Overnight Express to Milan
 

In "Europe by Eurail" I read about the Overnight Express from Amsterdam to Milan. All it says is that it is Dutch, and runs 6 days a week. Other than that, I have not been able to find any information about it ANYWHERE. Has anyone heard of it? IF so, how much does it cost and is it included in the Eurail Pass?
Thanks!

There doesn't seem to be a direct overnight train anymore. Your choices are overnight from Amsterdam to Basel, then on to Milan the next morning; or else late afternoon from Amsterdam to Duisburg, then overnight Duisburg to Milan.

See http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de

In either case you can take this trip using your pass. However, you will have to pay extra for any seat reservations or sleeping accommodations to include couchettes or doubles/singles.

I see that you have another post about hostels and camping (how do I know that? click on your own name - - this is a valuable tip that Fodors fails to tell you when they send you that initial e-mail confirming your registration).

In any event, assuming that your attraction to hostels and/or camping is budget-driven - - then I urge you to think about whether you might be squandering hundreds of dollars on a "rail pass". Many good itineraries overpay hugely with the purchase of a "rail pass" unless you plan to sleep multiple nights on a train. And if that's the case, then you have to ask yourself if you are ping-ponging across the continent without a meaningful plan. Train travel can be cheap with ordinary (or even better discounted) point-to-point tickets, and longer distances are covered in many cases by low(er)-cost intra-Europe airlines that did not exist a generation ago.

The economics of a Eurailpass, in the era of Bill Clinton's youth, is a much different ballgame today.

Best wishes,

Rex

Bringing your message back up "to the top" lest you never find it...

Gee, and I always thought one of the advantages of having a rail pass was so you <b> could </b> go ping-ponging around Europe &quot;without a plan.&quot;

No doubt, that might look attractive - - and this must be the curmudgeonly dad in me... but I think that &quot;ping-ponging&quot; is inherently wasteful of time or money or both - - and worse still, anyone traveling this way doesn't realize what s/he is missing. Planning a trip, whether done over ten days or ten months &quot;extends&quot; the trip, even if only mentally long before you get there. There are always certain basic &quot;living&quot; expenses, whether &quot;at home&quot; or &quot;on thr road&quot; and on the road is inherently more expensive, for almost everyone I know.

This is quite a digression from the question initially asked by the OP, I realize, but <u>not</u> giving this advice seems tantamount to withholding travel &quot;wisdom&quot; from others who come here seeking it.