Train from Munich to Rome?

No passes, but what are the ages of the family? You can get discounts if you commit to your train travel times and dates. There is a direct EC train every day from Munich to Venice. There are discounts for kids under 16.

While renting a car to drive to Rome may seem attractive, I think by the time you look at a larger vehicle, fuel, added insurance for Italy, and a potential drop off charge in another country, the train or flying looks better.

By rail, you would qualify as a group (more than 5) so I would go on the D Bahn site and investigate. Booking a few weeks out and as a group may get you a discount. I do not believe a pass would be a cost effective option.

Thank you for the responses. I agree that driving in Italy is not something we want to do. The ages of the kids are 9, 11, and 13. Any thoughts on an overnight train from Munich to Rome

If you are planning on visiting Venice, train there first. That leg on the train is 6+ hours. The train to Rome is 9+. Makes no sense to backtrack, unless you have R/T tickets to from Munich. Where else are you thinking of visiting? How many nights on the ground in Italy?

General Itinerary
Day 1 - 7 Frankfurt - Rothenburg - Fussen - Berchtesgaden - Munich by car. We did not want to drive car across border bc of huge drop fee in another country.

Day 8-14 Munich-Rome -Venice (bc its cheaper to fly out of Venice than Rome). I would love to go to Cinque Terre but not sure it is feasible given the time. Any other itineraries or must see places in Italy welcome.

Keep in mind we are traveling with 3 adults, 3 kids

The overnight train also goes from Munich to Venice and I certainly would not skip Venice. This is a popular route for a night train, but if you choose the direct daytime train, you do get a few hours of nice mountain scenery. Try to book seats with at least one table for 4, if still available, so you can more easily share games and lunch that you bring onboard. The D Bahn site lets you request that type of space before completing the booking.

There used to be an overnight train from Munich to Rome via Brenner Pass, but it was part of the now defunct CNL.

There is still an overnight train (EuroNight) to Rome, but it goes to Salzburg, where is is combined with the train from Vienna and goes via Villach, Austria. it leaves Munich at 20:10. It does not stop in Venice.

There is another EN night train from Munich to Venice via Salzburg and Villach. It leaves Munich at 23:35.

Please be aware Venice flights, though sometimes cheaper, are usually at an early hour of morning. This means you end up getting up around 3am and having a very expensive trip to the airport. The other option is to spend your last night there.
If your flight is after 10, disregard the above caution.

Spend 4 nights Rome , 3 in Venice. You could stop in Florence,and spend part of the day, then continue on to Venice but the CT would consume too much time for an overnight.

Sounds like a great trip.

Not sure of logistics but a night train is an awesome experience!

Recommend the train to Rome. We lived in Bavaria for four years and visited Italy several times. One car trip, we visited Tuscany and spent more on tolls on the autostrada than rail tickets would cost for two. Also, fuel is very expensive.

We later took a rail trip to Rome with an sleeper (2nd class) and also saved a night in a hotel.