Need advice on overnight train from Krakow to prague
 

Hello,
My husband and I will be travelling to Prague to meet our daughter who is studying abroad. The 3 of us will then be travelling to Poland. I have received some very helpful advice from everyone on this board. But I have more question (I hope?) All of our arrangements have been made except for our train travel. We plan on taking the overnight train from Krakow to Prague. I just found out that it does not have a private compartment for 3 people. We either have to reserve a private single and a private double or the couchette for 6 passengers. The private single and double will cost about $200 more than the couchette. We have never travelled by train before. How comfortable is the couchette for 6 passengers? Will we be able to get a decent night's sleep? I would greatly appreciate hearing other traveler's opinions on the couchettes.
Thank you so much!

With the greatest of respect, are you planning on reserving ALL SIX of the couchettes??? the usual stacking is three on each sidel...if only three of you are in there it might not be too bad.
How are you determining the price for the trip? If you are using an agency such as Raileurope (which I use a lot) be aware that their prices usually come at a premium for convenience and it might be cheaper to reserve the spaces once you get to Europe provided you have enough lead time to do so.
If you aren't going to book all six couchette berths then there will be three other folks, possibly, in with you and that can be a lot less comfortable.
Do you have to do this on an overnight or would it be easier to spend the money saved by doing it during the day on another night in a regular hotel? Just some things to consider (if you haven't already).

The reference library of a city near you may have the Thomas Cvook Eduroprean Timetable. Table 95 shows that the train from Krakow Glowna to Prague Hlavni (beware pickpockets in both stations) has 1, 2 and 3 berth sleepers, couchettes, and seats. Three berth sleepers are second class, but holders of first class tickets can book them, too. I wonder what source misinformed you. If RailEurope I want to say that I am not surprised. As Intrepid says they add thirty percent to usual fares and sleeper costs. They are no more convenient than the four other, more reasonable, overseas agents, which I list below.
You can confirm the three berth compartments at http://www.wars.com.pl/ceny/ceny2_eng.htm. I see that the supplement there (without the basic ticket) is 14 euros a head, which is not much money. Your daughter could book these tickets and berth supplements at the Central Station or at Orbis in Warsaw. Or agents that make a moderate mark-up or fee are these. You could e-mail them for a quote.
Based in USA and Germany.
Euraide. http://www.euraide.de/. Telephone 1 941-480-1555 Telefax 1 941-480-1522 [email protected]

Based in UK. Happy to serve travelers in North America
Trainseurope Ltd, of Cambridgeshire and London, take credit card bookings by phone and mail tickets to any address. Have the widest access in Britain to rail systems and tickets. http://www.trainseurope.co.uk/ - E-mail [email protected]. Phone 00 44 900 195 0101 - calls from Britain cost 60p per minute, maximum £5, but if the enquiry results in a booking, the cost of the call is deducted from the final invoice.
German Rail UK: www.deutsche-bahn.co.uk/ Phone : 00 44 870 243 53 63 then 6. Fax : 00 44 20 8339 4700. E-mail : [email protected]
Ffestiniog Travel, site http://www.festtravel.co.uk, e-mail [email protected], phone 01 766 512 400
If the triple compartments in the direct train are full, your next most convenient trip, without the inconvenience of the 6 berth couchette, and at moderate extra charge, is Krakow Glowna 1700, dine on the train, Warsaw Central 1952 to 2124, Prague Hlavny 0720.
As first time users of sleepers you might like to look at two web sites.
Detailed and able survey, country by country. http://www.seat61.com/
Note on getting the best from sleepers and couchettes at http://www.twenj.com/tipsnighttrains.htm

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Hello Ben Haines and Intrepid,
thank you for your very helpful responses. No, we weren't going to book all 6 berths, just the 3 for us, but I was concerned about sleeping in a couchette with 3 strangers. And I'm concerned about the comfort. Yes, it was RailEurope that told me the overnight train from Krakow to Prague, the one that leaves Krakow at 10:45pm, did not have a 3-berth sleeper. We want to take the overnight train so that we will have an extra day for sightseeing instead of spending the whole day on the train. I don't think we have enough lead time to book the spaces when we arrive in Europe because we are arriving in Prague Oct. 24 and departing Prague for Krakow on Oct. 27 by train and then returning to Prague via overnight train on the night of Nov. 1.

I will try the different websites that Ben Haines gave me.

Thank you, both of you, so much! Will let you know what we end up doing!

Oh how stupid: I was thinking of Krakow to Prague. Since you start in Prague your choices are these
You use one of the four agents I named
Your daughter buys at Cedok in Na Prikope in Prague
You use Cedok yourself. Like the agents in the States and Britain Cedok Travel, www.cedok.cz, charge to credit card via internet, and the tickets are at your hotel upon arrival in Prague.

I can now add that the four agents and Cedok are better than RailEurope at giving you correct information. It will help me advise future enquirers if you will very kindly e-mail me to say what prices these agents quote you for your three tickets and berths. My present estimate comes from a bed in a double from Paris to Venice, so I shall be very interested to hear what you learn of a triple from Krakow to Prague.

Do you know that you can take a cab from your hotel straight to the roof of the station in Krakow, then the lift down to your platform. You need to know from your hotel or Orbis what number that platform is. I wish other stations offered this. In Krakow, it limits the chances of the pickpockets, but I would still keep all my valuables but my train ticket in my suitcase until I reached my sleeper compartment. The same technique in Prague Hlavni.

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