Train Tickets Night Trains Prague to Krakow an Krakow to Budapest

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My Husband and I will travel to Central Europe in July.  WE have already purchased teh plane tickets.  WE fly to Prague and Depart 4 weeks later from Dubrovnik.  How to I purchase ickets in advance?  I am interested in purchasing train tickets on a night train in a 2 or 3 person sleeper from Prague to Krakow and then from Krakow to Budapest.  We will b e in Prague for 4 days and Krakow for 4 days.  I am so nervous about waiting to buy tickets until we arrive in the country.  Our plans are in stone and we have specific dates of travel.  I am having a hard time writing my itinerary.  I can't arrow down .  WE go to Ljubljana July 13 - 16.  We take a train to Zagreb on July 16.  WE pick up a car and drive to Plivitce.  WE spend tehnight and visit the park early in the morning.  We drive to Split and drop off teh car.  We spend teh night in Split.  We take a ferry from Split to Korcula on July 18.  We stay for 5 days.  We take a ferry to Dubrovnik July 23.  We fly home on July 28.  When can we buy tickets.  Are there specific discounts for night trains?  If so where can we buy them.  And when can we buy them.  Thank you for your time. 

Arrive in Prague July1
Depart Prague July 4 Night train to Krakow

Arrive in Krakow July 5
Depart Krakow July 8 Night Train to Budapest

Arrive Budapest July 9
Depart Budapest July 13

Bad news for you is that you can't purchase either Prague-Krakow or Krakow-Budapest tickets in advance online directly from Czech or Polish railways, so you actually got two options left - purchase tickets already in Prague and Krakow (4 days in advance is a plenty of time to do it) or use agencies. It is rather obvious from the content of this website and general idea behind - EuropeTrainsGuide team definitely would not recommend to go with second option, but it is your choice.
Since you stay 4 days in Prague and Krakow before the actual travel date, so there almost certainly will no problems purchasing tickets - those routes aren't that busy.

Prague-Krakow: no discounted tickets on this route. Regular one way ticket, as of now, costs 36.8 euro (+2 bed sleeper - 30 euro per person, 3 bed - 20 euro).
If you want to save, then you will need to do couple tricks:
a) purchase domestic Czech ticket Prague-Bohumin (since there are two of you, then you are entitled for a group discount=means you pay only 651CZK for both - https://eshop.cd.cz/search.aspx) + international tickets Bohumin-Krakow (15 euro) to cover rest of the route to Krakow and sleeper Prague-Krakow. When boarding your Prague-Krakow train show both two tickets and sleeper reservation to the conductor.
b) take overnight train (#441, 00:24-5:09) from Prague to Cesky Tesin (check on google maps) - 704 CZK for two passengers + 280CZK per person for 3 bed sleeper or 420 for double. Cesky Tesin is located right across Polish town Cieszyn. From there you can catch frequent buses to Krakow (costs 17 PLN). Walk from C.Tesin train station to Cieszyn bus station takes app.15 minutes

Concerning Krakow-Budapest overnight train ride there was just recently a discussion, so check it out -
http://europetrainsguide.com/forum/index.php/topic,57.0.html and if you have any questions - feel free to ask. And just one more thing to add - during summer there will be additional and cheaper overnight train from Warsaw-Krakow to Budapest via Kosice, so more chances to travel.

Budapest-Ljubljana can be easily done by afternoon-evening train (2:11pm-11:05pm), no seat reservations required, so don't worry about seats. One way ticket costs on 29 euro, it can be purchased any time from any ticket counters in Budapest.

Ljubljana-Zagreb as well easy thing to accomplish, multiple trains, fare is 13 euro one way.

tUt,  Thank you so much for all of the specific information for our train trips.  I have been going crazy trying to figure out just how to purchase the  tickets and how much the tickets will cost.  I tought that because I could not purchase tehtickets on line that I was doing something wrong. We have used trains before in Italy and Spain.  The process was much less painful.  I was so nervous about the overnight trains that I think I felt compelled to purchase them ahead of time.

We will purchase the train tickets when we arrive in Prague and Krakow as you suggest.  I will also read other strands.  Thank you for sharing your expertise:)

Hi Tut (or others),

My brother in law and I will actually be doing the same night trains in early July. I think most of my questions are answered, but just wanted to get a bit more information, or more accurately, reassurance!

We will be traveling Prague -> Krakow on July 11, and Krakow -> Budapest on July 14. You mentioned that these routes are not very busy (and the latter will have a second train during July). So is there very little risk of the 2-berth sleepers selling out? I have the same worries as the OP, that we will not be able to get a ticket if we wait until we are in Prague to buy them (4 days before we want the night train).

Additionally, my brother in law will be in Barcelona a few days before I get to Prague - is it possible for him to buy the tickets there? (I understand the fares will be maximal.)

Thank you so much,
Michelle

Well, we would usually say that 4 days in advance is far enough to buy tickets, so don't worry.
Even if you will have troubles buying tickets, then you can always use route Prague-C.Tesin-Cieszyn-Krakow.
For connection Prague-C.Tesin you can buy cheap discounted tickets for sleeper in advance online, but for Czech Republic-Poland connection tickets sold online available only for daytime train.

In Barcelona you will probably not even gone be able to buy such ticket and, as you correctly understood, even if you will manage - fare will be much higher.

p.s. unfortunately due to floods in southern Poland one of the important railway bridges was destroyed, so second overnight train from Poland to Budapest will not run any time soon.

We are leaving for Prague on Wednesday June 30.  As you can imagine our excitement is mounting.  Would you suggest that we buy our night train tickets Prague to Krakow at the train station or at a travel agent?  Niether my husband or I speak Czech.

Better to do it from a ticket counter (cashiers at international counters speak English good enough to understand you) at the train station in Prague (doesn't matter which one), then you will avoid unnecessary commission of a travel agency, some of those tend to be rather high. 

tUt,

I am sure you had already answered that question.  Last minute jitters.

Thanks.