Help -- Night Train from Munich to Florence
 

Hey -- has anybody taken the night train from Munich to Florence? It leaves about 11:30 p.m. and gets in at 9:10 a.m. I can't figure out for the life of me how to reserve tickets ahead of time while I'm still in the U.S.! Must I (gasp!) use a travel agent? Also, if you've taken this train, let me know what your experience was like (was it hard to sleep, etc). Thank you!

We've taken it in reverse (Florence to Munich) and it was great. We had a first-class compartment(for two), and it was very peaceful and quiet. However, I am happy sleeping on trains, and maybe that's unusual.

We bought our tickets through RailEurope, long before I know of this board, so apparently we paid too much. Hopefully someone who can explain how to get them directly from Deutschebahn will chime in. . .

I took the night train from Munich-Milan in June. I reserved by calling this number 491805996633. You will get a recording first, just hold til a human speaks. Ask "do you speak English" and your call will be directed to someone who does. The man I spoke with spoke perfect English and the transaction was so easy. We had a double cabin and there was even a nice shower at the end our car. Slept like a log!

Hi J,

www.trenitalia.com won't let you order n line.

www.bahn.de will let you order, but they don't show the price.

www.euraide.com has a US number. You can order from them for the same price as in Germany +S&H.

They are very helpful.

The number scatcat gave you is for Bahn.de.

If you dial 1016868 first, it will cost only 10 cts/min

((I))

Thanks! You guys RULE.

You are welcome, J.

((I))

I have never taken that particular route, but will chime in... yes I can sleep on overnight trains in a private compartment (and I have never in my life slept on a plane, bus, or car). I like to pack bottled water, a few snacks, even wine, to get comfortable after you board but before you go to sleep.

Unfortunately, RailEurope does not seem to recognize any trains (day or night) that go over Brenner Pass from Munich to Italy, so you can't use them. Euraide will get you the reservations at European prices, but will charge you $45 for the service.

The night trains are part of German Rail's Nachtzugreise operation, and you can book reservations, with or without tickets, online and print them youself at (no www) buchung.nachtzugreise.de. Click the British flag for English.

Note that this is a very popular route and you need to book months in advance. If nothing is available from Munich to Florence, you might try Munich to Verona (same train, separates cars in Verona for Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome).

If you don't have a rail pass and want complete tickets, note also that, if you book far enough ahead, you can get a special price (SparNight) for everything. For instance, you might pay €69 for a bed in a double sleeper vs. €65 for reservations alone (on top of a day of your railpass), but these prices go early (months in advance).

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Thanks, Larry. I was totally confused as to why I couldn't find the train on RailEurope.

As an alternative to the night train, there is a EuroCity train (EC85) that leaves Munich at 9:33 and gets into Florence at 17:53. It goes by way of Innsbruck, Brenner Pass, and the South Tirol region. The scenery on that route might be worth spending a day of travel.

If you book this train online with the Bahn 3 days in advance, the fare is only €29 per person, and you can print your own tickets.