ICE seating plans

[davetheguard]

Does anyone know if ICE seating plans are available anywhere online?

I'm using three ICE's on a trip to Germany in June and have reserved seats on all three trains: 14.25 Brussels to Cologne; 09.52 Duesseldorf to Berlin; and 09.42 Mannheim to Paris Est. It would be useful to find out if I'll have an unrestricted view out; or if I'll be by a pillar and need to take a good book!

The only other question is, which type of ICE are these trains likely to be: ICE 1,2, or 3?

I feel sure this will have been covered before at this forum, but have searched back to 2010 without finding anything.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[gordonthemoron]

Brussels-Cologne is an ICE3
Duessldorf to Berlin will probably be an ICE2
Mannheim-Paris is an ICE3

 

[WestCoast]

http://www.grahnert.de/fernbahn/reihung/reih0040.html will show the train formations and the location of each class and the Lounge. However, not specific seats although it can help narrow down where you are.

Simply locate the individual train number on the DB booking engine and look it up using the above link. Green indicates 2nd class and yellow 1st class. It's accurate for the current timetable period, but short notice changes can occur.

If you reserve seats through DB, you can usually select your desired seats from a plan, subject to availability. This may not be available for international journeys. If you want to see the seat plan for a particular train, use the booking engine to do a dummy booking for a seat reservation. Failing that, try booking a ticket on the service and ask to reserve a seat and you should be able to reach the plan that way.

Update - a bit of time on Google.de revealed a little website with some easily accessible plans for ICE1/2/3/TD units. www.sitzplan.net/wiki/ICE. It would be sensible to assume the bolder lines at the sides indicates pillars. This information could be married up with the above formation plans, it should make more sense that way.

 

[davetheguard]

Thanks to both of you for your help.

I've found some ICE seating plans on the brilliant Man in Seat 61 website, but unfortunately one of the two seats I've reserved in coach 27 (ironically 61 & 62!) to Berlin doesn't seem to exist according to said plan......

No doubt it will all become clear on the day.

 

[gordonthemoron]

I think coach 27 on an ICE2 is the Driving Trailer, 61&62 are shown as facing each other at a table (window seats). Coach 27 on ICE3/T is not the Driving Trailer and doesn't exist on an ICE1 (1-14 or something like that)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
it would appear I'm talking rubbish, 27 is first class

 

[WestCoast]

I think coach 27 on an ICE2 is the Driving Trailer, 61&62 are shown as facing each other at a table (window seats). Coach 27 on ICE3/T is not the Driving Trailer and doesn't exist on an ICE1 (1-14 or something like that)

I'd agree, looks like a 3 seater table to me next to a mid-car luggage rack. However, it is very much first class

 

[Groningen]

Maybe this will help you:

http://www.sitzplan.net/wiki/ICE

 

[davetheguard]

I think coach 27 on an ICE2 is the Driving Trailer, 61&62 are shown as facing each other at a table (window seats). Coach 27 on ICE3/T is not the Driving Trailer and doesn't exist on an ICE1 (1-14 or something like that)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
it would appear I'm talking rubbish, 27 is first class

Yes, we're in First Class for this leg only.

But on the plan I've looked at, seat 61 in coach 27 seems to be on its own; no seat 62 next to it.......

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Yes, we're in First Class for this leg only.

But on the plan I've looked at, seat 61 in coach 27 seems to be on its own; no seat 62 next to it.......

The seat numbers can be a bit odd sometimes on some ICE trains.

 

[davetheguard]

I'd agree, looks like a 3 seater table to me next to a mid-car luggage rack. However, it is very much first class

From what I can see, the only 61 & 62 seats like the ones you describe are coach 21/31 2nd class on an ICE 2.

The only seats on the plan that look like the ones I requested (table by window) are 61 & 62 in Coach 26/36 1st class on an ICE 2. And sure enough the reservation says "1 Kl." "Tisch" and "2 Fenster" But it also says I'm booked in coach 27, not 26.

But no seat 62 in coach 27, so it remains a mystery.

Perhaps I should e-mail DB in Germany (I bought the tickets on line from their website); or perhaps I'll just see what happens on the day. I presume First Class wouldn't be totally full at that time of day.....

 

[WestCoast]

From what I can see, the only 61 & 62 seats like the ones you describe are coach 21/31 2nd class on an ICE 2.

The only seats on the plan that look like the ones I requested (table by window) are 61 & 62 in Coach 26/36 1st class on an ICE 2. And sure enough the reservation says "1 Kl." "Tisch" and "2 Fenster" But it also says I'm booked in coach 27, not 26.

But no seat 62 in coach 27, so it remains a mystery.

Perhaps I should e-mail DB in Germany (I bought the tickets on line from their website); or perhaps I'll just see what happens on the day. I presume First Class wouldn't be totally full at that time of day.....

Thought about it, the seat plans must show the ICE2 before it was "redesigned". They've altered the seat numbering (and possibly the actually layout as well) slightly, 61 and 62 and now window table seats facing each other in coach 27, the DVT.

This post explains on the German version of RailUK explains all (in German): http://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?3,5922682,5922912.

 

[Hophead]

This seems a good point to intervene with my own (slightly) related question....

Assuming I can identify reserved & unreserved seats on IC / ICE trains, do any of you know how strict the guards are on enforcing seat reservations? Obviously I'd be preferring a forwards-facing window seat but, just supposing I ended up facing backwards next to a dirty great pillar and fancied something better - would I get away with it (or would I need slightly better German language skills?)?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Assuming I can identify reserved & unreserved seats on IC / ICE trains, do any of you know how strict the guards are on enforcing seat reservations?

Domestic IC/ICE are the same as the UK - reservations optional - so you can ignore yours at will. Reservations are marked. Worth noting though that they are cleared off shortly after departure, so you won't be able to go back to it if you don't claim it initially.

International to France are run as TGVs on the international leg so reservation compulsory - so you might find an XC-style last minute reservation unseats you if you sit elsewhere. However, I've sat in the wrong seat on a TGV and nobody cared (as there was no passenger booked into it).

I forget the policy on the Brussels ICE.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Last time I was on the Brussels ICE, I didn't even have a reservation (optional paid extra at the time of booking). It wasn't particularly full though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Last time I was on the Brussels ICE, I didn't even have a reservation (optional paid extra at the time of booking). It wasn't particularly full though.

Probably the same as domestic ICE then.

 

[davetheguard]

Thought about it, the seat plans must show the ICE2 before it was "redesigned". They've altered the seat numbering (and possibly the actually layout as well) slightly, 61 and 62 and now window table seats facing each other in coach 27, the DVT.

This post explains on the German version of RailUK explains all (in German): http://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/read.php?3,5922682,5922912.

Thanks WestCoast, that explains everything!

I wonder if the Man in Seat61 knows that his ICE seat plans have become slightly out of date?

Anyway, two window seats round a table will do us very nicely.

 

[tranzitjim]

Does anyone have the details of the UK variant of the Velaro?

Such as, does anyone have the seating layout plans for that?