Buying tickets
Alasdair Skelton
Buy tickets and seat reservations directly from rail providers. Buy tickets and seat reservations from an online platform. Buy an Interrail pass and seat reservations.
option 1 for shorter rail journeys with one rail provider option 2 or 3 for shorter rail journeys with more than one rail provider option 3 for longer rail journeys
Seat reservations are included when you buy a ticket. You can choose your seat from a seat map when booking. Choose between second (“Eko”) and first (“Ekstra”) class. First class = larger seats, as well as complementary coffee, tea and water. You can pay a fee in second class for an empty seat beside you. On night trains (the only option for onward journeys from Tornio), Finish Railways do not sell individual sleeping berths in cabins, so you will have private use of your cabin. There are cabins with an en suite toilet/shower and air conditioning, and (cheaper) cabins with a toilet at the end of the corridor, and without air conditioning.
Seat reservations are compulsory (but included when you buy a ticket). Choose between “non-flexible” and “flexible” (a fee is charger for refunds within 24 hours of departure), and between “standard” and “premium”. Premium = power outlets and complimentary tea, coffee and water.
Travel tickets and seat reservations are purchased separately at https://dsb.dk/ . Make sure to select not only the number of passengers (“rejsende”) but also the number of seat reservations (“pladsbiletter”) you need (or you might find yourself standing for the entire journey …). The cheapest tickets are “DSB Orange” and “DSB Orange Fri”. “DSB Orange” tickets are neither changeable nor cancellable. “DSB Orange Fri” can be cancelled up to 30 minutes before your train departs. Danish Railways also sells second class (“Standard”) and first class (“DSB 1´”) tickets. First class = larger seats, as well as complementary coffee or tea from a thermos, occasional (very light) snacks and (bottled) water.
Enter the station where your journey starts and your destination. Enter the number of passengers. Select first or second class. Set the minimum transfer time to 45 minutes. (Why? Because German trains are very often delayed.) Click on “Search”.
If none of the suggested itineraries work for you, click on “Modify details” and I suggest making small changes to the length of any stopovers or adding a stopover to force a longer transfer time. Click on “Change” to see some new suggestions. If one of the suggestions does work for you, select it by clicking on “Continue”.
Select your preferred ticket:
“Super Sparpreis Europa” tickets are the cheapest option, but these tickets are for “train specific travel” and they cannot be cancelled. “Sparpreis Europa” tickets are also for “train specific travel” but they can be cancelled (for a fee), but this needs to be done one day before your day of travel. “Flexpreis Europa” tickets are quite a lot more expensive, but these tickets are not for “train specific travel” and they can be cancelled, which can make them a better choice despite their higher price. Check “Seat reservation”. (Note: Seat reservations are only included with your ticket if these are required. You need to check this box and pay an additional fee for optional seat reservations.) Click on “Continue” (a couple of times). Enter your personal details and pay for your tickets.
Buying tickets from Rail Europe ( https://www.raileurope.com/ ) or DB International ( https://int.bahn.de/en ), if either of them can offer you a suitable connection from Sweden to Copenhagen. Buying tickets from SJ ( https://www.sj.se/ ) as for as Copenhagen, and from either Rail Europe ( https://www.raileurope.com/ ) or DB International ( https://int.bahn.de/en ) for onwards travel to Germany and some destinations in neighbouring countries.
Enter the station where your journey starts and your destination. Enter the number of passengers. Select first or second class. Enter stopovers (for any overnights) and how long these should be. Set the minimum transfer time to 45 minutes. (Why? Because German trains are very often delayed.) Click on “Search”.
If none of the suggested itineraries work for you, click on “Modify details” and I suggest making small changes to the length of any stopovers or adding a stopover to force a longer transfer time. Click on “Change” to see some new suggestions. This is an iterative process and (with a little persistence) you can often find a much better itinerary. If one of the suggestions does work for you, select it by clicking on “Continue”.
Select your preferred ticket: “Super Sparpreis Europa” tickets are the cheapest option, but these tickets are for “train specific travel” and they cannot be cancelled. “Sparpreis Europa” tickets are also for “train specific travel” but they can be cancelled (for a fee), but this needs to be done one day before your day of travel. “Flexpreis Europa” tickets are quite a lot more expensive, but these tickets are not for “train specific travel” and they can be cancelled, which can make them a better choice despite their higher price. Check “Seat reservation”. (Note: Seat reservations are only included with your ticket if these are required. You need to check this box and pay an additional fee for optional seat reservations.) Click on “Continue” (a couple of times). Enter your personal details and pay for your tickets.
