Newgene

We're a few months out from a trip to Munich, and it has expanded to reach a few different areas. Thanks to a lot of help from folks on the forum, I've built a redemption business class on United to Munich, with and open jaw from Florence to Amsterdam, and a stopover in Amsterdam. Now that I have the flights locked in, I'm working the transportation piece, and I'm hoping I could get some suggestions of where to search. Searching online has been pretty a lot to take in. So, this is what we plan to do:

• Use train to get around Munich, if necessary
• Use train to get from Munich to other cities in Germany
• Flexibility to just travel to whichever new city and hotel for the next day
• Make our way west to be in position to go through the Swiss Alps down to Florence
• Take Bernina Express or any other recommended scenic train ride through the Swiss Alps. We could stay in an overnight hotel in Switzerland if that is the best way to make it work, but the current plan is not to.
• Use train to get around Florence, if necessary
• Use train to get around Amsterdam, if necessary
• Visit Munich, then other German cities, then train ride to Italy, then flight from Florence, then last stop in Amsterdam
• Most likely times in each area: Germany (5 days), Italy (3-4 days), and Amsterdam (2-3 days)
• Other than the flights in and out Europe, we may be able to adjust the flight from Florence to Amsterdam based on if we land anywhere else and don't want to go back

I'm thinking we buy some type of pass for the time in Germany, a ticket for the ride through the Alps, and individual ticket(s) for anything around Florence. The most confusing part is how to put together a ticket that gets you from midwest or southwest Germany to Florence, without me butchering some part of it.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

jt82

There's a lot of stuff in here, but I'd look at seat61 as a starting point. Not sure exactly what other cities you're thinking of in Germany - you could probably make do with a Bayern-Ticket for quite a few options, and then look to just buy an advance ticket to Zurich ahead of doing the Bernina Express in the general direction of Milan

OverThereTooMuch

I'd agree with the advice in the previous post.

For rail travel in Germany, I think you'll want to look at Länder-Tickets
https://www.bahn.com/p_en/view/offer...overview.shtml

They are discounted tickets that allow you to travel anywhere within a particular region in a day. Example for the Bavaria-Ticket is 23EU for one person, or 43EU for 5 people.

A limitation is that M-F they can only be used after 9am (no limitations on the weekends). But they offer good flexibility, and won't require an advance purchase or reservation for specific trains.

seat61.com definitely has great advice to prevent you from (as you say) butchering any portion of your planned travel.

Newgene

Thanks, guys. I'm gonna read some more, and then if I have any questions, I'll post them back here. The travel within Germany looks simple. I need to know go back and see the best way to tour the Alps. I may just travel into Switzerland and get a place for the night there. Then, we'll just wake up and finish the journey to Florence.

SwissBritMiss

I wouldn't recommend that. Quite some detour

Newgene

Oops. Lol

Newgene

So, we have pretty much decided we would like to stay one night in Zurich. It is similar to what you suggested. The seat61 guy spells it out easily on how to book the Bernina Express. I have a little while before mine opens up for booking, but the tool worked fine to pick them. Now, I need to figure out how to get my way around Italy.

Any suggestions on rail options from Tirano to Florence? I haven't seen much.

Thanks

BAAZ

Use Trenitalia.it for journeys in Italy.
Tirano to Florence will take 4-5 hours. Trains from Tirano to Milano Centrale run about once an hour and take two and a half hours, and you change there to the high-speed line to Florence (Firenze SMN) which takes less than two hours.

Newgene

Thanks for the advice. That confirms what we were planning. I now need to figure out the best way from Munich to fussen, and from fussen to singen. We want to stay the night by neuschwanstein and hohenschwangau castles. I think its rail from munich, then change to bus into fussen. I havent made it to fussen to singen yet.

jt82

seat61 has a page specifically for that

Newgene

Ok, so I have booked the tickets from Singen to Tirano. I booked them 2nd class for 58 EUR, but it would not let me make a seat reservation at all. I kept giving me an error saying I can't. So, I bought them anyway. Here is the question. Can I now buy a 1st or 2nd class ticket at www.rhb.ch and just print them out. At seat61, he talks about it here:

http://www.seat61.com/BerninaExpress...ss_reservation

Since I booked the tickets in 2nd class, does it matter if I book two seats in the coach 4 (1st) or coach 5 (2nd)? They are showing the same price (20 CHF). It's not the 14 EUR, so I'm wondering if this is correct. So, I guess I have two concerns. If I book coach 4 in 1st, will they not honor it? Also, if I were to book the two seats in coach 5 (2nd), would it even matter? I want to make sure we are sittin in the panoramic car. Tks

Track

Where did you book the tickets Singen-Tirano for 54 Euros? DB has them starting at 35 Euros in second class. I don't understand the difference you make between "booking" a ticket and "printing it out." And via which route are your reservations, via Chur (the much preferred route) or via Italy? You may not sit in the first-class car with a second-class ticket, even if you have a seat reservation for first class. Not all the Rhaetische Bahn trains to Tirano have panorama cars; make sure the one you have reservations on does.

Newgene

It's a weekday train, so it's the D953 at 08:58 from Chur to Tirano. If you book them 3 months out on DB's site, they are 29 EUR each. I followed the directions from seat61, and I booked a ticket from Singen to Tirano putting in the day before as the staring date, departing at 12:00. Here's an example.

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...&rt=1&OK#focus

I was really asking if my next step is just to book the seat reservation on the RHB site (I wouldn't think I could book at 1st class seat reservation for a 2nd class ticket, but I gotta ask). It seams to read on seat61, that I can just buy the reservation for anywhere, and I will be in the panoramic car. I already have a ticket for 2nd class from the DB site. I'm sure this is not as confusing as this seams to me.

Track

D953 has a panoramic car for first and one for second class (car 5). On the Rhaetische Bahn site you chose a particular seat when making your reservation (for car 4 or 5). Without the reservation you would just pick out a seat in one of the other cars. The RhB site offers the option of "ticket already purchased." I didn't look into that more closely, but the implication is that this is where people with passes or long-distance tickets, e.g., from Singen, would make a reservation. The reservation is for specific seats and for a specific itinerary.
I've taken this trip several times (before the panorama cars were introduced) and have always found it stunning. Enjoy it!

Newgene

Thanks. So, to get the panoramic car, I need to add the reservation. I wonder if I am not allowed to reserve car 4 because my base ticket is 2nd class. If so, I'll just reserve two seats in car 5. I'd like car 4 as the wife and I could sit across from each other. Any thoughts on being able to do that?