My husband & I are going to go to Europe for the first time this July and will be traveling from Munich to Prague by train, at night, in a sleeper. Has anyone done this? What are German trains like? I cannot find a website for the Deutschbahn,can anyone help, I need to find schedules? thanks - everyone seems to be so experienced and helpful!

www.bahn.de

I made the same trip by train about 5 years ago and it was fine. There were 2 of us and we were lucky to have a sleeper car to ourselves (they sleep max. 6). German trains are excellent although this particular train is more than likely to be Czech and therefore not so modern. Also, during the night there will be a knock on the door when the train crosses the Czech border to check passports so have it under your pillow! I was able to book my tickets from a train station in the UK but if you can't book online in advance you can just go to Munich station when you arrive and book it. I think the train departs around 11pm and arrives in Prague at around 8am but you can get exact times from the Deutsche Bahn website. The train station in Prague is not the most attractive arrival point but it is very close to the centre of Prague.

Have done this twice in the past 2 years. Trains are NOT your typical German train--old and not too comfy, IMO. But I had viewed it as a necessary means to a beautiful end. We did 2nd class sleepers. Not sure how 1st class sleepers are. Be sure to reserve the sleepr ahead.

You may consider driving. A colleage at works swears you can drive from Munich to Prague in about 3.5 hours. I'm driving there next Thurs as a surprise birthday gift for the wifey. I hope my colleague is right about the drive time. If so, it's a far cry better than the long over-nighter.

Depending on your driving style--3.5 to 4.5 hours from Munich to Prague. Of course, if we were driving it would take all day as we can't resist side trips and stopping here and there.

My guess is that since the Czech Republic joined the EU, you don't have to get woken up in the middle of the night to show your passport.

Isn't there a problem driving a rental car into Prague?

We did the train about 2 years ago. The private car was nice. On the way back, we were in a "semi-private" cabin, which means as many as 6 people can sleep in there. Luckily, no one joined us in our berth.

I agree, driving would be much nicer. We rented last summer from autoeurope and there were no restrictions against going into former eastern bloc countries. We asked repeatedly to make sure. We always rent small inexpensive cars. I am betting you couldn't drive a rented BMW, Volvo, or Benz into those countries tho.

I did it 2 years ago and it was a nice experience. I remember getting up at dawn and standing in the hallway with my bunkmate in our PJs, looking out at the countryside! The train staff were polite and accomodating.

Regarding the showing of passports at the borders, even though 10 new countries joined the EU in May, they're still controlling the borders of these countries. So have your passport handy. It's a gradual phase in over the next several years, as is the currency. Although Euros are accepted everywhere, they're still using the Czech crown in CZE.