I am looking to book an over night train trip from Munich to Florence for my husband, daugher (4yo), and myself. I am confused about the options. If we want a deluxe cabin, which I am guesing means there is a shower included?, we can either have a 3 persons in a deluxe 3-berth cabin, or 3 persons in a deluxe double cabin. The price of the latter is 377 europa spezial, while the price of the former is 317 europa spezial.

My main questions are:
1. is the deluxe double cabin bigger than a deluxe 3-berth cabin? Is that why it costs more? Are there still 3 beds in it?
2. Can we get the europa spezial from the US?

Thanks!

betsy

2 - No only online at www.bahn.de - you could compare prices in U.S. from RailEurope but often they are more - but not always - it seems from many folks it is easy to book at www.bahn.de but in the U.S. i'd advise contacting www.budgeteuropetravel.com (800-441-2387) and talking to Byron - he will IME be able to answer any question such as your questions about the various cabin sizes and check fares in dollars and then you go with whatever is lower - probably bahn.de

Thanks for your quick response! What I meant with question 2 is can we get that deal with a US credit card. I was wondering if maybe it were a special for Europeans?

yes you can - i have not done so but many Fodorites have successfully done it with U.S. credit cards so i am sure you can. A good move would be to alert your credit card company that you will have a charge coming in from Germany - the only snafu would be if your c c company blocked a foreign transaction for security reasons - always before going to Europe i do this as i have had cards blocked once there but as long as they know it should be fine.

www.seat61.com has lots of info on things like you ask in question #1 - layouts of sleeper car compartments and amenities.

A double compartment has two berths - two narrow bunk beds. Only two people can sleep in a double compartment. If three people book berths in doubles, two of them will be in one compartment and the third person will be in another compartment sharing with a stranger of the same sex.

Each deluxe sleeper compartment has 3 beds, and can be used for 1 2 or 3 bed occupancy. Though nothing stops you paying for a deluxe double plus an adjacent single, just the cost!

See www.seat61.com/citynightline.htm for photos and info.

Book it at www.bahn.de and print out your own ticket. Anyone from any country can use this, for cheap European prices, and you simply print out your own ticket .

Look at the photos on seat61 carefully. Even a deluxe sleeper compartment is extremely cramped. And do not expect to sleep quietly. You will hear all kinds of noises during the night.

"Europa spezial" means nothing but that it is a fare that is good for travelling between several European countries. The nationality of the passenger is of no importance. Simply buy online, pay with your credit card and print your ticket & reservation (when travelling, you need to present the ticket + credit card for verification).

Or try to find a cheap flight.

Each deluxe sleeper compartment has 3 beds, and can be used for 1 2 or 3 bed occupancy. Though nothing stops you paying for a deluxe double plus an adjacent single, just the cost!>

Yes and correct me if i am wrong but that means paying not just for the compartment but also the train fare and unless you get some special that could be hundreds of bucks.

Thank you for all of your help. I am a bit claustrophobic, so maybe going with two compartments for the three of us is the thing to do. Good to hear that I can get the lower rate.

If anyone knows of cheap airfares from munich to florence, I would love to hear about them. I did a bit of a search and couldn't find much. I am thinking that an overnight train might be a nice adventure for our 4 year old.

try www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.net if you have not for cheap air connections between any two airports in Europe

and don't just try Florence Airport but the larger one in Pisa that is the region's main international airport

Overnight trains are a really fun experience. The compartments are small, very small. Quite frankly, the shower is usually not one that you would use. It is nice to have the bathroom facilities right in your cabin.
The only problem that I see in your case is that I am assuming that you are looking at the Citynightline from Munich to Florence. That arrives in Florence at around 6:15 a.m. That could be problematic with a 4 year old unless you have a hotel room to go directly to which is usually not the case.

The sleeper compartment is HUGE compared to the tiny cramped space you get per person on a budget flight.

The City Night Line sleepers are plenty big enough to sleep in, and stand next to the bed too (you aren't planning to play tennis in it, surely...?

And of course for a 4 year old, bunk beds on a train, it doesn't get any better than that!

City centre to city centre, no hassle, saving a hotel bill. Flying is a huge hassle these days, and bad for the environment too.

www.bahn.de will give you the options for 3 bed with washbasin, 3 bed with shower, 2 bed with shower plus adjacent single-bed, and so on.

If you decide to fly, check out Air Berlin which flies from many German cities. www.airberlin.com

ryanair.con has flights Memmingen to Pisa for next to nothing.
Driving time from Munich downtown to Memmingen is about an hour, 90min by bus. You would need another bus from Pisa Airport to Florence which is about the same distance.

Now I have lots of ideas to think about! Unfortunately, Air Berlin doesn't fly on the day we need to, a Saturday evening or Sunday morning, but it looks like Ryanair does. My main concern with doing that is there aren't many flights so if something gets screwed up we may be stuck.

What we are trying to do is get from Munich to Montepulciano, so flying into Pisa wouldn't be too terrible. If we took the train to Florence, once there we would either need to rent a car, or take another train somewhere in the direction of Montepulciano to rent a car. Since we would be arriving early Sunday morning, it might be hard to get a rental car right away. The plan is to fly out of Florence about a week later.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions, it is helping my thought process enormously.

You can take the train from Pisa Airport to Chiusi, changing at Empoli - there are several major car rentals opposite the Chiusi train station and Montepulciano is a short drive (or bus ride) from Chiusi.

Palenque, if the OP's travel plans are firm, they'll arrive in Florence on a Sunday morning, so the car rentals in Chiusi probably won't be open.

Oops - good point and one that has come up before - about Chiusi car rentals being Chioso (sp for closed?) on Sabbath or at least later in the day

Ryanair usually is quite reliable, but should you end up stuck at Memmingen airport with only 5 or 6 flights out on that that day, that is bad luck indeed. There's absolutely nothing there, you would have to go back to Munich.

There is a MCDonalds right at the Autobahn exit, turn right at the first roundabout. It's the only business you'll find in about 5 miles. If you drive yourself and are early, that's the place to stop for a coffee, the airport is tiny, not worth waiting there!