Advice on trip

It is only 3.5 to 4.5 hours to Venice from Rome. An overnight is underkill. And if you are only spending part of one day in Venice - why? Save it for another trip.

We would leave Rome in the afternoon to spend 1 Night then the following day in Venice before leaving on a night train to Munich. Venice has always been a place my wife has wanted to visit.

Then cut out something else so she can see and appreciate it. Paris. You just have too much on the table.

Hi, Instead of the night train Munich-Berlin, take the Berlin-Paris CNL night train. You'll get into Paris before 0730. Just time your departures correctly so that you don't need to change trains ( day) Munich-Berlin.

You are covering quite a bit (3 countries) in 15 days. Since you mention that your wife really wants to spend time in Venice, you may want to stay there for a minimum of 2 nights so you can tour the City one day and possibly take the boats to the outlying islands (Murano, Burano, etc.) another day. My hubby and I were there years ago for 2 nights, and we didn't get to see everything that we wanted. It was too rushed. That said, you'll have to either cut a day from another City and add it to Venice. You can also consider going to either Berlin or Munich, but not both. Another option is to cut out Paris and see more of Germany before heading home. The key is to pick the cities that are "not to be missed" and then figure out your schedule. Assume that you'll return for another trip.

Chris, considering how much ground you want to cover, do you and your wife sleep well on trains? I ask because I found out the hard way that I don't. Have you checked travel times on the high-speed trains or low-cost airlines? If you want a little more time in Venice, you might cut one day from Rome - it's four hours by train from Rome to Venice. Have a great trip and visit the places you want to see; the purpose of my advice is to encourage you to know as many options as possible.

If Venice is very important I would cut a day from Rome and add to Venice. The suggestion for a visit to Burano might be a nice relief after all the city travel. I think the only way to enjoy Venice is after all the daytrippers have gone. You need time to wander around and enjoy it. My only other comment is that you have no village/countryside experience at all. Only one city (museums, churches, historial stuff) after another. If you like only that kind of thing...it's great. But, you are missing a balance of castles, small town life, beautiful villages, etc. If you like the idea of that you could do something in Germany (near Munich) or give up Germany for Tuscany.

Thanks for all the suggestions. The reason for the extra day in Rome was since thats our first day in Europe and I'm sure the time difference will kill us, I thought the 1st day would be pretty useless. Venice was shortened because the wife only wanted to do the touristy thing which was ride the gondolas and spend some time in town. But I will recheck with her to make sure.
Thanks again for all the input.

I have a tendency to not short change my first day anywhere I land in Europe. A few weeks ago, we flew into Madrid and went to the el prado museum, then got on a train to seville. Year prior to that, we flew into Brussels and went o the three big art museums before we sent off to Bruges. AND the year before that, we flew into Milan and did last super, the cathedral, the brera museum. Now I'm not here to brag about the things I saw on my first day.......but to let you know, the first day doesn't have to be wasted just because you flew intercontinental and arrived in the morning.. Oh and I usually only get 1-1.25 hours of sleep on the plane. I mAke the most of my time regardless of how I feel.
I did Rome in 4 nights and found it perfect for what I wanted to see. I am team Venice, so this is my 2 cents to get u to add another day to Venice. I loved all 3 nights I stayed there. Next time I go, I want to be there a week.

Some people are unduly negative because they misread your plan and then did not adjust their thinking when you explained. There is nothing wrong with visiting Venice on your way from Rome to Munich. One night and a day "might" be enough is all you want to do is the " touristy" things you mentioned. But you might feel,rushed and you would have a more relaxed visit if you spend two nights. Make that day you have allotted to go from Berlin tomParis and add it to Venice. Fly from Berlin to Paris and forget about a German Rail pass. From what I have seen Lee post, you can do much better with discount tickets bought on Bahn.de. And you don't want a night train from Munich to Berlin either, it is too short.

A German Rail Pass CAN make a lot of sense (unlike Eurail passes which almost never do these days) if you're doing a lot of long-distance travel within Germany. You're not, you're only going to two destinations in Germany, so I agree that you're better off with point to point tickets bought 3 months in advance. I'd really consider budget flights versus night trains. Even in a private compartment with my husband, I found it very hard to sleep thanks to the noise and movement of the train. (Of course this was a Romanian train. A City Night Line may be better) but regardless most people agree that it's very difficult to sleep in the shared couchettes with strangers, and the private compartments are pretty expensive. Given the cost and the sleep difficulty you should use Kayak.com or Skyscanner.com to compare budget flight options for your long haul trips.

I'm like Kelly. I don't waste my first day. I also don't sleep a whole lot on the plane, but I hit the ground running and stay busy all day. I don't pack my day full, but I do plan on doing some things that first day even if it's just walking around and taking pictures.

Chris, In some ways you have a busy itinerary as per days you listed, it can be done with some travel discipline.
To visit Venice for a day after arriving that morning from Rome and taking the night train to Munich can also be done. Leave the luggage with the left luggage/coin locker. Taking the CNL train to Munich has the advantage of a direct ride. As I suggested above, save the 2nd night train for Berlin-Paris, arr. a bit after 0700. You'll save more time than spending it at the airports.