I have been trying to book a night train from Munich to Paris for 9/20/11 (last night and this AM), and every time I try to finalize the booking, this window shows up (rather than giving me the confirmation): Dear Customer, An error occurred during the booking process for the night train. Please try again later.
The error has been recorded. We apologise for any inconvenience. I have checked with my credit card, and they state things are fine on their end, so I am guessing it is with the German Rail site. Has anyone else had this difficulty? Is there another way to book the 22:43 night train from Munich->Paris for 2 in an economy 2-person sleeper? Thanks for the help!
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
German Rail has a booking number at +49 1805 99 66 33. It will answer with an automated message in German, but you can wait and ask for English when a person finally answers.
Posted by
OP
Portland, OR, USA
13 posts
Is there a better way to reach them, from the USA, than to call their hotline? Is there any other site that would have the same price to buy it from, or is the German Rail the best price for this ticket? Thanks!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33849 posts
Lee is ... The Man ... when it comes to DB. There are other ways, he has given you the best solution.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
As Nigel said, there are other options. Euraide will buy your reservations in Munich at European counter prices, but they add $50 for shipping it over here. You can get them from RailEurope, but I expect their markup is more than $50. The train goes from Germany to France, so I imagine French Rail has similar prices to German Rail. You just have to be careful using their website - if they find out you are in the US, you will get switched to Rail Europe.
Posted by
Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany
51 posts
I just tried the DB page. They wanted the traveler's age filled in. Then at least I could go to the ion of available tickets. Not sure why booking did not seem to work. One reason can be that the bank does not process the payment because it's abroad and they want to avoid credit card fraud. I have heard of such things happening. Tell the bank that a payment in Germany to buy some train tickets is what you want (and want them to do that). The prices I found are hefty (389.60 €). For the 3:20 train - change in Mannheim - arrive 9:49 there are still 39€ per person tickets available. Definitely less comfy but saves a lot. Night train is clever, especially if there are cheap tickets available. If not, it's a bit on the pricier side. I guess flights could be gotten from 100€ per person. Does not hurt to shop around. But this would make you need another night accommodation. hope all goes well with the booking
Posted by
OP
Portland, OR, USA
13 posts
Thanks for the help! I went to the France Rail site and booked it there; I just couldn't book it right on the German rail site, and I didn't want to call the Germany number to get it figured out. So, I am all set up!!
Thanks again!