As part of our trip in August, we (family of four) are planning to go from Paris to Munich, as part of an overall trip that has us starting in London, and ultimately flying back to the US from Frankfurt. There are inexpensive indirect flights from Paris to Munich, but they burn a lot of time. The direct flights I can find are currently selling for $800.00 per person. That's more than I paid for our transatlantic flights! Does anyone know if those prices might go down closer to August? Our other option is an overnight train, and we are getting close to the 90 day window to buy those tickets. Thanks.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I like trains and have no trouble sleeping on them so I'll recommend the direct night train. (Others will tell you they hate night trains because they can't sleep.) If you book at www.bahn.de as soon as the 90-day window opens, you can get a discount fare of €79/person for bunks in a four-person couchette. Save yourselves the cost of a night in a hotel and have more daylight hours for sightseeing.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Keep in mind you are trying to buy one way tickets that are often expensive by themselves and it is peak travel time for both Europeans and US so demand is high and the incentive to offer cheap tickets is low.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Air Berlin flies direct from Paris Orly to Munich (MUC). We (20 of us) flew this route on their dirt cheap fares last summer and were very pleased with the service.
Posted by
OP
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
206 posts
Thanks Tim, Frank and Tim. When I was 20 (a long time ago!) I traveled overnight on trains a lot, and just in seats, not bunks; I'm not sure why I feel hesitant now to do so with my family. I have looked at the Air Berlin schedules, and I don't see any direct flights the first week in August. Maybe they have changed their flights.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
You don't need to fly or take a night train. Take a day train.
By the time you get to an airport, check in, security, flight time, find ground transportation, get into town (40 min in Munich), it usually most of 6 hours. German and French rail have TGV and ICE service from Paris to Munich in about 6 hours. If you book far in advance, online, from German Rail, you could get a Europa-Spezial fare as low as €39 OW pP. However, it is a very popular route and the €39 fares sell out. For July there are still some €59 fares available and lots of €69 fares, although not on all connections.