Overnight train from Zurich to Venice
 

I'm trying to book an overnight train from Zurich to Venice as not to waste 7 hours of my time, so I'll have more time to visit in Venice, but can't seem to find anything. I've looked on trenitalia website and the earliest one leaving is 7:00a.m. and the latest one leaving is 11:00, but takes 9 hours, versus the usual 7 it takes to get there.

There is a night train from Zürich Hauptbahnhof 22.07 to Venezia Santa Lucia 7.15. Night trains are usually slower than day trains. www.sbb.ch.

The direct night train from Zurich at 2207 to Venice at 0715 has seats and couchettes, rather crowded compartments with six berths. It has no sleepers. You will pay more but have a better night if you leave Zurich at 1934, dine on board, change at Lausanne 2154 to 2206, take a 1, 2 or 3-berth sleeper, and reach Venice at 0715. <BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR> <BR>

What good info, Ben. I've often toyed with the idea of night-training from somewhere in Switzerland, but I never can seem to tear myself away. But this sounds like a possibility. Educate me, please -- a private compartment with a door you can lock is called a sleeper? All I can remember from nighttrains years ago are the compartments with 4 berths and no privacy. Thanks. J.

Oh dear: you will wish you had never asked. I discuss sleepers (and couchettes) at length on http://www.twenj.com/tipsnighttrains.htm/.<BR><BR>But please make a cup of coffee before you settle in to read it all.<BR><BR>

Ben! What an enjoyable cup of coffee! How did you know that the length of my morning 3 cups is my time limit for indulging myself at this forum and related travel sites? (actually, I've confessed as much previously, and often cheat) Alas, I will be back to teaching soon, and then the 3-cup virtual vacation will be replaced by three Folgers coffee bags in a single plastic mug (beaker?) on the dashboard of my car as I drive 75 miles to school.<BR><BR>Anyway, thanks so much for directing me to your crash course in nighttrain travel. I've bookmarked your page as well as a couple of the links. J. (with apologies again to Lena)