* Venice to Vienna (maybe Florence in there somewhere?)

I'd make that Geneva to Florence (changing trains in Milan), Florence to Venice, Venice to Vienna. Florence to Venice is only three-four hours, but so much to see in both, and a day trip from Venice would be wasting time.

* Budapest to Sofia

That's too much for a single day journey. After the Kosovo war, connections were very bad -- there was one direct train going around Serbia, but between Romania and Bulgaria connections were bad before, still a 25-hour ride --, and still not improved much. I suggest you make that Budapest-Belgrad (one night train takes you there in 7 hours) and Belgrad-Sofia (another night train in 10 hours).

Sofia to Istanbul (via the place we need to be to get a train to Istanbul!)

There are direct coaches, in a night train too.

Any hints/tips on trains in those areas?

• Timeplans: I recommend the internet site of the German Railways, which is reasonably up-to-date even about foreign schedule, and has an English version.

• Quality of trains: in terms of comfort, fitting-out and cleanliness, I'm ashamed to have to warn you to expect a steady decline from West to East... After Vienna, you'd best travel on ICs and ECs, tho' it's not always available.

• Delays: travelling towards the East, this could get bad beyond the Hungarian-Romanian border (if you choose to go that way) resp. beyond Novi Sad or Belgrade (if you choose to go through Serbia). Don't plan changing trains with rest times under one or two hours.

• Trains, trains? If any of you two is interested in trains, Budapest has Central Europe's largest nostalgic locomotive base, and a regular nostalgic train trip along one of two scenic lines out of the city every Saturday.

First a British Pendolino and another Virgin train in London:

...an Eurostar:

...two TGV Atlantique trains on the outskirts of Paris:

...the outside and inside of a French Corail Téoz express train:

...a Swiss IC races along Lake Geneva, with castle Chillon in the background:

...a Swiss narrow-gauge train descends from the foot of the Matterhorn mountain:

...an Italian Eurostar (high-speed train, there was a name dispute with the Franco-British-Belgian company but in the end both kept using it):

...an italian IC train:

...my photo of an Austrian IC train descending from Semmering Pass:

...a Hungarian IC:

...a Serbian express train to Sofia:

...a Bulgarian fast train (with used German coaches):

...finally, a Turkish express train:

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

TGV Paris-Toulouse takes approx 5h 20m. (True very fast train to somewhere north of Bordeaux, then normal express from there on). Comfortable unless chock-a-block.

TGV Toulouse-Lyon takes approx 4h 45m. (very fast between Avignon and Lyon).

Lyon-Geneva by Corail Lunéar (comfortable express) takes 1h 42m.

Other suggestion (but disclaimer: I'm not trying to persuade you not to go to Lyon or Geneva, just pointing out an alternative) : you could go Toulouse-Nice then take an Italian train Ventimiglia-Florence. It may take time (haven't got details), because of changes, but it'll fit in a day. And you would follow the Med coastline from Marseille all the way round, often on corniche lines squeezed between mountains and sea. I've never done it, but I think it would be a nice trip. Then Florence-Venice is not a huge jump.

Of course, you wouldn't be going via Finland, and what would that reveal about European attitudes to strange far northern countries where the Triloqvists dwell?