Buying train tickets in advance vs. NOT

Since your dates are set there is no reason to not take advantage of considerable savings

Here is an example of what you can expect:

price is per person Buy ahead Buy at train station
München Hbf Fr, 03.10.14 dep 09:34 7:15 0 RJ 1st Cl 79,00 EUR 198,80 EUR
Budapest-Keleti Fr, 03.10.14 arr 16:49 2nd Cl 49,00 EUR 119,80 EUR

You can check the fares here Deutsche Bahn for all of your legs except Cologne to Paris - check at Thalys

Trains go from city center to city center - a great advantage over airports. There is also none of the security lines and other such airport time sucking requirements. The Munich to Budapest train is 7 hrs 15 minutes - a toss up for time flying vs train - train a clear winner in convenience & comfort.

There is a direct ICE train from Berlin to Cologne - about 4.5 hours and a direct EC from Prague to Berlin about 4:45 hours.

I would leave to arrive in Paris way earlier than 3 hours before flight - sometimes there are problems that slow a train down.

Have a great time!

Yikes, looks like there is lots to learn -- ICE?? EC?? I'm one day early in my fret in that I can't see the Oct 21 Thalys schedule yet -- if it runs on Tues the way it looks on Mon (or maybe I was looking at Sun?) , looks like we'll need to take the 8:45 train because 12:45 is too late leaving since we then need to get from Nord to CDG after the 3hour train ride. Hope they have some good airport shops at CDG -- any other time flying out of there we are already loaded down with French goodies so I can't even remember if there were shops!

Faith - no fretting necessary. Looking at the previous Tuesdays has the *:44 dep - arr 11:59 or the 12:44 dep - arr 15:59 - probably pushing it. At least you will not have to change stations for the RER B to CDG!

You could always store your bags for a while at Gare du Nord and have lunch nearby before going on to CDG.

Or here is some shopping info for CDG

ICE - Intercity-Express

EC - Eurocity

You can save a lot (as much as 70% discount) by buying your point to point train tickets ahead of time (see the 'offers' page on the Deutsche Bahn website here ). These 'saverfare' ('sparpreis') tickets go on sale 90 days ahead of time so, based on your travel dates, you should be able to buy your tickets now. At that discount, you can afford the luxury of travelling in first class. However, be advised that you are committing to a specific train, so if you miss it that day, you are SOL and would have to buy a ticket at full fare. Last year, I purchased tickets for my family for 3 different train trips in Germany and we saved a bundle. You can also print out your tickets ahead of time, so no waiting in lines at the station (you just go to the platform and get on the train).

Robert --
Thank you for the information (and the ammunition!!). Just playing around with your link for a few minutes I was able to find information on our first three train rides. Assuming that the Standard fares aren't just a "fake" price that no one actually pays, the Saver fares, even at First Class if I've clicked the correct buttons, are almost 100 euros less than the Standard. And between Berlin and Cologne there is a 230 euro savings (which made me wonder if the "Standard" First Class fares are ever actually purchased). I know I'd prefer First Class for the long haul between Munich and Budapest, and we'll compare prices on the other legs.

It would not give me a price from Cologne to Paris on October 21, not sure why, and doesn't really matter until we actually sit down in the next week or so (assuming I've made my case for advance tickets). But what I did notice was that it seemed to offer me the option of going from Cologne to Paris right into CDG by way of the TGV. Again no prices, but I'd much rather go direct to the airport instead of changing trains at Gare du Nord if the TGV is an option.

We will put both our heads together here to try to navigate the train website -- there seems to be multiple choices for Budapest stations, so we have to figure out which is closest to our hotel. And I couldn't quite fathom all the choices for adult fares/first class vs second and my husband is a senior so we'll need to figure that out.

Thanks again!

I Googled TGV Cologne to Paris and looks like we'd take Thalys to Brussels have a layover of 90 min to 2 hrs and then change to SCNF to get to CDG. Price was right (I guess) at $102 for two First Class Seats (only 5 seats left, act now!! LOL), and I suspect there would be a chocolate shop there in the station..., but is that weird, Cologne-Brussels-CDG instead of Cologne-Paris-CDG? I think maybe 2 hours layover with plenty of time to figure out where we are supposed to be for the second train might be preferable to the madhouse at Gare du Nord? Or are we trapped in Belgium when plane is leaving from Paris if there is a problem with the train schedule? We've never not had a train be on time or have mechanical difficulties, and I just don't know how often that happens. Leaving Cologne at 8:44 puts us to the airport at 1:53.

Faith - there is one TGV that goes directly into CDG:

Price is 238 Euros for 2 in 2nd class and can be booked on SCNF - French Railway if checking or booking on SCNF be sure and select any country other than US - I use Australia - selecting US will re-route you to RailEurope where you will pay a premium for your tickets.

Köln Hbf Tu, 21.10.14 dep 07:43 4:06 1 ICE, TGV

Aeroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle TGV Tu, 21.10.14 arr 11:49
Sale from 22.07.2014 possible

There is another at 8:44 that arrives at CDG at 13:53 for 170 Euro for 2 in 2nd class - this one is Thalys change to TGV in Brussels and can also be booked on SCNF.

Tickets for October 21 are on sale today. You can buy the tickets now at: http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/
They are 162 euro total for both of you. Leave Cologne at 8:44, change trains at Brussels Midi (1 hr 45 min change time), arrive CDG at 13:53.
Try buying at www.capitainetrain.com. They have the same price as the TGV site with no credit card hassles.

Christi--

I will check on that direct trip, thank you! And I see that the prices you found going through Brussels were different than mine so I will double check that as well. Thanks.

The aforementioned trip also has a 56 min change at Brussels Midi.

