We are going to be traveling from Prague to Vienna by train on Sept 10th and were wondering what the difference is between 1st and 2nd class. Taking the train from Vienna to Budapest on the 15th. Any suggestions/forewarnings about booking or traveling on these trains ?<BR>thanks<BR>Mark M., Kingston, ON, Canada

Try this page on Euraide.com:<BR><BR>http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...de/Comfort.htm

Mark, <BR><BR>Sorry -- no answers. Just more questions.<BR><BR>I am planning a similar trip. Are you reserving in advance? Do you know how long each leg of the trip is?<BR>

We traveled by train from Prague to Vienna on June 27. We took the 10:55 from Holesovice station, it left about 15 minutes late, got to Vienna about 3:30. A little ways out of Prague a young lady came through with a brief menu in several languages, and we had a very nice lunch. Other travelers had bagged their lunch.<BR>We traveled 1st class. We prepaid our tickets with Cedok Travel, www.cedok.cz, they charged 1300 Kc each (about 40US or so) I charged to credit card via internet, and the tickets were at my hotel upon arrival in Prague. I requested 2 first class seats, and we got two seats, tandum. I think if I would have asked for "couchette" we might have sat together. Anyway, you might clarify that. My trip report on Prague does not come up on a search, but here is the URL address.<BR><BR>www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=1392981<BR><BR>Glad to answer any other q's.

By all mean buy first class and make sure you RESERVE seats. We just returned from Prague/Vienna. Prague is delightful. If you need a place to stay go on line and find Mayer pension outside town and on the train line

ttt

The 1st class seats are a little bigger and the toilet a little bigger/cleaner. However, I like the compartments and 2nd class ones are very nice. You get privacy because there are only 6 seats. You have a better opportunity to meet Europeans in 2nd class. I have found some nice penpals that way.

While I have not yet traveled between Vienna and Budapest (but hope to do so also in September!), I've travelled on trains throughout Europe in both 1st and 2nd class on many occasions. <BR>I have used Eurail or Europass in the past which entitles you to 1st class travel, and you can even reserve a particular seat. However, I honestly don't see much difference in accommodations or service that would justify paying more money for 1st class. When I buy point-to-point train tickets, I always buy 2nd class. Best wishes for an enjoyable trip!

Just wanted to thank everyone for their comments regarding train travel from Prague. <BR>Mark

We did this same length of train in July, and it was very crowded in the first and second class. However our tickets were for first class, and we got the few last seats that were not reserved. The main difference between first and second class was air conditioning. Also plan ahead a little, because the train rides vary in length from 3.5 hours to over 5. Good Luck.