Okay, yet another Eurail question! First, would you recommend a couchette or a more private berth (we are on a budget but willing to pay for a good night's sleep)? My friend and I will be traveling in Europe May 14-26. We're taking overnight trains from Prague>Frankfurt, Frankfurt>Paris, and Luxembourg>Berlin. As May is the beginning of the tourist season, I'd like to make reservations early, but it is SO expensive. Can you recommend a service that does it the cheapest? (And what is a reasonable amount to expect to pay for a berth vs. couchette?) Or should we risk it and make the reservations at a train station when we arrive in Europe? (We land May 14 and have 4 days before the first night train.)

Thanks so much, this is a great forum!!

I have just purchased mine at train stations a few days before travel (but I am no expert on the matter).

Also I would not want to take 3 overnight trains in only 12 days time! I love 'em and think they are great fun, but even in a private 2-person cabin you don't get a very good night's sleep (most people don't anyway). And yes I would definitely pay for a wagon-lit. If I could only afford a couchette I would figure out a different way to travel.

Have you priced budget airlines on any of these routes instead?

Since you say you have a "Eurail question," does this mean you're planning to buy railpasses and then pay for reservations on night trains? Subject to demand, SparNight fares are available on all your routes. Prices can be as low as E29 for a reclining seat, E39 for a bunk in six-person couchette, and E49 for a bunk in a four-person couchette. Even if you can't get SparNight fares, I suggest you book at least a four-person couchette. It's worth paying more for the extra space and comfort. You can book all these trains at www.bahn.de.

Yes, we'll have a railpass for Benelux-France-Germany, and another for the Czech Republic. We know 3 nights on a train in that amount of time will be rough, but we're more concerned with making the most of our days and not wasting daylight on travel.

Thanks for the suggestions

I too would advise against three overnight trains in one trip. They are lots of fun, but most people get very little sleep on them. I consider myself a pretty heavy sleeper and I got a total of about, oh, 3 hours of sleep on an overnight train from Vienna to Florence a few years back. I woke up extremely exhausted and definitely not up for the challenge of being a tourist.

I would suggest getting a private car. They are more expensive, obviously, but you'd probably get more sleep than you would in a shared couchette.

Tracy

http://www.seat61.com/

a great site, check it

Thanks Bob for the site, it is very useful and answered many questions!

Here's another dilemma (that may soon become its own thread): When traveling overnight from Prague to Frankfurt, would that be covered by the Eurail passes we will have? (They are Benelux-France-Germany and Czech Republic

Thanks Bob for the site, it is very useful and answered many questions!

Here's another dilemma (that may soon become its own thread): When traveling overnight from Prague to Frankfurt, would that be covered by the Eurail passes we will have? (They are Benelux-France-Germany and Czech Republic.) Obviously each pass only covers part of that journey and I'm not sure how or if that will work. Thanks!!

I'm of the same school- I would rather travel long distances overnight instead of "wasting" daytime. However, I'm a pretty sound sleeper. I've only had one bad night train experience out of a dozen or so. That time I wasn't able to book a couchette or wagon-lit. They were sold out (because I waited until the day of) and we had to sleep in reclining seats. It was a German/Poland border crossing and between noise, passport checks, and the discomfort I hardly slept. I find I get the best sleep in a private wagon-lit (for 2). Some even have a shower and it is worth every penny in my opinion. Couchettes aren't bad if you don't mind sharing a room with strangers. Just remember that while most people travel from big city to big city, some people might come in or leave early thus disrupting your sleep.
I've always booked when I arrive in town especially when traveling with railpasses. I only had problems getting a room that one time.
I would assume that your railpasses would cover the trip although it will probably have to be booked as a trip from Prague to the border and the border to Frankfurt. Try to book it before you leave or in Germany if possible. You will find more train station employees that speak English in Germany than in the CR.

Thanks HCart, I think we will take your advice and get a private wagon-lit. I am also a heavy sleeper--can fall asleep 10 minutes after I board a plane, and that's without the seat reclined!! But for the train, I'd rather not deal with the noise of people walking around and passport checks. Plus, the possibility of a shower is too much to resist!

Still haven't decided if we will make reservations from the States or wait till we get there. I don't want to pay the S&H fees et al, but I'm anxious about all the private berths being taken by the time we get there, as in your experience. Oh well, we have some time to consider that.

Thanks again!

If you want to make your night train reservations in advance from home without paying high fees, call the Deutsche Bahn Call Centre. Dial your country's international access code (011 for the US and Canada) + 49 1805 - 996633 from outside Germany.

Besides seat61.com, another helpful site for railpass information is ricksteves.com.