Berlin - Warsaw Express

• Q. What is a Rail Pass ?

  A. A rail pass is a travel document that entitles you to travel on European trains in a specific geographic area (country/countries), for a specific number of days.

  Be mindful that having a rail pass doesn’t necessarily mean that you can hop on any train at will, within the geographical area covered by your rail pass. Depending on the country, the type of train and the route, you may need to purchase seat reservations at an additional cost.

  Lastly, rail passes are packed with additional benefits, also known as rail pass bonuses which can range from discounted shopping in retail stores, to preferential rates on other modes of transportation like ferry or bus, to rebates on hotel nights, reduced admission at museums attractions, and more.

• Q. I’ve noticed a big difference in the cost of seat reservations for different trains. Why ?

  A. Fares for reservations may vary greatly from one train to another. Unfortunately, we have no control over these prices as they’re set by each individual railroad.

  Trains that have higher priced reservations are typically high speed, international trains such as Thalys or Eurostar, as well as night trains.

  Various factors are considered by rail carriers when pricing reservations for rail pass holders. These factors can include : the technology used by the train (high speed or regular speed), the types of tracks the train travels on and their associated maintenance cost, the range of services and amenities offered on board, possible tolls incurred by the carriers depending on the train routing (such as tunnel crossing tolls) and partnerships between rail carriers for the operation of cross border trains.

  In addition, there are also specific costs associated with traveling on a night train that may include food for dinner and breakfast, as well as cabin maintenance costs (sheets, etc…). Since these costs are not associated with travel on day trains, day train reservations generally cost less.

• Q. How do I use the bonuses that come with rail passes ?

  A. Rail Pass travel bonuses must be redeemed locally.

  There are two types of bonuses. Free bonuses (such as a free airport transfer) require the use of a travel day on your pass. If all travel days have been used on your rail pass you will not be able to take advantage of any more free bonuses. Discount bonuses do not require you to use a travel day, but do require that your pass still be within its validity period. In other words, even if you’ve used up all your days on a pass, you can still claim discounted bonuses as long as the pass validity period has not expired.

  The exception to this rule is the Swiss Travel Pass. Although a discounted bonus doesn’t require you to use a travel day on your Swiss Travel Pass, the pass must still be valid and you must not have used up all your travel days.

• Q. Are there lounges at the train station I can access with my Rail Europe tickets ?

  A. Some of the main train stations in larger European cities offer lounges. Access to lounges depends on the type of train ticket you have ; generally a First class ticket is needed.

  Trains that offer lounge access are :
  Eurostar
  Thalys
  TGV
  AVE
  TGV Est
  TGV International
  Virgin
  Alvia
  Euromed
  SJ High Speed
  Altaria
  Trenitalia International Night
  Spanish Night Trains

  To learn more about lounge access for any of the above trains, we encourage you to visit the product page for the train.

• Q. What ways can a train ticket be issued ? Paper ? e tickets ?

  A. There are potentially three ways to receive European train tickets.

  Paper tickets : the rail pass or train ticket is physically printed at the Rail Europe fulfillment center and shipped to you.

  Print at home e-ticket : the train ticket may be issued as a PDF which may either be emailed to you directly, or retrieved via a web link that is communicated to you at the time of purchase, depending on the rail carrier. You must print the PDF from a computer printer on any regular paper prior to boarding the train. Some e-tickets are delivered with a unique e-ticket confirmation code that is printed on your Rail Europe confirmation email. You must provide this e-ticket confirmation code along with your id to the conductor on board the train.

  Print at station e-ticket : you will receive an e-ticket confirmation code (also known as PNR or Passenger Name Record) on your confirmation email, as well as a link to detailed instructions for retrieving your ticket. Use this e-ticket code at a self-service kiosk located at the train station in Europe to print out your actual ticket, prior to boarding the train.

  Print at home e-ticket and print at station e-ticket are “electronic” delivery methods requiring no physical shipment to you. This means we can issue you an e-ticket whether you’re still at home or already in Europe.

  Please note that all three methods are not always offered for a given train ticket. In fact, many tickets only support one of these issuance methods.

• Q. I want to refund my rail pass. How do I proceed ?

  A. If you have an unused, unvalidated rail pass that you would like to submit for a refund, please visit our Cancellation and Refunds page. Be sure to review the refund and exchange policies for your rail pass prior to purchase so you are aware of any penalties or return fees.

  When you are ready to mail your rail pass to us for a refund, it is strongly recommended that you send these documents by some type of traceable mail for proof of delivery.

• Q. How do I get a promo code ?

  A. The best way to stay informed of all current promotions and to receive promo codes is to create a user account and to subscribe to our newsletter. All publicly available promo codes can be found on our Deals page. We also issue individual, one time use promo codes at our discretion to customers who are eligible for certain discounts or have participated in certain promotions or marketing activities.

• Q. I have a question about my Rail Europe Gift Card. Who should I contact ?

  A. Just send us a message on our Contact Us page and we will respond to you via email within 24 to 48 hours.

• Q. Does taking an overnight train mean using 2 travel days on my rail pass ?

  A. If you travel on a direct overnight train departing after 7:00pm and arriving after 4:00am, it’s only necessary to enter the date of arrival in the travel calendar, thereby using only one travel day. If you travel on an overnight train that departs after 7:00pm but has a change of trains or arrives before 4:00am, you will be required to enter both the date of departure and arrival in the travel calendar, using two travel days of your rail pass.

• Q. Does my train ticket include a seat reservation ?

  A. Rail Europe tickets include a reservation whenever possible. To tell if you have a reservation, see if you received one or two travel documents for your trip. If you received two travel documents, you probably received an open ticket and a reservation. The reservation portion will show a train number, car number and seat number assigned to you personally.

  If you received only one document, you should also see if it indicates a seat number and car number. If so, your ticket includes a reservation.

  The only case where you may not have a reservation with your ticket is if you received an open ticket. With these tickets, you can simply hop on any non- reservable train that travels on the route for which you bought your ticket.

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