Hello,
I am wondering whether or not I will need to make reservations on a night train trip that I plan to take from Munich to Prague on the night of May 9th (there will be 4 of us). That is a Monday night, and since it will be early May, do I need to book this ahead of time or can we just go to the station that night (or earlier that day? when we lock up our luggage?) and buy tickets. Any advice? I think we would be going for the 2nd class couchettes (the ones with 6 beds to a room).

As long as there is no compelling reason why you cannot reserve in advance, why not do so? You can do so through Rail Europe and likely less expensively through the German rail site: http://www.bahn.de/pv/view/int_guest...l_guests.shtml

This will eliminate the distinct possibilty that you will not be able to get a couchette on the travel day.

I agree with, RJD.

You can generally book 60 nights in advance. You can save some money by booking in Europe and I would do it as soon as I arrived (from any station).

I would definitely book in advance rather than waiting until the day or or even the day before.

Amanda - If you have your heart set on a couchette then you should definitely make your reservations ahead of time.

However - a word of warning!!

I was traveling in May a few years ago and we kept trying to get couchettes at the last minute, but they were always sold out. Finally, for our last overnight we wised up and got a reservation...we were so excited that we'd finally have a comfortable place to sleep on the train.

The next morning, I described the experience as a "snoring, rolling, hell on wheels" in my journal. My husband (boyfriend at the time) is 6'6" and I'm 5'11". Neither of us could fit in the bed without curling up on our sides, but the beds weren't really wide enough for that either. We shared our accommodations with 2 elderly gentlemen who snored the whole night and refused to let us open the windows. It was hot, cramped, loud...generally quite bad.

Sheesh - I sound like a real whiner...we never had any troubles sharing rooms in hostels, but that train ride really sticks in my mind as a truly bad night. We were always more comfortable in the regular seats, where we could actually stretch out a bit more.

Good luck!

Okay, so I was looking at the German rail site, even went so far as to register and get info on the particular trip and start the booking process (just to see how it works, so in a month or so I can book it for real). It says at the booking stage that reservations are required on night trains, but then doesn't give you any way to select the kind of accomodation you want (i.e. a couchette), only asking you whether you want smoking/non-smoking, aisle/window seat etc. What's up with this? Anyone know how the site works?

Hi Amanda, I am in the process of planning my Europe trip and I am traveling by train within Europe (Germany, Swizterland, and Italy) during late March. From my experience this past week, I highly recommend making your overnight train reservations much in advance if you know for sure your destinations and travel dates!!! I had planned on two overnight legs and they were all booked! The agency helped me play with the dates (two days before and after) and still no luck. The agency said that they fill up fast and people start booking 60 days in advance. I am now having to rearragne my travel plans.. what a pain. I'm not sure if anyone has ever had the same problem.... or am I dealing with an agency that don't know what they're doing.

If booking thru RailEurope i always recommend calling Budget Europe, a RailEurope agent who doesn't charge RE's $15 mailing fee and whose staffers all have traveled for years on trains like this and can expertly answer all your questions about couchettes, etc. without any obligation, whether you book thru them or not (800-441-9413). Fees thru RailEurope would be $93 for the train fare plus $31 per person for the 6 person couchetter plus a $15 booking fee and $15 mailing fee (again not charged by BETS). Train leaves 23:09 arrives around 8:30 in Prague. You can often get couchettes right up until time of train but not always - at times i've found that all couchettes were booked and i had to pay much more for a T-3, a place in a triple at about twice as much so to be absolutely sure book ahead in US - if you're flexible wait or check fares on www.bahn.de site and see if you'll save enough money if not order here is my advice.

Hi amanda,

When you come to checkout, there is a box for special requests. Tell them you want 4 couchette bunks - women only, if that's what you prefer.

Ira

Ira - is there an additional cost to have couchettes vs. just seats? If I mention this in the special requests box, will I get some sort of confirmation that we have couchettes?

Couchettes are definitely an additional charge.