Travelling by Train from Rome to Amsterdam stopping off along the way.
 

Hi firstly i apologise if im repeating what someone may have asked already but im really struggeling to find the information im looking for...

Basically i am looking to fly to Rome and then travel by train (and using sleeper trains were possible) to Amsterdam and hoping to stop of at a few places along the way ideally in this order

Rome
Zurich
Prauge
Berlin or Dussledorf
Brussels
Amsterdam

Is this plan do-able or is it wishful thinking?
is it better to book in advance or just book when there?

Any help would be greatly apreciated.. also i am open to changes to the destinations i wish to visit if it would make things easier, i just want to see as much as i can.

Thank you in advance!

Dave

How many days do you have, excluding travel to Rome and from Amsterdam?

I would like to go for around 10 days in total so it would be 8 days not including my travel to Rome and from Amsterdam. not very long i know, that is the main reason id like sleeper trains were possible.

There are sleepers on only couple of those routes - Most of the trips are too short to take overnight.

8 days isn't enough time for all that.

From Rome to Zurich takes about 7 hours, with a connection in Milan. There are no overnight trains on this route as each train takes only about 3 hours.

There's a night train from Zurich to Prague.

You can buy tickets for these two routes from Swiss Railways, www.sbb.ch .

You could get an overnight train from Prague to Berlin, but it's not worth it for the short trip; direct trains take less than 5 hours. The trip from Berlin to Brussels is a bit longer; there is an overnight train from Berlin to Cologne. It's still less than an 8-hour trip, so you won't get much sleep. From Cologne you can get a direct train to Brussels. You can get tickets for these routes at www.bahn.de .

From Brussels to Amsterdam is only 2-3 hours. You can get tickets at www.belgianrail.be .

On most of these routes, you can save quite a lot by purchasing your tickets a month or more in advance. However, the tickets are rather inflexible, so don't buy until your dates are firm.

On the overnight trains, the cheapest fares are for a bunk in a six-person couchette carriage.

I hadn't seen before posting that you had only eight days for this trip. It makes no sense at all to try to see six major cities in just eight days. Even on some of the routes with overnight trains, you'd waste a good part of the day after on travel.

Let's say you spend two nights in Rome, one night in Zurich, one night on the train to Prague, one night in Prague, two nights in Berlin, one night in Brussels, and two nights in Amsterdam. That's already ten nights, and I don't see where you could cut a night. It's already too little time in several places. One night in a city only gives you about half a day (or less) there, when you consider the travel time.

You need to pare this itinerary down a good deal.

is it better to book in advance or just book when there?>

If doing all that by rail then look into a Eurail Select Pass or some kind of pass - could be as cheap and is first class if over 25 than a series of discounted tickets which can be hard to get at times on some international routes - like perhaps Zurich to Prague where you may have to pay full price.

For lots of great info on European trains and passes check www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

On the overnight trains, the cheapest fares are for a bunk in a six-person couchette carriage.>

Not on German trains like Prague to Berlin - I have been in reclining seats for just a few euros extra but on most night trains that is now correct.

Depending on your interests, you might have larky fun taking a train from Rome to Paris with a stop in Torino -- or via Venice (where I think there is a night train to Paris). From Paris it is simple to go to Amsterdam via Brussels (although I would stop in Antwerp).

Have you bought air tickets into Rome and out of Amsterdam, or is this completely open as of now?

Does that train still exist?

If your main objective is to ride trains and the stops are just a place to sleep overnight to take the next long train trip, this kind of itinerary makes sense.

However if your main objective is to visit destinations and the trains are just ways to connect the dots, this itinerary might not make sense. You are connecting far away cities on several segments. What are you planning to see/do in Dusseldorf, Brussels, and Zurich?

Thank you for your reply!

i am still at the planning stage at the moment thats why i am seeking advise from people who can help.
I could always add more days or cut places out. maybe scrap Rome and Zurich and start in Prague... i understand that the stays will be short and i am not going to see everything infact id be mearly scratching the surface but as long as i get to see a little of each place id be happy with that and as sad as i might sound i actually quite like train rides looking out the window watching the world go by lol

or maybe you can recomend any short routes that might be suitible for someone like me with little time?

thanks again!

What are your main interests, other than train rides?

I like train travel too.

Have you looked at the website of Man in Seat 61? You can find rail maps there and beginner's information about the European rail network that might help you decide a route.

Or you can do google searches for words like "great european train holidays" and come up with articles like this

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/jo...ain-trips.html

Sorry - just way too many places in too few days. If you just want to ride trains and spend a couple of hours in each city - fine. But IMHO less than 2 full days (3 nights) in any of these cities does not make sense.

Also check out the night trains carefully - many of them have been cancelled in the last few years. While you can get from one place to another overnight that doesn;t mean it is a sleeper train. Many time it is 2 or 3 different trains and you are up most of the night sitting in a chair since you are having to change trains in the middle of the night a couple of times. If so - you won;t have any sleep at night and how can you see anything in the part of one day you are in a city?

One plce many would say to drop if you must drop one is Brussels, a city that can be a wonderful experience to some but a huge disappointment to many here on Fodor's.

Zurich? Well a nice but big city that leaves many underwhelmed - the beauty of Switzerland lies nearby in the Lucerne and Interlaken and especially the awesome Jungfrau Region just south of Interlaken - take a train from Zurich Airport perhaps to one of these places and really enjoy the sublime beauty of Switzerland! Don't just do Zurich.

Zurich is fine if you want to visit your money in the bank there or do some uber upscale shopping. It's not the Swiss Alps and IMHO not to bother until you 8th or 9th visit to europe.

The Rome to Zurich to Prague thing is the part I don't think makes any sense. Of course you can do it if there are rail lines, which there are. Just takes a lot of time.

YOu might go through Austria instead of Zurich. There is a direct train from Venice to Vienna, for example (takes about 7.5 hours) and the train from Vienna to Prague isn't bad, a few hours.

There is an overnight from Venice to Vienna, actually, if that's what you are looking for. It leaves around 9 pm and arrives around 8 am.

There's an overnight train from Rome/Florence to Austria too in addition to one from Venice (which may be the same one not sure).