Are advanced reservations required for the overnight train from Florence to Interlaken in the middle of August? I browsed the forums and found that for all other Italian trains, I could wait till I arrive in Italy to buy tickets.
Our hotel reservations are made, so I am on a set schedule here.
Babu
Hi Babu,
I made a reservation from Spiez to Bologna on a night train last summer. I made the reservation nearly a month in advance, and still I got one of the last bunks left on the early-August train. I would figure that a Florence-Interlaken route would be even more popular. In other words, make sure you book it at least a few weeks in advance. If you arrive in Europe that far in advance, then you can wait until then. Otherwise, I would book now.
You are most likely looking at the 314 Luna that runs from Rome to Zurich. It does stop at Florence and Spiez where you will need to get off. There are no night trains into Interlaken itself. It's 20 minutes from Spiez. You will want to book this train as soon as it becomes available (usually within 90 days of the travel date). I can see this run for 8/15 on www.trenitalia.com with SMART2 fares still available. Unfortunately, Trenitalia will not accept American credit cards so I don't know how you can book this train other than on RailEurope or Euraide. You won't get the SMART2 fare on RailEurope.
