Experts - pls advise
 

Help -- This is our first trip to Europe and the private sleeper I used to lure my husband into agreeing to take a train from Berlin to Venice is already booked. Why I haven't confirmed this earlier is a long story.... Regardless, it's booked. My accommodations in Venice are not available prior to my scheduled arrival(it's the last weekend of Carnivale)-- if I leave Germany a day early, is there an interesting place outside of Venice I can stay for a night? I hope this makes sense -- I have to confirm the earlier sleeper car within the hour!!!

Ithought it might help to know where else our trip will take us:<BR><BR>London 2/20-2/25<BR>Berlin 2/25-2/28 as planned <BR>Venice 3/1-3/3<BR>Rome 3/3-3/10<BR><BR>Please help! Thanks in advance.

This is the train you were going to spend $815 for, right?<BR><BR>I'd leave Berlin at 6 am on the 28th and fly airberlin.com to Rome for 109 euro per person, and then go ahead by train to Florence (95 minutes from Rome Termini). You'll be there easily by noon. Spend the night of the 28th in Florence, and take the 2.5 hour train to Venice.<BR><BR>And even though I am usually nonchalant about reserving trains in advance, you might want to reserve Florence-Venice as soon as you get to London this Friday, since it's the final Saturday of Carnevale.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

One million thanks Rex for responding. I have already bought the Eurosaver pass for Germany, Austria and Italy. The price was $608 for two -- a big savings thanks to this site. While I have been watching the minutes tic by before I had to make my decision about the sleeper car on the 27th, I was looking at the map. I like your suggestions, but have already committed to the train. Another part of the very long story... What would you think of either spending the night in Munich on 2/28 and trying to take a day train to Venice on March 1 or, leaving Berlin early on 2/28 and staying in Innsbruck for the night? Keeping my fingers crossed you check this posting again soon!

I'd stay in Trento (Italy) rather than Innsbruck, if the train travel makes that a do-able choice.<BR><BR>Forgive me, if this is a stupid question, &quot;back at ya&quot; - - but are rail passes refundable, and if so, at a penalty? how much?<BR><BR>I am not a long distance train traveler, nor an advocate of buying rail passes - - so I might not be the right person to advise you on this.<BR>

Just a thought - you could go the day earlier and take a quick train from Venice to Verona for the night, and head to Venice the next day.

Just a thought: These plans almost sound like a script for one of those moronic Chevy Chase family vacation movies!

According to www.bahn.de, more than one option for Berlin-Venice exists. Which one was sold-out? If you connect through Mannheim rather than Munich, does that help you:<BR><BR>02-28-03<BR>18:41 DEP Berlin<BR>23:48 ARR Mannheim Hbf <BR>23:59 DEP Mannheim Hbf <BR>03-01-03<BR>07:45 ARR Milano Centrale <BR>08:05 DEP Milano Centrale <BR>11:06 ARR Venezia S.Lucia<BR><BR>Just a thought. I wouldn't rule out flying. You may have spent the $$ for the rail passes, but if you sit all day on a train (not that the scenery isn't beautiful) and pay for another night in a hotel, you aren't gaining much from the passes. Plus, you're losing irreplaceable time in Venice.<BR><BR>Hope you have a wonderful trip!