Can I avoid seat reservations?
Yes, you can avoid seat reservations by traveling on regional trains. However, it depends on your itinerary whether you can avoid them altogether. Most Eurail travelers take at least 1 high-speed train or night train to cover long distances quickly.
Use the Eurail timetable to find your trains and check the box 'Avoid trains that require reservations'. This will exclude trains with mandatory reservations from your search results.
In some cases reservations can't be avoided, simply because there are no other options available. A good example is the Eurostar high-speed train, traveling between London and Paris. We advise you to book this popular train 3 months in advance.
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