mary

Hi! <BR> <BR>I was planning on flying directly into Milan, but since I'm flying on Frequent Flier Miles, the closest I could get to Italy on the dates I wanted was Munich! <BR> <BR>Any one have experience with the train ride from Munich to Rome? Also, looking for Hotel Recommendations for 1 night in Munich, and perhaps a sight or two I shouldn't miss. <BR> <BR>I will be doing some research on Munich, I just didn't plan on going there!!

Paulo

I travelled from Munich to the Dolomites (Fortezza) quite often. A couple of times also from Fortezza to Rome. I never did it in one shot though. Anyway, your prospects don't look very bright. Either you elect travelling during daytime or at night. The scenery is very nice from just north of Innsbruck to south of Bolzano. There's not much to miss the rest of the trip. There are only 2 direct trains: one leaves Munich at 9:30am, arriving at 8pm. The other leaves Munich at 8:30pm, arriving at 8:20am. If one doesn't mind one train change, the day trip may be shortened one half hour. Arriving in Bologna one may switch to the Eurostar (more expensive) and arrive in Rome at 7:30pm. Ceratinly not worth it. The night trip may also be shortened. One may leave Munich at 11:40pm instead, change to the morning Eurostar in Bologna, and reach Rome at 10:30am. Not a big deal either ... it's more expensive and one must be awake at 7:30am to make the change for a gain of 1 hour. <BR> <BR>From where are you flying out? What other cities are you visiting in Italy? At what time will you land in Munich? Chances are that you'd have other options beside spending a night in Munich. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

Pennie

Hi! I did take the overnight train from Munich to Rome in 1996. I chose to go overnight so I wouldn't miss a day of sightseeing. I didn't stay overnight in Munich so I can't recommend a hotel. I had been in Rothenburg that day. It is a lovely little German town, if you have the time to see it. <BR>Have a great trip!

mary

paolo - <BR>I'm flying in/out of Munich. Also travelling to Venice, so perhaps it may be better to go from Munich to Venice, then from Venice to Rome

Paulo

The fastest train between Munich and Venice and vice versa takes 7:00 hours (a day train). There's also a night train but this is much more convenient from Venice to Munich than vice-versa. The situation is therefore better but not that much. Also, if you're visiting only Rome and Venice, you'll not be able to avoid one trip between Munich and Rome. It remains to be determined in which sense you'd be doing this trip. <BR> <BR>You best travel option will hinge strongly on the arrival/departure times of your flights. I would postpone a decision regarding which itinerary to follow (if Munich-Rome-Venice-Munich or Munich-Venice-Rome-Munich) till you have a pretty good idea about your flights. For instance, if you have an early flight out from Munich, you'll probably have to spend a night there anyway. In this case, it may be more convenient to follow on with your trip as soon as you land in Munich. <BR> <BR>Below are examples of some "reasonable" trips (may not apply on Sundays): <BR> <BR>Munich 11:30am - 6:36pm Venice direct <BR>Munich 1:30pm - 9:21pm Venice change in Verona <BR> <BR>Venice 11:00am - 6:30pm Munich change in Verona <BR>Venice 1:30pm - 8:30pm Munich direct <BR>Venice 10:17pm - 6:33am Munich direct <BR> <BR>Rome 8:10am - 6:30pm Munich direct <BR>Rome 9:15pm - 8:31am Munich direct <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

jwagner

Mary, <BR> <BR>We took the night train from Munich to Venice and found it to be quite acceptable. Of course, the adrenelin rush that comes from traveling overseas helped us tolerate the time. Be sure to get a reservation for sleeping accomodations. We spent the evening at the Augustiner and then stumbled to the train where we immediately hit the hay. (Don't forget that you'll need to give the conductor your passport for your passage through Austria. You also pay a surcharge if you are traveling on some kind of Eurorail pass because Austria isn't included in many packages. We arrived in Venice in time to see the city wake up. We stored our bags at the train station and began exploring. You might think about the Hotel Canada, which is right around the corner from the train station, for your stay. That way you won't have to lug luggage around. <BR> <BR>Jay

mary

Thanks for the info Jay. I think we will spend a day in Munich (can not atleast see a few sights) then hit the train to Venice in the morning. <BR> <BR>I must say, I am a novice European traveler (by train). Is the whole train system relatively easy to understand? Are there sites out there that people can recommend to better understand the trains, and find out what I need to know? <BR> <BR>If you can't tell from this post already, I'm quite the control freak

Ben Haines

Fodors <BR> <BR>Are you taking any sleepers during your visit ? If so, I'll send you a note I keep on disc about night train travel in Europe. <BR> <BR>If you're on day trains only, thrre are train information and travel suggestions on http:// www.footloosetravel.com/ and http://www.raileurope.com/. Also a certain amount on nthe English pahes of Austrian Rail at http://www.oebb.at/ and German Rail at http://www.bahn.de/home/typ_b_files/..._guests.shtml/. <BR> <BR>Welcome to Europe <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR>