I will be in Munich in Sept and would like to take a 5 day trip to Budapest. I can rent a car for $205 for those days. How much for a round trip train ticket between these two cities? There are two of us travelling so we may be better off driving.

Driving will be heaper. The basic second class single fare for one forb the whole trip is 172 euros. But I suggest you save hotel bills, and book a sleeper each in a single-sex 3 berth second class sleeper at a supplement of 45 euros a night. Times are Munich board about 2300, leave 2344, customs check (you stay in bed) at 0700, Budapest 0908. Then Budapest board about 2000, customs check in bed about 2150, Munich 0620. At the city end of Keleti station is a station restaurant in nineteenth century Baroque glory, with fine meals and service.

Driving will take pretty well a whole day each way: in a sleeper you sleep away the hours.

Please write if I can help further. Welcome to Europe.

ben.haines@:btinternet.com

If you give me some more info I can go check it out within the next days:
So it's 2 of you (which already takes 50 percent off your buddies ticket) will you be in Budapest for a weekend? If there's a Saturday night between your train travelling you can get 50 percent off both tickets (for your friend it's 50 off of the already reduced ticket) if you buy it in advance.
Otherwise you get 25 percent off if you buy it at least 3 days early. But there's only a contingent of tickets for each train. - I'm pretty sure that's also for overnight trains.

This rule applys from the 1st of August on. It's normally for rides within Germany but a couple of weeks ago I asked for someone going to Kopenhagen/ Denmark and it applied for that travel as well.

Cheaper or not, what are you going to do with the car once you get to Budapest? Use it to get around? If so, then I agree it might be "cheaper" but the "cost" has many more aspects than the monetary price...time spent, convenience, security, pick up and turn in, parking, gasoline costs...now, is it really cheaper than taking ther train?

Thanks for the replies. I generally rent a car when I travel in Europe because it allows flexibility and I rarely book hotels in advance so I can go wherever I choose at a whim. If we drive we will leave on Monday morning and return on Friday night. By train we will leave on Sunday night and return on Friday. Is there a day train from Budapest to Munich that would get us in Friday night? If we decide to stop in Vienna for a night are we able to do that and then get back on the train for no additional cost? My boyfriend and I will be travelling together so we probably don't want a single sex cabin as we would like to be together. I realize that tavelling by train will give me a full day more in Budapest so I am weighing the options. Thanks!

The easiest way to compare train prices is to go to the RailEurope site at:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fa...ules/index.htm. Then you can compare first and second class tickets as well as time schedules.

Be aware that agencies such as Raileurope may be tacking on their premium when fares are listed. If you travel in a double compartment overnight you won't have to worry about the "same sex" issue.
Eurocity #62 leaves Budapest at 1:10 PM and arrives Munich at 8:34 PM (no changes involved).

There is a day train with restaurant car from Budapest Deli at 1310 to Munich at 2034.