Enter the station where your journey starts and your destination. Enter the number of passengers. Click on “More options” and enter stopovers (for any overnights) and how long these should be, or to increase connection times. Click on “Search”.
If none of the suggested itineraries work for you, click on “Edit search” and I suggest making small changes to the length of any stopovers. Click on “Search” to see some new suggestions. This is an iterative process and, with a little persistence, you can often find a much better itinerary. If one of the suggestions does work for you, select it and click on “Continue”. Choose from “flexible” and “non-flexible”, and from 1st and 2nd class. (Note: The alternatives are likely to be the same as those offered by DB International: “Super Sparpreis Europa”, “Sparpreis Europa” and “Flexpreis Europa”.) Check “Seat reservation”. (Note: Seat reservations are only included with your ticket if these are required. You need to check this box and pay an additional fee for optional seat reservations.) Click on “Add to Basket” and Continue” and pay for your tickets.
Non-refundable, 2nd class: 3000–4000 SEK Non-refundable, 1st class: 4000–5000 SEK Refundable, 2nd class: 6000–8000 SEK Refundable, 1st class: 9000–12 000 SEK
Choose the Interrail pass you need: 4, 5 or 7 days in 1 month, 10 or 15 days in 2 months, or 15 days, 22 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months continuously: For journeys to northern Europe (mainland), I usually recommend 4 days in 1 month. For journeys to southern Europe and the British Isles, I usually recommend 5 or 7 days in 1 month. For journeys to southeastern or southwestern Europe, I usually recommend 7 days in 1 month or 10 days in 2 months. Change the number of travellers from 1 “Youth” to, e.g., 1 “Adult”. Choose 1st or 2nd class. Choose the Interrail pass you need again . Enter your personal details and buy your Interrail pass.
Open the “Eurail/Interrail Rail Planner” app on your mobile device. Click on “My Pass” and “+” to add a new pass. Enter your last name and the pass number. Create a trip, name it, and link your pass to it. Enter your passport number (and make sure to take your passport with you as you can be required to show it with your pass) and choose your first day of travel to activate your pass.
Click on “Planner” and enter the city or station from which you are departing, the city or station which you are traveling to, and an approximate departure time. Click on “Plan my journey” and choose the journey you prefer, making a note if seat reservations are required (more on that in the chapter on “Seat reservations for Interrail travellers”). Click on “Save journey”. You can repeat this process to plan an itinerary. You can click on “My trip” to see your planned itinerary at any time.
If it is the first leg on a new day of travel, you will be asked to confirm that you will use a travel day from your Interrail pass. If it is an outward journey from a railway station in Sweden or a return journey to a railway station in Sweden, you will be asked to confirm that you will use one of your outbound/inbound travel days. Uniquely for Sweden, because it can take more than one day to get out of the country from some railway stations (e.g., Kiruna to Copenhagen), you get four (rather than the standard quota of 2) outbound/inbound travel days (on passes with longer durations).
2nd class: 3800 SEK 1st class: 4800 SEK
It’s cheaper (Our example of a return journey from Stockholm to Amsterdam cost 9000 SEK with separate refundable 1st class tickets purchased from SJ and DB International, 9800 SEK with separate refundable 1st class tickets purchased from Omio, and 4800 SEK with Interrail.)
It’s more flexible. (All that’s at stake if you miss a connection is the cost of seat reservations. In our example: 150 SEK for Stockholm to Copenhagen, and 80 SEK for Copenhagen to Amsterdam.)
You’re not on holiday. You need to work on the train: 1st class means more space and a calmer working environment. This makes it easier for you to get more work done. You are also more likely to have access to an electric socket and WIFI can be faster. More chance of finding a seat if you miss a connection: With a 1st class Interrail pass, you are free to sit in either 1st or 2nd class (wherever you can find a seat). It’s not a lot more expensive than 2nd class. Indeed 1st class with Interrail is often (considerably) cheaper than 2nd class with tickets purchased from an online platform or directly from several rail providers.