Night train from Salzburg - how to kill time?
 

I thought that the kids would like to experience an overnight train ride in a quad couchette during our trip. The trip from Salzburg to Venice is about 6.5 hrs. The couchettes are already sold out (for July 29); only doubles remain at 120 per person in addition to our rail passes, OR there's a 1:28 AM train leaving Salzburg arriving in Venice at 8:30. I'm thinking it will be difficult staying up with (and entertaining)14 & 16 year olds until 1:00 in Salzburg waiting on the train. Am I right? Should we just get a hotel and spend 6.5 hrs in a train the next day :( losing a day in Venice? What I'm really asking is if there's any activity that hour of the day, assuming we can stay awake!! Thanks much!!

With your railpass you could go north to Munich in 1.5 hours and leave on a night train from there to Venice at 11:30pm - and maybe on this night train you could get the T-4 you want, if it exists.
Or with your pass train to Vienna where you could catch the 20:34 overnight train to Venice.
Otherwise it would be a drag to stay up to 1:30am in Salzburg though the kids could bundle up and sleep on benches on the platform but that's about the only place to while away time at that hour.

Where are you looking in order to buy your tickets from Salzburg to Venice? I am trying to book Venice to Salzburg on the bahn.de website and no internet sales are allowed. How do I do this?

How can you tell that the couchettes are already sold out? I was typing in the info on sbb.ch without problem. I've only used their site for information and I've never tried booking with them. Thus far, it looks like it is available at 01.38 with no connections. I hate to get comfy in a couchette to only have to make a switch.

If you haven't tried sbb.ch for travel information, I recommend it. You can get nice schedules in which you can compare train information easily.

What was the time of your original desired train?

If you were thinking of how to stay up, what about going to an internet cafe and burning digital photos to a cd? An online journal? Perhaps you could make a late night at a theater or performance and go directly to the train station? We packed a portable DVD player and playing cards for dull moments at the train station.

Hi carolmomlou

>I am trying to book Venice to Salzburg on the bahn.de website and no internet sales are allowed. How do I do this?<

Since Bahn.de is the German train line, and you are trying to go from Austria to Italy, I suggest that you use www.trenitalia.com.

((I))