How can I know if a seat reservation on ICE would be useful?

How can I know if a seat reservation on ICE would be useful?

6/26/2023 8:15:54 AM

I occasionally travel this route.

Munich-Ulm: The trains usually start in Munich, so you will find plenty of seats.

Stuttgart-Munich: Especially around weekends, you might want to reserve a seat. Trains usually have traveled through half of Germany, so there will be many passengers on board. Unfortunately, this also means that there is a (very) high probability of trains being late, so you might end up using another train, without your reserved seat, and lots of other delayed passengers. Check the DB app early and look for alternatives.

In general, I look at the train schedule to see where the train starts – just click on the train number in the connection details.

6/26/2023 7:28:34 AM

If you use DB’s online search (reiseauskunft.bahn.de), you will see an estimate right underneath the travel times.
screenshot of DB website showing "high occupancy expected"
Orthogonal to your question title, but given that you debate getting a reservation, I want to add the following:

I found those estimates on the website to be not very reliable and prefer the following rule of thumb: In the middle of the week during the day, seat reservations are often not necessary. On a friday afternoon and on weekends, you really should get a reservation. The above screenshot shows a trip on a friday afternoon, taken on monday morning. The same train on monday afternoon (on the day the picture was taken) shows "medium occupancy expected".

Especially with short trips (and I do consider the trips you are planning short) and if you’re travelling alone, you often get lucky finding a seat without a reservation with the following hints:

  • Actually read the reservations. Especially with the Munich-Ulm trip, you could get lucky and find a seat that’s only reserved starting in Ulm or even later. Using that seat between Munich and Ulm is fine.
  • As a single traveller, it is easier to find a seat. Don’t be shy and ask people if the seat next to them is taken (unless you can see it’s reserved).
  • Look for seats marked "ggf. freigeben" ("clear if necessary"). Those are used for short-term reservations, and might or might not be taken.
  • Another option is to look for "Bahn comfort". They are "reserved" for frequent travellers collecting bonus points, but I have never been asked to clear such a seat.
  • You can also try the restaurant, although to be fair towards others, you should at least get a drink if you decide to sit there.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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