An Overnight Train Experience in Europe
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
While in Europe, we love riding the trains. A unique experience is taking an overnight train in Europe.
So, let’s explore together and learn about riding the rails at night—you won’t be disappointed!
Overnight Train Basics
There are two types of sleeper cars. They are sleeper compartments with sleeping berths and couchettes.
A couchette is a seat that converts into a bunk. Usually there are six to a compartment. This is the bare bones bunk with a pillow and blanket. Sometimes they are segregated by gender, other times not.
On our first trip by couchette in 1990, we were paired with 2 guys from Argentina, complete strangers, who were surprised by the mixed genders, and at first a little awkward for both of us. Fortunately for us, I speak fluent Spanish and we agreed to who got which sleeping bunks.
There were two problems—first no air conditioning, so the compartment was so hot, sleep was fleeting at best (perhaps said too gently—it was horrible). Second, they both smoked, so they opened the door to our compartment often to go have a smoke in the train corridor.
Opening the window to let some fresh air in was not a solution either, as passing trains roaring by created deafening, sudden noise that jolted us awake from what little restless sleep we had that night.
Although not on the Paris to Amsterdam overnight train we took in 1990, this is the typical tight corridors on overnight trains. At the end of this passageway, is the toilet (WC).
Along with that, in the old days, there was a passport check at each country border. Here is the bottom line—we hoped to save a day of hotel expenses but wound up sleeping a whole day after checking in to our hotel.
By far, your best choice is a sleeping berth. This is a separate compartment with limited facilities.
So, let’s look what an old railcar on the overnight train looks like, and document our experiences on this adventure.
Our sleeping compartment
Our Route
We are on a route using the EuroNight sleeper train. It is called the Kalman Imre and links Munich and Budapest. The train is named after the composer Emmerich Kalman.
On the sign you can see, we departed at 2330 (the second line on the track sign). The good news—the train started in Munich, so boarding was a lot easier with a stopped train instead of rushing to get on.
The reason, this overnight trip was a good idea, is that we stored our luggage in the Munich Station. Each large storage area cost 3 Euros for 6 hours storage (you need Euro coins and exact change). Here is what the storage area looks like.
The luggage storage boxes in Munich. You can clearly see the 3 Euro cost on the right side of the picture.
What our Sleeper Cabin Was Like
We were in compartment number 11, 13 and 15. Trust me, it was tight space for 2 and unless a small child, really not feasible for 3 adults unless you are on a bare bones budget, in my opinion.
Here is the number display outside our compartment.
Our car had air conditioning, an essential, in my opinion, even in winter.
A sign telling us about the heating/air conditioning controls in the room. Note the sign is in different languages, one thankfully is English.
What the compartments looked like with just our coats hung up. You can see the temperature control in the middle upper portion of this picture,
The coat racks and ladder storage area when not in use.
The ladder set up, so Anne could get up on the top bunk. We brought our own small silk sleeping travel sheets (the crumpled blue item on the lower bunk)—a great idea!
The sink area after opening up the green cover (note the water is not for drinking)
Train Tips/Lessons Learned
Here are some good tips you might want to consider if you want to take advantage of a night train.
1) Don’t expect a fancy car and realize you will be comfortable enough to sleep with some loud noises with train cars added and taken off the train.
2) We chose a second class berth over the first class berth, as the cost was not worth the minor upgrade.
3) Luggage storage is going to be a problem if you have more than 3-4 suitcases. The overhead racks are good but limited by the small compartment size.
4) The bathroom WC is not in your compartment—reminds me of my early days of travel, so plan accordingly and expect some wait times.
5) Don’t expect working electric outlets in the compartment, especially on the older trains. We found one inside the mirror and had to rig a way to charge our electronic devices.
Our old car had only one electrical outlet. It was inside the mirror. Since we brought a European adaptor with USB outlets, we were able to charge our devices during the trip.
You may wonder what this picture is all about! Here Anne has plugged in her portable fan, suspended it from a bungee cord, so she could experience her fan during the night. Pure genius, from my creative wife
There was a small breakfast included in the trip. Here is the menu:
Each of us got to select 7 items from the menu. Our conductor brought us the breakfast about an hour prior to our arrival at Budapest.
Our Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed this report.
Overnight train travel has some real advantages. During our trip, we stored our luggage in the Munich Main Train Station (Haptbanhof) and visited the Christmas Markets and had a great German meal before departure. We saved a hotel cost but it certainly is not the most comfortable way to travel.
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Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
