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Buying European train tickets on line in advance?

We are travelling from Paris to Zurich, and then Zurich to Munich, Munich to Vienna, Vienna to Venice (overnight train) by train in Dec. Is it a good idea to buy tickets well in advance on line to get cheaper tickets? Do I need reservation as well? This will be the firsttime for us to take trains in Europe. Need you guys advice please. Thank you!

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Íf your travel dates are fixed then, sure, buy your tickets in advance. You can get some big savings if you purchase in advance. All tickets will come with any required reservation.
For overnight trains, you should definitely book ahead.

For your first journey, go to the French National Railway website. If you're in Melbourne, Florida, make sure your country is always kept as Great Britain or Canada, so you won'te get kicked over to the RailEurope website. You can purchase discount fares there, and you will either be able to print your tickets at home or pick them up at any French railway station with the credit card you used for purchase.
For the second and third journeys, use the German national rail website.
And for the final trip, use the Austrian national rail website.
Some of these websites may be a bit pernickety to manipulate....but if you have any problems, post them here, and one of our local experts will be able to help.