While we've been all over Europe, we've never taken trains between our destinations. We want to get a feel for the trains because at some point in the future, it just won't be feasible to drive. Nonetheless, we're flying into Budapest and planning on taking a train to Vienna and then onto Prague. It seems that the earliest we can book train tickets is 60 days in advance. Is that the way it is or am I using the wrong website?

I am afraid I don't have the answer; but from my experience, as there are frequent trains daily among these three cities, unless there are discount fare available online, it isn't necessary to book ahead, 1-2 days ahead should be O.K. In Vienna, once I bought ticket 10 minutes before departure.

Top this post for someone to answer.

First of all we have no idea which website you are using.

Second, there is no need at all to buy tickets ahead of time. You can simply buy tickets when you arrive in Budapest and hop on whatever train you wish that goes to Vienna and take any open (and unreserved seat). Trains run every 2 hrs. Tickets are good on any train for about a 2-3mo period, so you're not locked into one specific train. I've also done as Judy has, buy a ticket right before getting on a train.

If you want to reserve a seat then you can go to the train station a day or 2 ahead and buy a seat reservation (usually about 3 Euro) along with you ticket, but it's not necessary.

I find it helpful to bring a printout of the days trains (from www.bahn.de, click on internat guests at the top for English) and circle the train I wish to take then hand it to a clerk at the station so there's no communication problem.

Yes, some people like to ensure they have a seat reservation - that's fine, but not necessary to do more than a day in advance.

ttt

J62 has given IMO excellent advice and i'd wait to buy these tickets upon arrival as you'll probably save a lot of money buying them there than thru www.raileurope.com, the primary outlet for European point-point tickets in the US. That said if you're the type that wants the trains reserved in advance then i always refer folks to BETS (800-441-2387), a RailEurope agent that gives expert service...and no more than 60 days out, but you should have no problem buying them in europe - the worst might be to have to go first class if second class for some unseen reason - football match, was full.

In many countries the national rail websites you can reserve online but not sure about Czech Republic and Budapest for this.