How far in advance can I book train tickets?
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. The advance booking times are called " Booking horizons"; the term for how far ahead you can book train tickets. This article gives you an idea of what to expect.
If you want to check the carriers specific sales opening dates, please check here our dedicated page .
IN THIS ARTICLE
Booking horizon by country
Country |
Booking Horizon |
| Austria |
3 months (90 days) |
| Belgium |
3 months (90 days) |
| France |
3 months with seasonal variation |
| Germany | 3 months (90 days) |
| Italy | 2-6 months, depending on the train type* |
| Netherlands | 3 months (90 days) |
| Spain | 3 months |
| Switzerland |
2-10 months |
| United Kingdom | 3 months (90 days) |
Booking horizon by train
Rail operator and/or train |
Route |
Booking horizon |
|
| Eurostar | To/from London-Paris/Brussels | 11 months | |
| Eurostar Disneyland (Marne-la-Vallee) | To/from London-Disneyland Paris | 11 months in advance (does not run every day) | |
| Eurostar Ski train | To/from London-French Alps | Seasonal service with fixed booking/travel dates (approx. Aug for travel Dec-April) | |
| Eurostar direct south of France | To/from London-Lyon-Aix en Provence | Seasonal service with fixed booking/travel dates (approx Dec for travel May-Aug) |
|
| Frecciarossa, Frecciaagento (High-speed trains in Italy) | Intercity trains in Italy | 6 months | |
| Italo (NTV) | Intercity trains in Italy | 4 months | |
| National Rail | Throughout the UK | 3 months (90 days) | |
| Renfe-SNCF | To/from Paris-Barcelona | 6 months | |
| TER (regional) | Trains in France | 3 months | |
| TGV (high-speed) | Trains in France | 3 months with some seasonal variation |
|
| TGV France-Italy | To/from Paris-Milan/Turin | 6 months | |
| TGV Lyria (France - Switzerland) | To/from Paris-Geneva/Zurich | 6 months | |
| TGV Alleo (France - Germany) | To/from Paris-Frankfurt | 6 months | |
| Thalys | To/from Paris - Brussels-Amsterdam | 4 months | |
| Ouigo Spain | To/from Madrid - Barcelona | over 12 months (365 days) | |
| SBB | Trains within Switzerland | 02-10 months | |
| OBB | Trains in Austria | 03 months (90 days) | |
| RegioJet | To/from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Slovakia, Croatia and Hungary | 03 months (90 days) | |
| IRYO | Spanish High speed Trains | 08 months | |
| DB | Trains In Germany | 03 months (90 days) | |
Booking tickets with different booking horizons
It is possible that some legs of your trip will have different booking horizons. You have 2 options:
- If you would like to book all the tickets under one booking reference, you can wait until all parts of your journey are available before booking. However, there is a possibility that the tickets may be more expensive, or sold out closer to your departure date, depending on availability from the railways. Our Help article Booking journey legs separately explains why.
- If you have to book multiple tickets, and 1 or few tickets (not all) are available for booking, you can book the available tickets under 1 booking. You can then make a different booking for the rest of the tickets. Please note, this would mean that you would have to incur individual booking fees. Booking fee is applicable per booking. It is not possible to add new tickets to an existing booking."
Seasonal timetable changes
Every year in December and June, the European train timetables are amended. This means that, for a couple of weeks each year, you might not be able to book as far in advance as you would expect.
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- The European train timetable usually changes on the second Sunday in June and the second Sunday in December.
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- While the timetable is revised and compiled, the booking windows shortens. If you're having trouble finding a train and it's close to the timetable change, that may be why.
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- Booking typically opens in mid-October for the winter timetable and mid-April for the summer timetable
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- We compile a list of when we expect bookings to open for each operator. Check for seasonal information in our blog and Help articles.
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- The most reliable way to be notified when booking opens is to set up a booking alert.