Hello, we are travelling from Paris to Venice in July on the Thello overnight train. We originally tried to book a 4 person couchette, but had some difficulty with our credit card (had told them we were booking, but apparently they forgot). But anyway, by the time we had the card issue straightened out, there were no 4 person couchettes left, and we had to get a 6 person. We are travelling with our two girls (10 and 12) and I was wondering if anyone had any advice at all that would be of value to us. Such as security, comfort, hints, advice or the such. I have already checked "the man in seat 61" and a few other sites for reviews, but I value the opinions of the travelers here on the RS site. Thanks in advance for your help.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Tania, you will sleep in your clothes, so wear comfortable stuff. It is possible and actually quite likely that another couple of travellers will be in your couchette, hence everyone sleeps in clothes. Take girls to bathroom right before its time for them to sleep, you don't want to try and do it middle of night as you will wake other two people in cabin. Bring food and drink.
Posted by
NYC
922 posts
Tania, did you purchase the whole 6-person couchette for your family? I think I read on 'The Man in Seat 61' page about the Thello night train that it is possible to do that. It would certainly give your family of 4 some privacy and breathing space, and the price difference doesn't seem huge as a trade-off against having 2 strangers in the compartment with your family group.
Posted by
Green Bay
21155 posts
Looking at the Thello site and picking a random midweek July day, the full fare price for 3 adult + 1 child in a 4 person couchette is 444 euro, 3 adult + 3 child in a 6 person couchette is 510 euro. It seems you could book this paying 66 euro for extra privacy.
Posted by
OP
Halton, Ontario, Canada
208 posts
Hi, thanks for the tips. When we went online to book for out date, the site said that the 4 persons were sold out after we got kicked out the first time. That is when we proceeded to purchase the 6 person for a reasonable price that was within our budget. We didn't purchase the whole 6 person couchette. We probable should have, and I knew that you could. But after dealing with the credit card company for over an hour and a half on the phone, we just booked at the price we could afford. We were more concerned about missing out completely at that point. I also looked at flying and another night in Venice, but it is unbelievably difficult to find 1 nights accommodation in Venice. We already had our apartment rented for our dates and it was booked up both sides of our travel so we couldn't even add another night on there. So, we are going to be adventurous and hope for the best. I was just looking for anyone who has travelled on the Thello overnight and wished to share any tips and advice that would be beneficial.
Thanks again!