Hello,
My partner and I will be in Europe from the end of May until early July and we are taking 2 overnight trains; one from Munich to Berlin (1.5 weeks into the trip) and one from Vienna to Venice (2.5 weeks into the trip).
We arrive in London at the end May and I was wondering if we can book our couchettes in London and if reserving that close to our intended depature dates is too short of notice. I considered booking from Canada but I am hesitant to pay the hefty shipping fees etc.
Thanks!!
No need to wait until you get to Europe to book the CNL train from Munich to Berlin. You can book it online now from the German Rail website. You'll pay no more than booking it over there and you might even get a lower discount fare. Plus you will be assured of a place before you go.
The overnight train takes 8½ hours; there are many ICEs during the day that take less than 6 hours.
Thank you!
We both have EuRail passes - does that affect making a reservation?
I recommend that you buy your couchette reservations now. Popular night trains can sell out weeks in advance and train companies limit the number of seats they set aside for passholders. EurAide sells reservations at in-Europe prices. There is a $50 US processing fee, but you can make as many reservations as you wish. Phone the EurAide USA office (781-828-2488).
Reservations for railpass holders are called a supplement, or Aufpreis. I don't think the Bahn website sells supplements online but you can get them if you call German Rail 49-1805-14-15-14 (CNL number, I think? 49-1805-99-66-33, Bahn general number, for sure). The price will be the same as at a ticket counter in Europe, but there are no discounts on supplements.
Thank you everyone!
I'm going to buy them ahead of time - I think peace of mind would be worth the cost.
