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IxionUK
Traveller
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Posted 10 years ago

Hello :)

I am looking to make this journey by InterRail fairly soon and I just wanted to run it by people here to check that all the connections/routes in there are covered by the InterRail Global Pass (I am planning on purchasing the 15 day continuous pass via railcc very soon) and there are no hidden surprises I should know about. I would be starting in the UK and plan to go to Amsterdam via the DutchFlyer and probably return via the EuroStar from Paris. I'd like to squeeze in some part of Belgium but I'm not sure if it would be better at the start or end of the trip.

Also I think there is a night train from Amsterdam to Berlin? How far in advance would I need to book a night train and would I do that when I am in the Netherlands or before?

One more thing, I do not seem to be able to get the Autumn discount when I try to order my railpass so as yet I haven't ordered it, my first day of travel is definately after the 15th of September but the discount never seems to apply?

Thank you for any advice or suggestions!

Edit. I appear to have misread and there is no train from Amsterdam to Berlin :) I guess I must go to Munich. Or perhaps Amsterdam to Prague then Prague to Berlin? I would like to use a couple of sleeper trains.

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nltrainer
Traveller
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replied 10 years ago

then your are not the tipical poor IR-er. Do you want the REAL sleeper=WL=wagons lits (as the poor english lingo has insufficient words to describe the various bed-types)?
ThereIS-untill 1/11, an overnight CNL train start AMS by 19.00 (though there may be the odd weekendwork), with 3 portions, each of 1 sit, 1 sleep (real) and 1 or 2 couchette. 1 portion to Praha, 1 to Warszawa (has the best recline seats-bisnis classtype), and 1 to Kobenhavn. The Pr and WAW portions DO go via berlin and stop-but very early-and you Brits all seem to agast to get off by 5.00. The age old trick-which newbees often lack the brains for: you can continue on, f.e. to Poznan in PL or Dresden, see town, return to berlin late afternoon. THats just 1 of the pro's of IR.
BUT daytimetrains take shorter, are RES-free and for IR on CNL the added cost for sleep etc is quite high-higher as a cheap hoStel. ON the night sun/mon you can go for free-in seats: take last ICE to Köln (cologne for you), then the 1/week overnight German ICE [those sleek white Hi-speedo things) to B+erlin-seats only, no RES needed.
IF you only want to make these trips, then go for the 10 in 22 version- read about the night time use after 19.00.
€* and that boat/train do NOT honor IR and only give small discount-actually a normal advance ticket can be cheaper.
The sooner you book bed/nightspace the better. IF you wait till here in AMS you risk being sold out and you also pay an extra 10eur for the ''service'' of waiting very long, being balked at and left at your peril from NS-international.
All routes are covered by your IR, but NOT each and every train on them.
Just scroll to the country areas/for: there you find the added info and best trains. Note that the same gregarious FR railways have raised the extra for the Through TGV Swiss-paris to a whopping 35++ eur-again read as to how to avoid/lower that.