Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Overnight trains--any input on schedules, availability?

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Overnight trains--any input on schedules, availability?

My mother and I will be leaving for Europe in two weeks (arriving in Munich on 10 June). I've been to Europe and taken the trains before but my sole experience with an overnight train was going from Vienna to Prague (we stopped to switch trains around midnight and didn't get going again for several hours--ugh). I'm trying to avoid any potential problems as my mother is not as adventurous as I am! Here's what overnight train travel we want to do--please advise me: *Overnight train from Munich to Venice *Overnight train from Venice to Prague *Possible overnight train from Prague to Weinheim (near Frankfurt) *Overnight train from Frankfurt to Amsterdam or Brussels (haven't decided yet) *Overnight train from Paris to Munich According to my itinerary, all the overnight trains we would take would be on weeknights. Any input is appreciated! Thanks! Natalie

Just in case you don't get any specific experiences .... Fodorites directed me to the following site - Link from Rick Steves. It has helped me! http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...rotocol=http:& Regards

My first thoughts are why so many overnight trains, apart from the obvious, saving on hotel costs. As you know from your last experience, unless you very lucky you will not sleep soundly on the trains, only fitfully, which means that your Mother, at least, is going to be pretty weary by the half way point of your trip. Your first trip, from Munich to Venice, passes through some of the most magnificient scenery (apart maybe from the Rockies) and it would be almost criminal to do this in the dark. There are some excellent day trains from Munich, possibly involving a change at Verona, and I would urge you to consider this. On the Venice Mestre-Prague, Prague-Frankfurt, and Paris Est-Munich legs there are adequate night trains with both 1st. and 2nd.class sleepers, but no restaurant or buffet cars. The only snag is an 0500 arrival in Frankfurt, but at least there are no changes of trains on these legs. Finally Frankfurt to Amsterdam is probably too short to justify a night train - again there are some good scenic stretches, especially between Frankfurt and Cologne. I'd seriously consider a day train for this leg. Hope this helps.

Tony is right about Frankfurt to Brussels or Amsterdam being too short a trip. There aren't any real overnight trains, as far as I can tell; during the day, the journey takes about 5 or 5.5 hours, with a change at Cologne. If you find yourself with no place to stay that night, you could take an overnight train from Frankfurt to Paris, and then head to Brussels in the morning (90 minutes on the fast Thalys train). I can't seem to find the direct train from Venice to Prague that Tony mentions on either the German site (www.bahn.de), which covers most of Europe, or the Italian site (www.trenitalia.com); the best I could come up with was to take a night train from Venice to Vienna, and then another train to Prague in the morning.

Thanks for the information! It helped me greatly. I think we will be taking a few day trains instead of overnights now! Natalie

Jahouli. I was using the Thos.Cook European Rail Timetable, but not the latest edition so times may have changed. This timetable shows train no.1274 from Rimini to Prague, calling at Venice Mestre only (not Venice Santa Lucia) at 1919, arriving Prague 0833. If Ben Haines sees this he might like to comment as he will undoubtedly have the latest Thos.Cook book. This train runs via Villach, Salzburg and Linz, but not Vienna.

Fodors I'm sorry about the long stop between Vienna and Prague. Must have been a few years ago: that train no longer runs. No doubt other passengers felt as you do. I'm taking the liberty of teaching you to suck eggs, by e-maling you my note on getting best value from sleepers (and couchettes). Most will be old hat, but I may just have a new point or two for you. By late June many Europeans start on their holidays, so you'll want to book all sleepers in the main station of the first city you come to, I imagine in Munich. If you'd like to do that talking to experienced Americans, you should ask for the office of Euraide in that station. But in fact many booking clerks at International desks in the station's travel centre (Reisecentrum) speak English. They and Euraide happily take credit cards. None of your nights are long enough to need buffet cars r rswstaurant cars. Whether your mother sleeps depends in part on whether she thinks she will, and in part on two glasses of wine in the station buffet before departure. Now let's try some detail. I'm assuming you travel after 9 June. *Overnight train from Munich to Venice As I say, I assume you travel on or after 10 June: Munich 2340, Venice Santa Lucia 0715. Rather a short night, so you might board and go to bed about 2300. If you travel on or before 9 June plesase tell me, and I'll suggest a route via Bologna that gives you sleepers, not just couchettes. *Overnight train from Venice to Prague Sorry: like Mr Jahoulih I think the through train does not run: it has been cancelled for three years now -- but please do tell me if I'm wrong. So I suggest for Thursday to Sunday only Venice Santa Lucia 2217, Padova (Padua) 2253 to 2309, Vienna South 0841 to 1025, restaurant car train, Prague Holesovice 1500. The point of the zigzag to Padua is to give you a full night's sleep. From Monday to Wednesday times are worse: please ask if need be. *Possible overnight train from Prague to Weinheim (near Frankfurt) If you leave Prague Hlavni (beware pickpockets) at 2208 your sleeper reaches Munich at 0629, Frankfurt at 0646 (or 0641, but not at 0500) and Stuttgart at 0648. A problem is that the cars for Stuttgart wait an hour at Nuremberg, which may disturb you, and those to Munich may well do likewise. Then your connections are these. Munich 0643, restaurant car train, Heidelberg 0951 to 0956, buffet car train, Weinheim 1010 Frankfurt 0754, buffet car train, Weinheim 0830 Stuttgart 0711, restaurant car train, Heidelberg 0751 to 0756, buffet car train, Weinheim 0810 *Overnight train from Frankfurt to Amsterdam or Brussels (haven't decided yet) Sorry: as Mr Albury surmises, the trips are too short for overnight. The nearest you get, not Saturdays, is Frankfurt 2203, Nurnberg 0035 to 0123 (ugh), Amsterdam 0940. Or Frankfurt Airport 0400 (no better) to Brussels 0941. I'd skip the distress, and travel (not Sundays) local train to Mainz, then Mainz 0746, restaurant car train with good Rhine views over breakfast from 0800 to 0900, Cologne 0930 to 1002, buffet car train, Brussels Midi 1235 I like the idea of a night trip via Paris, as Paris Gare de l'Est is ten minutes' walk from the Gare du Nord, and I usually borrow a railway trolley and walk it. *Overnight train from Paris to Munich Board at Paris Gare de l'Est about 2200, leave 2227, arrive Munich 0851. Or breakfast a l'Amercaine at Augsburg station buffet 0812 to 0846, and reach Munich at 0920. Please write if I can help further. Yoiu are both welcome to Europe. Mr Albury: If you'd ike to e-mail me a postal address I'll gladly send you by surface mail the May issue of the timetable, as token of your many contributions to this forum, and to encourage more of them. Ben Haines, London [email protected]