Vburg

We want to take the night train from Salzburg to Venice in early May. Most of the advice is to buy the ticket (with sleeper berth) once we get there. As that is only two days before this overnight trip, I'm worried that the sleeper berths will be sold out. The Trenitalia site says they cannot mail tickets to the US. The OBB site (German rail) starts in English, then turns to German, and I can't understand it. The Railsaver site only offers limited trains, and does not offer the overnight train. Can anyone tell me how and where I can purchase these tickets in advance? Or, do you think I'll have no problem purchasing the tickets in Salzburg two days before the trip? Thank you

Musicteacher

Try this. In a separate browser window go to this URL
http://www.babelfish.altavista.com

Then go to the www.oebb.at site and proceed until you get to the first German page. Then paste the URL of that page into the box on the babelfish page.

The English translation you get will be rather crude, but you can probably understand it. You can click on the links on the translated page and they will be translated for you also.

ira

Hi V,

I suggest calling www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.euraide.com and have them get your tickets.

They are both well reviewed on this forum.

>The OBB site (German rail) ...
That's Austrian Rail.

If you want to work it out yourself, and save $15 or so, follow MT's link or www.freetranslation.com

PalenQ

where will you be before Salzburg - you need not necessarily make the reservations from Salzburg but can from other stations in Austria and perhaps Germany and other countries.

PalenQ

You can also google "Allegro Trains", the name of the subsidiary of Italian and Austrian and German railways that operates these trains and you'll get several web sites to check out.

Vburg

We're flying in to Munich, but only three days before we want to make this night trip. You've all given me good suggestions. Thanks for your help.

PalenQ

you probably could make reservations in Munich airport train station since i believe this train could be coming from Germany before Salzburg, though not sure - even not you still probably can make it at any German station.

Vburg

If I make the reservation only two or three days before I need it, do you think that I'll be able to get the two person sleeper car? Any chance that there won't be any available?

Musicteacher

Whether you could get a sleeper only two or three days in advance would primarily depend on whether it was a weeknight or a weekend. The weekends could be expected to have more travellers.

JN

We once waited until we got to Europe to reserve a sleeper train from Olso to Copenhagen. We applied a week before the trip and found the sleepers and couchettes all sold out. Sat up all night with hockey hooligans drinking and partying on their way to the Euro cup or something. It was quite an experience, but 30 minutes or so of sleep wrecked us for an entire day. Made me wish I had gotten the reservations months before. Go to www.budgeteuropetravel.com and see if they can help you.

PalenQ

There are some religious holidays in May that often are turned into long weekends and such trains could be unexpectedly pakced say on a Wednesday before the weekend. So check on holiday schedules - otherwise midweek would not ordinarily be all that busy.

That said with the advent of very cheap advance online specials these trains could be more full than we suspect if the train companies are trying to unload places at a pittance that would otherwise go empty.

Hard to tell but chances are you'll be able to book in Europe IMO.