" Assuming that the Standard fares aren't just a "fake" price that no one actually pays, the Saver fares, even at First Class if I've clicked the correct buttons, are almost 100 euros less than the Standard. And between Berlin and Cologne there is a 230 euro savings (which made me wonder if the "Standard" First Class fares are ever actually purchased)"

The Standard fares aren't "fake"; they are what you pay if you wait until the discounts are sold out, or if you need full flexibility (since Saver fares are non-refundable). Many people traveling first class are not paying for their own tickets (corporate travel and the like), but some are. It's similar to air travel.

Yes, the discounts for advance purchase with restrictions are substantial, aren't they? And you discovered another advantage besides lower fares; if you buy far enough in advance, first class can be only a bit more money than second class.

Worked up a real sweat confirming and reconfirming the ticket from Cologne to CDG via Brussels before hitting the "book" button. All worn out now so I think it's time to go watch Major Crimes and I'll tackle Munich to Budapest tomorrow. You'd think the darn website was in German instead of English for all the agony I put myself through, must have sat here looking at the "book" button for 10 minutes before I pressed it! Thank you everyone!

Pulling the trigger the first time is always a little scary!

Hi,

On the Cologne-Paris leg: I would arrive a day earlier. . I'm suggesting a route so that you avoid going through Belgium and taking the Thalys train. Take the early Cologne (Köln) to Frankfurt Hbf ICE train. Transfer to the ICE for Paris Est dep at 1301, you'll arrive by 1650. Arriving at Paris Est on dep day is cutting it too close as your flight to LAX is at 1900.

I agree with taking the early and direct RJ train Munich Hbf to Budapest Keleti, 6+hrs.

Fred -- Booked Cologne-Brussels-Paris/CDG last night -- straight into the airport arrive just before 2PM.

This morning's panic was going to print tickets out of the emails we received last night, only to find just the Cologne to Brussels tickets. I immediately feared the worst, that I'd bought tickets for just the first leg and still had to buy the second leg. But a review of the itinerary showed the schedule as I thought it should be. So a clicked on the "chat/help" button and "Angelica" popped right up. She sent a new email that contained only the 2nd leg of the trip which was definitely unlike anything we'd already received. I'm now feeling guilty because between chatting with her on my computer and looking at the email hubby forwarded to me from his computer, I managed to cut "Angelica" off. And now the chat button won't let me chat (guess one question per customer, LOL) so I can't thank her for solving our problem. Now I should try to do some money-making work to pay for all this before tackling the tickets to Budapest.

Had the same issue with the Munich to Budapest tickets -- got one email with what looks like one ticket. And of course the DB/BAHN ticket looks very different than the tickets I printed out earlier today. And the darn thing is in German. Only because I sell draperies and somewhere along the line picked up the fact that "fenster" means window and I had requested window seats with a table, was I able to figure out from seeing the word "2 Fenster" and backing up from there that we are in Wg. 25 (wagon/car 25), Pl. 25 26 (figured that this meant place/seat 25 & 26), 2 Fenster, Tisch (maybe table, just because it starts with a T, LOL), and Nichtraucher sounds like it means "without something" -- ooh, with any luck it means non-smoking!! Rick's German-French-Italian phrase book didn't help when I did a quick glance. Anyway it looks like in this case one piece of paper gets two of us on the train. My husband has a friend in Munich so we'll get her to look at it just to be sure.

Fenster does mean window.

Pl means "platz" or seat.

Nichtraucher means no smoking.

Yes, one piece of paper is your ticket for both of you; it will only have one name on it, and the other person is your "plus one." When the conductor on the train comes around, you hand them the paper and the credit card you used to book the ticket. They scan the ticket, swipe the credit card, and you're set.

You done good! I know it's a little scary at first, but once you've done it the first time, you'll see how easy it is. And you have the comfort of knowing that by doing a little work now, you're saving a substantial amount of money.

A tip; if you're the nervous type like me, print multiple copies of your train ticket and put it in various places (different suitcases, money belt, etc). It can only be used once and only by you (thanks to the credit card requirement), but it's comforting to know that if something happens to one copy, you still have others handy.

Harold -- Thanks for the encouragement and the suggestion to have a second copy of the tickets with us. I still have two more train trips to arrange but right now the concern is that we don't have any actual cruise tickets in our possession, just lots of notes and a receipt for the original deposit. We know the balance hit our credit card a couple months ago, and maybe they don't send tickets until closer to departure time, but Hubby has been tasked with finding out what we need to board the boat. I don't know how anyone who is disorganized manages to travel, LOL. I am a very organized person and I'm feeling a certain amount of stress trying to get everything together!

Hi,

Oh well, I was too late since you had booked the Cologne -Paris leg last night. I assume it's a Thalys train. If it is, be sure you have the "Reservation", ie, don't misplace that ! You can't get on without it. The Thalys train personnel (all English speaking) will check and recheck you prior to your boarding the coach, making sure you're getting on the correct coach and seat that is indicated on the Reservation. They're more interested in seeing the Reservation first.than the ticket. I like flying to LAX.

Faith

This is from Vikings website:

YOUR TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

About 3 weeks before your departure date, you (or your travel agent) will receive a package containing detailed, personalized travel documents, luggage tags and other items you will need when you travel. Enjoy planning and preparing for your Viking cruise and bon voyage!

One less thing to worry about

Christi,
This works out for us, but it seems like it would cut things close for folks traveling on their own for several weeks before ending their time in Europe with a cruise. I don't see the point in Viking "hoarding" the paperwork until so close to the start of the cruise. I appreciate the information, thank you so much!

Just found out from my husband that he'd sent a note to a friend who took a Russian river cruise with Viking sometime last year -- she said their tickets arrived FOUR DAYS before they were to leave home and it caused her no end of heart burn!