Night Train Florence to Munich

Perfectly safe and reasonable. Buy out a 6 person couchette, one bunk for luggage. One thing to keep in mind is that night trains are disappearing bit by bit. So keep checking periodically to make sure it is still running over Christmas time.

Thanks for the information!
will keep looking it seems the most reasonable way to travel without losing a lot of time!

Have taken 3 night trains, including CNL from Bologna to Munich. 1 good experience, 2 unsatisfactory ones. I would recommend getting a room with a shower if it is in your budget. You'll need to check out your hotel in the morning, by the evening we wanted to take a shower to clean up. As for the ride, no scenery, it was dark. I could sleep because I took a sleeping pill. Also bring eyeshades, because each time the train crosses an intersection the lights will flash in your cabin even with the shades drawn.

While we liked the concept of taking a night train, these days we will just fly. One one trip the A/C was broken. Trains sit out in the sun all day, the interior was over 100F, impossible to sleep and too noisy with the window open for air. A/C is probably not an issue at Xmas. On a different trip the entire car with our cabin was not on the train! They just didn't hook it up, the very unhelpful conductor eventually put us into an economy room even though we had paid for the deluxe. If you choose to take a night train, hopefully your experience is better.

How tall is everyone? At 5'4" I was comfortable in a couchette, but my 6" tall husband less so.

As John mentioned, the concept of night trains sounds better than the reality turns out to be for some travelers. "Hey honey, let's save the cost of a hotel and save all that time by waking up at the next destination."
Sounds wonderful. But from reports we've gotten here, doesn't always work out that way. Getting to the next destination exhausted from not much sleep, without showering, grumpy, and too early to see any sights (6 am versus 10 am)....
For real punishment, do night trains on back to back days.

I am not a fan of night trains, either, although when I was in my 20s-30s I took lots of them. I remember the lights, noise, and even being awakened in the middle of the night for passport checks (not an issue now). A private couchette might help, but not with noise.

Also, will you arrive too early to check into your hotel/apt?

I have no problem with giving the night train a try, but first choice would probably be to book flights soon on Air Dolimiti, about $75 per person including taxes, per www.skyscanner.com.

Although the night train might not be the most comfortable sleep of your trip, it would be an adventure for your kids who might never get a chance to do it again. I'd take the train with the goal of it being a memorable experience and not just a convenient trip from Florence to Munich.