Paris - Venice Night Train Couchette

It is fairly common advice on this website that Paris-Venice is a good route to fly instead of train. It's very long on the train and very quick by air. Especially given that you're budget-driven. I see many flights in May for $50 per person.

If you buy four bunks, but only two show up, they reserve the right to resell those two bunks, and you get no refund( as they are no shows) .

Dont do it. Fly.

Want to elaborate, this is not the Orient Express fantasy most of us have, think greyhound on rails.

Checking prices for a random mid-May date, it is 304 euro in a two person compartment Go Fare, but 220 euro for a four person couchette Smart Fare buy-out (maybe). So to save 84 euro, that is the way the way you want to go. I contacted Thello a year ago with a similar question of 3 people wanting a couchette. They told me that if you bought all 4 spots in the couchette, you could guarantee only those 3 would have the entire couchette. So I would tell you to contact them using the "contact us" button on the top of the home page: https://www.thello.com/
Ask your specific question and they will get you a specific answer.

Jess,

I agree with the others, the most efficient use of your holiday time and likely the cheapest method would be to fly. For example, using an arbitrary date of May 16, there are easyJet flights from both CDG and ORY to VCE for as low as €47.23 PP (plus a few fees of course). Of the airports, I find ORY easier to navigate.

If you'd rather take a night train, that's possible but if you want the entire compartment, you may have to pay for it. Also, it may not be the restful and memorable experience you've envisioned. Even with a direct train, it will be making a number of stops throughout the night, so those may disturb your sleep.

It's not just stops throughout the night...it's people dragging their luggage up and down the halls, train officials knocking on doors and checking papers, coupling and uncoupling of train cars, skinny hard beds, stopping in a noisy stations, dinging road crossing lights, bad air flow and stuffy compartments, and having to share your compartment when you thought you had bought it out. It most likely will happen that you will end up with strangers. I've done this route twice - gave it a second chance thinking I had just had a bad experience the first time - nope. It was just bad. My opinion of course but thought I'd share.

My two friends and I considered taking the night train from Paris to Venice last April. But, after having read your comments and doing research, we decided to fly. We got a good rate on British Air and found a wonderful bed and breakfast near San Marco (La Serenissima). After the short (one hour?) flight (which included free drinks and a small meal) and the hour-long boat ride, we tucked into the hotel and had a restful sleep and a delicious, bountiful breakfast. Flying was worth the few extra euros.