Help with night trains

[awilso]

Hey,

I'm going traveling in may/ June and I'm hoping to save a bit of money by taking night trains as much as possible.

This might sound like a stupid question but what sites etc do you use to figure out when the night train leaves or if there is a night train between the two places you want to go?

Also do night trains normally have changes in them or is it a direct train? if there is changed how did you sleep and wake up in time etc? sorry if i sound a bit dense with this just I'm not the best at just waking up when i need to. ha ha

[Eagle]

awilso, Welcome to the Boards! Hopefully I can provide a few answers to your questions.

The site that I find most helpful is www.bahn.de (click the "International Guests" link at the top for English). This will provide a list of the trains between various destinations, with the times of departure and arrival. It will also indicate how many changes, if any (if it lists "0" changes, it's a direct train, and most likely a reservation fee will be charged in addition to the ticket or railpass cost).

I try to avoid night trains with changes, exactly for the reasons you listed. It's difficult to get a good night's sleep when one has to wake up every few hours to change trains. Also, if you're travelling by yourself it's a bit risky (not to mention uncomfortable!) to sleep in the normal seats. When you wake up, you might find that not only have you missed your stop but your Backpack is now missing!

Could you elaborate on your rationale for "saving money" by using night trains as much as possible? Depending on how you're planning to travel, you might not save much over staying in a Hostel.

Hope this helps? Good luck with your planning!

[awilso]

its not as much saving money as i think iv probably got enough, its more saving the travelling time so i get to the next place over night instead of wasting time during the day getting there.

gonna have a look at that site now cheers for your help.

Andy