more train booking confusion

I thought you wanted the night train from Innsbruck to Venice. There is a direct day train that leaves Munich around 11:30 and stops in Rosenheim just after noon. You can book it in advance from Rosenheim to Venice using a Europe-Spezial fare of €33 pP. I think you can also book that train from Kufstein, but you can't get that low fare.

No, we need to get from Innsbruck to Venice during the day (I'd like the 9:26 train) on Sept.23.

Then on Oct. 6 we need to get from Rome back to Munich on the night train.

Do you think we should just wait until we are in Austria to book the train from Innbruck to Venice?

Jeff -- did I miss something -- 63 to 67 is a 6.3% difference. and that did not include delivery charges. On a couple of $200 tickets that begins to add up.

I just went to SNCF did Paris to Beaune for June 30 and got a prem fare of 25 euros. For fun try this out Jeff: Look up Paris to Nice one-way on June 30 on both SNCF and Rail Europe. The lowest fare for a direct train on RE is $184USD. The lowest fare SNCF offers is $69.26USD (44.90 euros). Which price would you pick? Is it really worth the extra $114.74 to use a site that's in English?

Here is a real example of the diff between RailEurope and a Nat. rail company. I looked up FRA to Munich, a common request by those using FF miles.

RailEurope only had tickets for $144. Unless you order a lot, RE adds shipping. That price automatically included a reservation, which is not required on that train.

DB offered tickets on that same train for €87 (incl reserv). That's about $139. Sound almost "equal" but wait. The DB ticket is a fully refundable/exch. ticket. RE says theirs is non-refundable. If you are willing to order a non-ref ticket weeks in advance, DB offers a Dauer-Spezial fare on that train for €29 (€31 with reserv, just under $50). I picked a date one month from now, and that fare was already sold out on that popular route, but they did have €39 (€41 w/ reserv, $65).

So, comparing apple-apples, it is DB $65, RE $144.

cont'd

That isn't all of it. If you are willing to trade a little time for $$, DB offers an InterCity connection, just over 5 hours, for €69, incl reserv and fully refundable ($110). RE doesn't offer you that option, at least not online.

If you are willing to take 6 hours on regional trains, with two people, you can buy local tickets to Kahl, the first stop in Bavaria, and use a Bayern-Ticket from there. With two, that just over $32 per person. Of course, this option is not available from anybody online; you just buy it when you get there.

So, with RE you get higher prices and no lower cost options. That's why I say use the Nat. rail websites.