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Night Train from Vienna to Venice

Posted by (New York, United States) on

Hello:

I realize there are other threads on the topic of train reservations, but I was unable to find the exact answer to my question(s). I would greatly appreciate any information on this topic.

I am traveling throughout Europe in August and I am concerned about train reservations. I have a Eurail Global Pass.

The trains that I will travel on that require reservations are:
- Paris Nord to Brussels Midi/Zuid (Sun., Aug. 3)
- Praha Holešovice to Wien Südbahnhof (Fri., Aug. 8)
- Wien Südbahnhof to Venezia Santa Lucia NIGHT TRAIN (Tues., Aug. 12)
- Venezia Santa Lucia to Firenze SMN (Wed., Aug. 13)
- Firenze SMN to Roma Termini (Fri., Aug. 15)

Obviously I am most concerned about the night train from Vienna to Venice. What is the best way to go about booking this train? If booking online is not feasible, would it be safe to book this train at the Vienna station? Would tickets for it be sold out if I tried to buy them one or two nights in advance?

As for the other trains: would I be safe booking them all when I arrive in Europe? Would I have to purchase tickets for them at each station (i.e. could I book my train from Prague to Vienna at the Berlin station)? Additionally, would I have to pay for these reservations, even though I have a Europass?

My itinerary is somewhat tight and I hope to make each of these trains. I would greatly appreciate any advice on booking these trains in advance or at each station.

Thanks very much,
Thomas

Posted by
8700 posts

Paris-Brussels: Assuming you will be taking a Thalys train, your reservation will cost around €15. Buy it as soon as you get to Paris.

Praha-Wien: Your global pass does NOT cover travel in the Czech Republic. In Praha buy a ticket to cover the portion between Praha and the Austrian border as well as your seat reservation for the portion within Austria. No, you cannot buy a reservation in Berlin unless the route either starts or ends in Germany.

Wien-Venezia night train: Popular night trains can sell out weeks in advance. Buy your reservation/supplement for the sleeping accommodations of your choice NOW at raileurope.com or by phoning Rail Europe.

Venezia-Firenze and Firenze-Roma trains run very frequently. The reservation fee for passholders on EuroStar Italia trains (fast trains you probably would prefer to take) cost around €15. You can buy reservations for both routes in Venezia.

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks for the response Tim!

Just to clarify:
Besides the night train from Vienna to Venice (which I have already booked), will I be safe waiting until I am in Europe to reserve the other trains?

That is -- these trains will not be completely booked when I try to make reservations for them a few days in advance while I am in Europe. Is that correct?

Thanks again.

Posted by
8700 posts

Yes, you SHOULD be safe waiting until you get to Europe to buy any reservations needed for your day routes. However, train companies limit the number of seats they allocate to passholders so buy each reservation as many days in advance as you can.

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