far in advance you can book tickets on national rail s website, where there are details on a range of range of railcards that can being down the cost of travel. Advance tickets latest purchase time national rail enquiries. So if you plan to be travelling beyond 12 weeks in the future, be sure to setup a calendar alert reminding you to book tickets. How many months in advance is it possible to book train travel in switzerland. How far in advance can you book train travel in switzerland. I am travelling through the country in july and i thought i could book tickets now but the website appears to only allow a month ahead.
Faq rail europe rail travel planner europe train travel. Direct trains to disneyland paris can currently be booked online up to 280 day in advance, depending on when you book. Amtrak trains and accommodations tend to sell out during holidays and peak travel periods. Avoid breaking your journey with advanced tickets to steer. You must book in advance and should contact the train. Eurail passes are only available to noneu citizens and residents and must be purchased in advance of your trip to italy.
But always book as far in advance as you can to assure the best price and to avoid your class of service being sold out especially during peak travel season on high speed trains. Please take your japan rail pass to any jr ticket office midorinomadoguchi, spread through all japanese train stations. Sometimes you can only join a train if you hold a reservation or boarding pass. The app and website will redirect you to the appropriate train operating company toc for the route you want to travel on. The earlier you buy, the more likely you are to get discounts.
Jul, 2016 even with last minute promotions, you can see from the examples above and below that it pays to book european train tickets well in advance. The earlier you book your tickets, the more likely you are to get the lowest fare available for the dates you want on the routes along your journey. Whether you re traveling with a rail pass or just buying tickets as you go, you can purchase seat or overnight berth reservations anywhere from an hour to several months in advance. And railpass holders who still need tickets andor seat reservations on certain trains most notably the eurostar, thalys, and any tgv are smart to get their passholderfare tickets through a usbased site, as these fares can sell out quite far in advance and arent available elsewhere online. Trip planning tools such as national rail enquiries can find you the offpeak services for the trip you want to take. Well be traveling in september 2008 and i was interested in finding out how far in advance you can book purchase your tickets. In some areas such as switzerland and most eastern countries, advancepurchase deals either dont exist or arent worth the hassle. Onsale dates vary by country, route, and time of year, with most starting two to four months in advance of travel, and six months ahead for germany and the eurostar chunnel train. Advance fares are single oneway tickets offering great value for money on many longer distance journeys. Some tocs sell advance tickets 24 weeks in advance for travelling monday to friday, but these wont show on the national rail app or website. Advance ticket terms and conditions, how and when you can use.
How far in advance can i book european train tickets. But even if you only book the day before advance tickets are available up to 6pm the day. The rail systems of most countries open for bookings between 60 and 90 days prior to travel. Direct trains dont run every day, but you can always connect in lille to speed straight to the park gates on a tgv. However, for public holidays such as lunar new year end of january, early february, may day april 30thmay 2nd, tickets will be gone long before the due date. Once at the ticket office, you will be asked about your destination and preferred departure time. You can mix and match advance fares for a return journey. Buying advance tickets and reserving seats national rail enquiries. Advance tickets are single oneway tickets for selected journeys available.
Train ticket advance booking opening times vary between train types, countries and rail or bus operators, but three months is a good estimate for most services. You can have a railcard if you are aged 1630 you do not have to be a student, aged over 60 for a senior railcard, or travelling in a group with at least one child for a family and friends railcard. Book in advance for the greatest savings on train tickets. Even if you wait until the night before travel to book national rail tickets you could. Customers are advised to reserve seats as early as possible. Cheap advance train tickets advance tickets info trainline. To visit from june to august, book 60 days in advance of the day you want to visitso for july 4, you can reserve on may 4 tickets go on sale at 7 a. For the best deals, purchase your train tickets three months in advance, if possible. So far i have noted two different policies on train tickets. You can bag cheap advance tickets up to 12 weeks before you travel. But how late can you buy an advance ticket before you travel. Interrail pass guide 2020 how interrail passes work. How far in advance can i book my european rail tickets.
If you cant plan that far ahead, you can still book some advance rail tickets up to 6pm the night before you travel. Do check every option before you book though a standard ticket for me to london costs over 100, travelling off peak and booking over 7. Tgv tickets can usually be booked up to 90 days in advance. National rail also has a future travel chart, showing the furthest date in. You can mixandmatch your advance tickets, times, and class of travel to suit your travel needs. Pencil it out but an advantage of the senior rail card is you can get first class tix at a significant savings so even w the cost of the rail card it makes 1st much more affordable. A guide to train travel in britain train times, fares, buy. You can benefit from great savings when buying your train tickets in advance. On longer distance journeys, if you travel in a peak period one way but. Advance train ticket buy advance train ticket southern. You can buy your train tickets roughly 2 months ahead of when youll need them, and can even book them the day before your train trip. Tickets on the direct eurostar train go on sale between 150 and 280 days in advance, depending on when you book. Buying advance tickets and reserving seats national rail.