hello and thank you in advance for all your help. my question is what rail site would be best for me to purchase our tickets? we are 2 adults and 1 teenager. I've checked 3 sites. 1st, Rail Europe - $1161 for Premier 1st class for 3 single deluxe sleepers, only other choice given was a T6, that dosn't sound good. 2nd, Italia Rail - $609 dbl. sleeper/ Global price, normal fare, international ticket (R) - but what are the sleeping arangements? 3 people in a Double sleeper? and 3rd, DB Bahn - $764 deluxe 3 berth Normalpreis, but not available for our date yet, the first two are available for purchase now. should we wait for a 3 berth to come available from DB Bahn? why are there differant sleeping choices from differant sites? on all 3 sites I put in for the 1st class selection. sorry for such a long post, but I'm confused and time is fast aproching to buy tickets. thank you again.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, United States
873 posts
How far in advance is your trip? Also, how old is the teenager? Bahn.de specifies discounted rates for youths 14 and under.
I just looked up your journey on bahn.de, 1st class for two adults and one 14-year-old. Here are some fares it came up with:
3-berth Economy compartment - 219EUR total.
3-berth Deluxe compartment - 278EUR total.
These are savings fares, which you have to buy in advance, available up to 3 months before your journey. Regular price fares for the same conditions are 297EUR and 396EUR respectively.
Also, most people on this board will tell you that buying through RailEurope is not a good idea. National rail sites are the cheapest option.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
Charlie,
One other option you might consider would be to take a "day train", and enjoy the scenery. That would save the cost of a Sleeper or Couchette.
Using an arbitrary date on the bahn.de website, I found one train departing Venezia Santa Lucia at 06:58, arriving Munich at 14:25 (time 7H:27M, reservations compulsory, one change in Verona). That would get you to Munich at a good time to check into the Hotel and still have time to do some exploring.
You should be able to purchase the tickets when you arrive in Venice, either at Venezia S.L. or one of the Travel Agents listed in the Guidebook.
Happy travels!
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19099 posts
As for the day train option, there are four direct ECs from Verona to Munich daily. There are Bahn Europa-Spezial Italien fares as low as €39 per adult for this train (your teenage rides free if 14 or under). These advance purchase, non-refundable, discounted deals are usually only for a direct train between Germany and another country, with no additional connections in the other country, so you would have to purchase the Venice to Verona and the Verona to Munich legs separately. There are plenty of regional and express trains from Venice to Verona. An Italian EuroStar takes about an hour, requires reservations, and costs €18,50 per adult in 2nd class. There are also regional train that take longer (~2 hrs +/-), cost less, and are not reservable.
Posted by
OP
Poway, Ca, USA
24 posts
hello, and thank you for the quick replys. my son is 17 years old, and we will be leaveing Venice on July 30th. we have to take the Night train because on July 31 from Munich we will be on the 10:30 am Romantic road bus to Rothenburg.I know Rail Europe will be out due to the cost, so would it be best to wait till Db Bahn has the tickets released for sale? I was just concerned due to that the other 2 sites are releaseing the tickets now, and I don't want to miss out on the best tickets for 3 people. also we will only have the one day in Venice due that we arive that morning from Florence. I would rather not cut our visit to Venice short by leaveing early enough to get to Munich by 9:30 am on the 31st of July.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Wait and book the night train on the DB site as soon as you are allowed to do so (92 days in advance). Save some money and book 3 persons in an economy 3-berth sleeper.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19099 posts
The difference between a deluxe sleeper and economy is probably a WC and shower in the compartment with deluxe vs only a wash basin in economy.
I just checked with the Bahn website for Fr Jul 16 and found 3 persons in an economy compartment still available for €267 (about $360) with a Europa-Spezial Italien fare. These fares sell out quickly but, apparently, not immediately. Be prepared to purchase as soon as they become available.
The Europa-Spezial fare is not available for deluxe compartments. $764 (depending on the exchange rate) appears to be price for a deluxe compartment. I found deluxe 3 berth compartments available for Jun 16 (2 months out) so apparently those don't sell out quite so quickly.
Posted by
OP
Poway, Ca, USA
24 posts
thank you all for your help. this morning we went to AAA to see what they could do for us, they deal with Rail Europe, and said to wait till 60 days out! I think that's to long to wait for an overnight train. also we don't save any $$$ by useing them and Rail Europe. so all my research and your help has told me to wait till DB Bahn tickets become available. we are also takeing another overnight train from Paris to Rome on the 24th, I was looking at booking them through TGV Europe when they become available? thanks again.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Yes, book the Paris-Rome night train at tgv-europe.com up to three months in advance. Choose Great Britain as your country of residence and pick up your tickets in Paris.