[Andersen]

Dear Forum

Who has any idea about what is the right way buy tickets for the EN480 connecting Rijeka at the Adriatic Sea (dep. 20:50) with Budapest (arr. 8:29)?
The aim is both to ensure reservations ahead (for a mid August date) and to minimize the overall ticket costs.
The question concerns 1-2 adults traveling with 1-2 children.

Info provided by DB: EuroNight Richtung: Budapest-Déli
Kurswagen, Reservierungspflicht (Zalaegerszeg --> Budapest-Déli), Komfortticket (IRT Integrated Reservation Ticket) (Rijeka --> Ljubljana), Globalpreis (Rijeka --> Ljubljana)
Verkehrt als EN 480 bis Ljubljana, danach als IC 1247 bis Hodos, danach als E 1247 bis Zalaegerszeg, danach als IC 959. Runs 24. Jun bis 26. Aug 2017.

Respectfully, Johannes

[Maxy]

AFAIK for travel on this train in couchette or sleeping car you need ticket and reservation. It's allowed to buy them separately and it's not forbidden first buy only the reservations without ticket (which guarantees your seats/beds but not enough for travel without ticket) and later buy the ticket to make the usage of previously purchased reservations possible.

Separate purchase makes sense because there is special price for tickets which is available for purchase only in ticket counters in Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia, it's 39 EUR (or 49 EUR for round trip). While outside those countries - it's possible to use only full normal price for ticket Rijeka - Budapest via Ljubljana - Hodos, which is horribly high - one-way ticket costs 102,8 EUR.

AFAIK - there is no first-minute deals on this overnight train. First minute deal (29 EUR) from Rijeka to Budapest is available only for travel on other train (not overnight train via Ljubljana - Hodos, but only on daytime train via Zagreb).

While for this overnight train via Slovenia - the special tariff is without limitation for quantity of ticket and purchase period. AFAIK it have same conditions as Ljubljana Special.
Price is the same as for Ljubljana-Special i.e. 39 EUR one-way (or 49 return-trip) - is available without limit of quantity of tickets, it's always possible to get ticket in this price on day of departure and travel without the assigned seat in seating car. While capacity of sleeping cars are limited (only one sleeper and only one couchette cars are direct between Rijeka and Budapest in this train).

While the reservation price is the same in all countries where they can be sold. And there is wider choice of railways which are able to sell such reservation. Price of those reservations are:
9,4 EUR - berth in 6-bed couchette
14 EUR -  berth 4-bed couchette
15,4 EUR - bed in 3-bed sleeper
23,1 EUR - bed in 2-bed sleeper

So you may buy only reservation getting it in same price in ticket counter not only in Hungary - Slovenia - Croatia, but also in many other countries. I believe it should work in Germany or in Switzerland, probably in Czech Republic too, not sure about Poland. So if you will have opportunity to visit one of those countries before you travel to Croatia - you may buy reservations here, and later - get tickets (to use with already purchased reservation) when you arrive to Croatia.

If you don't have opportunity to visit one of the countries where ticket counters are able to sell reservations for this train - it's possible to try to use order by snailmail but I'm not sure if it will work. HZ and MAV don't sell paper ticket by snailmail.
Usually DB is good choice for things like this - but I'm not sure if it will work with DB this time - because due to unclear reason DB don't show the form for requesting manually issued tickets for sending by snailmail in case of this train.
SBB website - shows this form for this train and it's possible to choose you want only reservation without ticket, choose if you want it to couchette or sleeping car and enter all data of passenger and choose lower/upper bed and so on. I've tried to fill all fields and pass all steps till submission of form. But SBB takes higher surcharge for sending paper travel documents by snailmail (DB charges 4,9 EUR for paper travel document sent by snailmail, SBB few years ago charged 8 CHF).

[Andersen]

Thanks a lot! So just to be sure: Although the number of sleeper and couchette berths on this service are severely restricted, the ticket itself is still available at a discount even a few days before departure? And the crucial part is to ensure reservations in due time?
Would you happen to know how long in advance the reservations are up for sale for a train like this? 60 days? 90 days?

[Maxy]

Yes, it's not the Sparshiene-like tariff, but tariff which is similar to Ljubljana-Special, Beograd-Special and so on. So condition of providing the discount - purchase in MAV, HZ or SZ ticket counter. No restriction in quantity of ticket being sold of this tariff and the time of purchase, so yes, you may buy even before departure.

Would you happen to know how long in advance the reservations are up for sale for a train like this? 60 days? 90 days?

AFAIK it's 90 days in this case. At last in direction Budapest - Rijeka it's surely 90 days (you can ensure by MAV website, in direction Hungary -> Slovenia/Croatia they sell this ticket online, btw online sale for the group of cars you are asking about opened only few days ago, it was not working on previous week)