Hello, we are planning a 4 week trip in Europe starting Dec 14th. On the 27th we are contemplating using our railpass to take the Paris to Venice night train. I%26#39;ve read all the postings regarding train versus air but I really want to know how far in advance we should reserve the train if we choose not to fly? Also, should we do an advanced booking from the states before we get there (what site?) or should we wait and reserve in Europe for a better price? I am getting conflicting price information from every site I go to. We are looking for a private double. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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If you already have a rail pass you still will need a reservation, and there likely will be a supplement if you want a compartment rather than just a seat on the night train (which I understand you do). If you have a railpass, I would suggest calling the company where you got it (most likely Eurail, as you%26#39;re in the US?) and handling it through them.
I would not recommend waiting until you arrive in Europe unless you are unable now to decide what date you will be traveling. If you don%26#39;t have a rail pass I would suggest going on one of the train reservation sites (start with SNCF) and seeing whether you can do better with point-to-point pricing on your own. Just be sure you specify %26quot;delivery in France%26quot; for the delivery option (you can then print the ticket yourselfl - if you say delivery in the US, the system will immediately send you to Eurail, which almost always costs more although sometimes it%26#39;s worth it to be able to call and talk to a live human being).
It%26#39;s not clear from your post whether this would be a round trip (also known as a %26quot;return%26quot;) ticket - but if not, when you do this over the internet try pricing it as though it is, and you may get a better discount than for a one-way ticket, for some unknown reason (you would then just throw away the second part of the ticket).
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I just checked the two places you can reserve/purchase train tickets (Rail Europe and SNCF) and none of them show available double private rooms. They only have couchettes and T3 (compartments with 3 people) available for Dec. 27th. You will have to change the date if you want a double room.
Paris-Milan/Venice/Florence is a very popular route. If you know your dates, reserve in advance regardless of the price. It may be cheaper in Europe - or sold out. I thought I could wait until arriving in Europe, but alas, I still have not been to Italy :-(
Right now, the best price for a T3 is at Rail Europe:
www.raileurope.com
1. Enter the departure, arrival city, and dates.
2. Enter the number of passengers. Check %26quot;Have Rail Pass?%26quot; box.
3. For departure time, select evening.
4. Click %26quot;details%26quot; for one of the First Class tickets. A window will pop up. Make sure it reads %26quot; Sleeper Compartment Double,%26quot; or if you opt for the T3, %26quot; Sleeper Compartment T3.
5. Return to the main screen and click %26quot;select.%26quot;
6. Fill in the traveler information. They can ship the tickets to your home.
Click the %26quot;details%26quot; link under one of the First Class tickets. Make sure it says %26quot; Sleeper Compartment T3.%26quot;
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Based on our travel between Paris and Florence on a night train, I think that the smallest first class compartment is technically for three although Eurail (which we used) assured us that only we would be occupying it, which was correct - and I can%26#39;t even imagine stuffing an additional person, other than perhaps a very small child, into that tiny space!). I think that basically you pay for the compartment, and then can have one to three persons occupying it, with their tickets be in addition to the actual cost of the compartment.
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Thanks for the additional info, Berkeley :-)
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