nightline train 6 person couchette summer-awful? what to do at 6 AM?

Your children will be absolutely thrilled with such an adventure. Where and when else can they get an experience to equal this?

Can't help you with the other questions, but being in a big city early is actually an advantage in many ways.

Make sure that you all will be able to sleep in a moving train - some of us don't/can't, and it makes for a miserable experience.

As David said, getting in early has some advantages, but it also depends on what time you get to your hotel and if you will be able to check in early. If not, then if they have a luggage storage room, you can use that and get an early start on seeing the city.

As far as taking a night train, yes, the kids would probably be thrilled. The adults? Depends on whether you can sleep or not. I took a night train from paris to Salzburg and didn't sleep a wink. My wife, on the other hand? I had to wake her up when we were nearing Salzburg!

If you pack light you'll be fine. Six-person and four-person couchettes are the same size. The only difference is how many bunks are pulled down. The less luggage you have the more elbow room you'll enjoy.

Ditto all.

I'm a big proponent of overnight train travel.

The top two bunks can be stuffy, but ironically that is in the winter (air vents are near the top in some, at the base of the window pointing up in others).

You'll have to 'orchestrate some movements' as things are a little crowded with all 6 beds out -- that leaves room for no more than 2 standing in between.

Just plan out before you get in there who is expecting to be at the top, etc. The top 2 bunks, also ironically, have a little more personal space -- some of the luggage storage is above the door to the compartment, giving the top 2 bunkers their own 'little shelf'.

Also agreed... both Venice and Florence are superb at 6am -- from 6a until about 9a are the absolute best time of the day in those cities in my sometimes humble, but not this time, opinion.

I am jealous. Your kids will talk about that ride for years.

unfortunately, not such a big deal for the kids---we live near DC and take the AMtrak autotrain to Fla almost every Easter--they do love it, though. Thanks for the info--if the price is right, we might end up doing the overnight.

Check to see how many times the train stops. We did the overnight from Venice to Rome, and when the train stopped the air-conditioning went off. That got stuffy.

Otherwise, the compartment was big, the beds were comfy (and I'm a 300;b+ guy), and it was actually a nice experience/adventure.

We did the trip with my 70 plus parents, and they were fine, so Grandmom should be OK.

Venice has luggage storage. It's about 5EUR a bag, but well worth it if you can't get into your hotel room at 7AM. (with 3 kids might be worth paying for early check in.)

Nearly every hotel/hostel/guesthouse in Europe with a front desk (note the following statement does not apply lodgings without reception like private rooms and apartments) has luggage storage.

Get off the train, haul your bags to the hotel, walk in and say "hi, I have a reservation for later today. We just got in and we'd like to store our bags until our room is ready. Can we also reconfirm our rooms and check in time?"

I've NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, in nearly 6 months of backpacking Europe, staying in hotels and hostels, been unable to store my bag before check-in, or after check-out, as long as the lodging had a staffed reception.

Has anyone ever been refused luggage storage?

P.S. - The kids will love the train. The compartment is very small, but you'll be fine. Do it.

Another big vote in favor of a 6 AM arrival in Venice. We took an overnight train from Rome to Venice, arriving around 6 AM. Seeing the early morning traffic on the canals, watching them set up the Rialto market, having the Venice streets all to ourselves at that early hour - all were a perfect introduction to that beautiful city.

If only we had been able to sleep on the sleeper train...

Thank you for prompting my memory of a train trip Paris to Milan in 1967 using couchettes when I went on a school trip. It was great fun. I don`t think we washed for 36 hours. A week in Rome then a week in Venice all by train from Scotland. £45 including food. Those were the days.