Night Train from Rome

I guess what I am also wondering is if it is necessary to reserve a seat on this night train route.

I think that the only way you can do this is to take the night train from Rome to Dijon on the Rome/Paris-Bercy night train and then transfer to a TGV train to Lausanne. This train departs Rome at 19:15 and requires a train change at Milan at 22:45. Then, the train heads for Paris-Bercy. You get off at Dijon Ville at 06:15 and change to a TGV to Lausanne. About 14-15 hours for the journey. You can see most of the schedule on www.bahn.de. You could go north into Switzerland from Rome. The train I see is a night train that departs Rome at 23:04. You change trains in Milan at 6:55am. There's a 90 minute layover there. The second train to Lauanne is not a night train. You are essentially taking a day train from Milan to Lausanne.

Sorry, but I need to make a correction to what Larry wrote. The Rome-Paris night train goes directly between the cities. There is no need to change in Milan on your way to Dijon. It leaves Rome at 19:45 and arrives in Dijon at 07:25. Popular night trains like this one can sell out weeks in advance. Book early. A faster route (but with less sleep) would be to leave Rome at 19:05 on the CNL Rome-Munich night train and get off in Innsbruck at 04:31. You then can travel Innsbruck-Zurich-Bern-Interlaken Ost, arriving at 11:28. If you book the CNL train well in advance (up to 92 days allowed) on the German Rail site, you can get a Europa-Spezial Italien discount fare. However, to get that fare you'll need to book a ticket all the way to Munich. No problem. Just get off in Innsbruck.

You will have to reserve a seat for an overnight train and can either do it online directly through Trenitalia or you can go through the ticket office at the train station. I recommend getting a bunk for an overnight. I recently got back from Europe and took an overnight train from Rome to Munich and just booked seats and it was the most uncomfortable train ride I have ever taken. Impossible to sleep. For that train I booked through the ticket office in Naples on the day of travel and had no problems. Now I know though to book bunks rather than seats. Hope this helps. Happy travelling!

In my previous post I forgot to mention that if you book well in advance on the Trenitalia site, you can get a Smart Price fare as low as €45 for a bunk in a four-person couchette on the Rome-Dijon night train.