Planning on travelling on Thello Night Train between Paris-Italy April, 2013. How do we determine true ticket availability if we are trying to stay flexible on our schedule and do not know exact travel date? We've always pre-purchased in the past for the sake of getting our desired train. Trying to decide whether to "wing it"!
Posted by
Green Bay
21150 posts
If you are looking for a sleeping compartment, winging it could be tricky. They do sell out.
Posted by
San Antonio TX, United States
2393 posts
I would have to agree with Sam - sleeper compartments are the one thing I book in advance. Just give yourself enough days in Paris & book - anything you didn't get to do in Paris is a reason to return!
Posted by
Fontainebleau, France
893 posts
AFAIK, There is no way to know ticket availability (ie 3 seats or 30) on their website. However, I believe they only have sleeper cars, so they aren't going to just sell out the sleepers. A few things to keep in mind about Thello: It has a pretty crummy reputation here. Trains are regarded as dirty, with the odor from the bathroom often being pervasive throughout the car. I've read many accounts of people not being able to sleep at all due to movement and light coming in (which is similar to stories from other overnight trains). From what I gathered when I researched the train earlier this year, if you aren't getting one of the lowest fares, you're better off getting to Italy another way. The highest available fare stays the highest until right before departure. You don't have to worry about it going up. Given that it's already mid-March, I can't imagine you're going to get anything lower than one of their highest fares. So waiting probably won't change the price (at least not much). Don't know whether waiting will block you out of certain dates, though.