Revelers raise their glasses to a drinking song in one of the Oktoberfest's giant tents. The Munich Express, an overnight train from Rome to Munich departs the Italian capital on Friday evenings over the last two weekends of the Oktoberfest, which runs from Sept. 20 through Oct. 5 this year. (Stars and Stripes)
NAPLES, Italy — An overnight express train from Rome to Munich may offer a convenient travel option for U.S. service members and their families hoping to experience Germany’s Oktoberfest this fall.
The Munich Express departs from Rome on Friday evenings over two weekends in September and October, traveling through the Alps and eight northern Italian cities, according to FS Italian Tourist Trains, a division of the Italian state-owned company that manages the country’s rail network.
Along the way, travelers can partake in draft beer, music and entertainment and a special menu in a Bavarian-themed dining car, according to the FS Italian Tourist Trains website.
A one-way ticket on the Munich Express is 99 euros per person for a second-class seat or a 6-bed shared berth. There also are options for a four-person berth or single and double sleeping cabins with service that range from $119 to $225 per person one way.
Travelers must purchase their tickets at railbook.it by Sept. 7 to get those prices, the website states.
Trains leave Rome just before 8 p.m. on Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, with stops including Verona, about 45 minutes from U.S. Army Garrison Italy in Vicenza. Rome is just over an hour by train from Naval Support Activity Naples.
Other stops include the Italian cities of Trento, Bolzano, Bressanone and Brennero. Return trips depart from Munich in the afternoon on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, according to the train’s website.
Oktoberfest runs from Sept. 20 through Oct. 5 in Munich. The annual 16-day event celebrates Bavarian culture and heritage through a community gathering that includes music, food, festivities and beer.
It dates to the 1810 celebration of the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Beer sales started in 1815, according to National Geographic.
Last year, about 6.7 million people attended the festival, consuming some 1.8 million gallons of beer, according to the German news agency DW.
The Italian state-owned Trenitalia plans to add high-speed train service from Milan and Rome to Munich in 2026. The service, which includes a stop in Innsbruck, will extend to Berlin and Naples in late 2028, Trenitalia said in a statement in May.
The new connection “will offer a direct service between Italy and Germany, passing through Austria, and will have a significant impact on rail connections between the two countries,” Trenitalia said in the statement.
