buying night train tickets directly from CNL website

I took City Night Line last month from Basel to Amsterdam. I splurged for the deluxe cabin and it was great! Lots of room, built in bathroom with shower,sink, and toilet. It was my first night train and had no problems sleeping.

You apparently don't have a BahnCard or other discount card, for Reduction you click None. You check the box for have already ticket, need reservation only.

Thanks Lee, wow I feel like such an idiot. I've done mock bookings on rail europe and noticed the box to check for a ticket, but never noticed it on the CNL webstie. That knocks 300 euro off my budget which is awesome! I can book for real in just over a week, but one thing that confuses me is the economy and deluxe cabins are now the same price, and I know from experience there is a big difference in comfort and space.

Thanks so much for your help!

Michael, I've taken City Night Line before and it is really nice. I've also taken a night train in Italy which was not so nice. A huge difference. One other thing of note if anyone is interested - the CNL trains you can reserve up to 180 days in advance unlike many of the other night trains!

Next July, along with my wife and our two kids, 12 and 16, we plan to use the CNL to get from Amsterdam or Arnhem to Munich. From your experience would the 4 person compartment work for us? I have also considered booking two 2 person compartments.

Also, when I look at the fare on the DB website, it states that it can only be booked 89 days in advance. How do you book this 180 days in advance? The fare can be as low as 59 Euros each in the 4 person compartment, so I would like to save and get that fare, but I know it has to be done early. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Kevin

Kevin, If you book it on the CNL webstie you can do it 180 days in advance. Here is the link http://www.citynightline.ch/citynightline/view/fahrkarten/online_buchung/eng_online_buchung.shtml

that takes you right to online booking. Last year we reserved one economy double and one economy single as the deluxe rooms were sold out. The single was nice, but in the double it was not possible for me to sit on the lower bunk. The bunks on these trains aren't like the ones on older trains. You can't fold them up. I don't know about the 4 person room. If it were me and I had a rail pass I would definately book 2 double deluxe rooms. I bet if you call they will help you reserve 2 rooms side by side, but if you wait til 3 months in advance they will probably be sold out.

Another thing I am now learning about booking sleepers depends on the number of people in your group. A Couchette is a low cost option, BUT you run the risk of having other people if you do not have either 4 or 6 people. However, it is so much less expensive that if you have 3 people, pay the extra and book it for 4, etc. for 5 in a 6 bed. Also, I have not found a number that can be called to speak in English. Maybe someone knows the "English" number.

Eric on the City Night Line website there is a tab on the left that is labeled "phone bookings" the number listed is: CityNightLine hotline: +49 (0)1805 14 15 14 (EUR 0,14/min.) It appears to cost .14 Euro a minute?

I haven't figured out the best way to book or reserve an EN - EuroNight train yet, but if anyone out there knows the best way could they share? I know you can use Rail Europe, or Euraide, but am not sure if that is the best way. I used Euraide for our last trip, but we needed several reservations so it was a really good deal as they charge a one time processing fee of $45 for all of your reservations.

Jill,

Which EN train route do you wish to book or reserve?

Tim,

It's EN 314 From Rome To Spiez departing at 2040 and arriving at 0750 (ultimate destination is Lauterbrunnen.) We will have rail passes so I just need to reserve.

When I went to the Itialian rail website this option doesn't even show up it has you getting of in Brig at 0539. Actually now that I think about it there was some discrepency between the times on the itialian site and times on the DB site.

My adult kids will be splitting of from us old folks in Salzburg and heading to Italy, while my husband and I head up to Nurnberg and Gorlitz. We (us old folks) are taking a CNL train to switzerland to meet up with the kids. We're getting a much better deal as the CNL trains are MUCH nicer than the EN trains!

Thanks for your help!

The Trenitalia Call Center now has a phone number for calls placed from outside of Italy: +39-06-68475475. I suggest you call and see if you can book your reservations over the phone.