Night Trains
 

In October, I will need to travel from Melk, Austria to Rome. I am considering taking the night train, but have not done so before. If I get a private sleeper, how comfortable are these? The train makes many stops (not changes) in the middle of the night. Do these often wake you up? Just trying to decide between this mode of transportation or just flying during the day. Your feedback would be most appreciated. Thank you!

Hi MJ,

Are you looking an experience or just trying to get from place to place?

If the latter, I suggest that you fly. It is faster and cheaper.

PS

Check out http://www.skyeurope.com/start.php?lang=en

From Vienna (Bratislava) to Rome.

No, it's not the most restful night, but there is something appealing about it to me. I would never take a night train more than once in a trip, though.

~Liz

The advantage of using a sleeper is that it is quicker because you spend the journey sleeping. If you get a plane, the whole journey (getting to the airport, check-in time, flight, getting from the airport to the city) will take several hours - a morning, an afternoon or an evening. With many night trains, you can have dinner in one city, join the train (the stations are normally central), spend the night in bed, and arrive in a different city first thing in the morning with a whole day ahead of you. You will not sleep as well as in a hotel bed - there is usually more noise, etc - but it depends on how well you sleep, and on the comfort of your sleeping car. I'd always prefer an overnight journey to a daytime journey, because I then have more time for what I enjoy doing.

I also suggest that you take the train. Since you're not going to be in Vienna it surely wouldn't be much faster to take the plane. Also note that there are special offers on night train tickets between Austria and Italy (and also btw Austria/Germany and Austria/Switzerland). They're called SparNight -tickets. A seat costs 29e and a couchette (sleeper) 39 e. A private bed costs 129e. Of course there is a limited number of tickets but it's worth checking out especially if you're arriving to Austria a bit earlier. You can reserve the tickets at the station or buy calling 05/1717. Check out www.oebb.at for more info.

In my experience train travel by night is safe and even an enjoyable experience.

Have a nice trip! :)

I haven't done sleeper trains since backpacking days in college (1990's), but they were okay. The experience is noisy, but after a while, the noise is kind of hypnotic. I would get 1st class sleeper reservations, and get on the train as soon as the conductors allow, to pick the best one and set up your luggage. You will wake up, but most likely just when people open and close your compartment door. I met a lot of cool people on my night trains (2nd class had to share with 3 people). It certainly is "an experience" I value as part of my travelling history (e.g. hostels, all-night clubbing, 1-stars, living off of baguettes)... but today at 31, I would FLY!

We took a sleeper from Vienna to Rome and really enjoyed it. Sure, its not the most restful sleep I've had, but it was quite pleasant. The ride through the Austrian Alps were so beautiful that we had a hard time shutting our blind to go to bed! The cabins are very cramped but the beds were fairly cozy. The trains do stop a lot but I was able to get a decent amount of sleep, although my husband did not. I would suggest taking a couple of over-the-counter sleeping pills or Tylenol PM's and try to get some sleep. One of the conductors will come by in the morning and knock on your door to wake you and bring your breakfast.

We thoroughly enjoyed our overnight train experience and would do it again if given the option.

Tracy

Dad and I did overnight trains from Munich to Venice, then from Venice to Vienna. Great idea in theory, but didn't work too well for me because I couldn't sleep (and I usually sleep in cars or planes with no problem). He slept fine, so thought it was great. I did like the traveling at night so not spending the day to, from and in airports. I'd probably try it again sometime, but not more than once in a trip.

Anne

I've had great experiences with a private sleeper cabin. Although it is just two bunks, a sink, a window, it's private & the bottom bunk flips up to a couch... so you can bring your own nice picnic dinner with wine and enjoy before you retire. I can't sleep in a car, bus or airplane but did manage to get a decent night's rest (with the help of prescription sleep aid) on several long distance overnight trains (there were not too many stops on ours Geneva/Venice, Venice/Paris).

My first thought ran via Vienna, but the German Rail site suggests a better and shorter night via Kufstein, thus: Melk 1720, Linz 1905 to 1913, dine in the restaurant car with views of the Alps, Kufstein 2143 to 2209, Rome 0817. The night train has 1, 2 and 3 berth sleepers, crowded 6 berth couchettes, seats, and refreshments from sleeping car conductors. The fare in a 3-berth, single-sex, compartment is about 120 euros, and in a first class single about 180 euros. I am afraid SparNight is not on offer with sleepers or couchettes.

Now your questions.

As replies so far show, people vary a great deal in how well in how they sleep. I find the berths very comfortable, but everything depends on the mind of the traveller. The few travellers who expect a bad night have a bad night.

Stops in the night do not wake me up, but again a few people do wake at every stop. Stops are Kufstein dep 22:09 Wrgl dep 22:20 Jenbach dep 22:35 Innsbruck Hbf dep 23:00 Brennero/Brenner dep 23:52 Fortezza/Franzensfeste dep 00:24 Bressanone/Brixen dep 00:34 Bolzano/Bozen dep 01:07 Trento dep 01:38 Bologna Centrale dep 04:24 Firenze Campo di Marte dep 05:39 Arezzo dep 06:18 Chiusi-Chianciano Terme dep 06:51 Orte dep 07:37 Roma Termini 02.08.04 arr 08:17

The sleeper costs less than the air ticket plus hotel bill. From Melk at 1720 to Rome at 0817 takes very little sightseeing time, as most museums and galleries are closed then. As Mr Hamer says, most of the journey you are asleep. The rail journey is a good deal simpler: you spend no time in lines for baggage and passport checks, nor sitting waiting to be called to the next stage of your journey. In fact, apart from 26 minutes amid mountains at Kufstein you do not sit and wait at all.

I do not know a reason to board the train as soon as the conductors allow, as your berth is already allocated, and you do not choose it. It is good to have overnight things (pyjamas, toilet gear, reading, passport and ticket, and a little money) in a plastic shopping bag in the top of your luggage so that you may store the heavy bag on a shelf overnight, and use only the small one.

If you are in a private, single, compartment nobody opens or closes your door, which you lock and bolt for the night. Baguettes, back packs and fellow travellers do not come into a first class sleeper night, and for conversation you should walk long to the seats car (but ask the conductor to have the car door unlocked when you come back.

The breakfast is light, and if I eat it I take as little sausage or cheese with me to give it a lift. But to get a full night?s sleep I usually ask the conductor to wake me as late as possible.

Threre is a note on getting the best from sleepers and couchettes at http://www.twenj.com/tipsnighttrains.htm

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Ben Haines-

If you come back to this, you should know that the "twenj" site no longer exists. Bobthenavigator has posted about this.

~Liz

Thank you, everyone, for all the great and valuable feedback! I very much appreciate it!