First of all, I just wanted to thank all of you for helping me shape up my Europe itinerary for May. Because of the numerous help and various other posts I've read from here, I certainly feel a lot more confident and excited about my upcoming trip.

My itinerary calls for two night trains (Amsterdam-Prague and Prague-Budapest), and being a solo female traveller, I was wondering if it's possible to request for an all female compartment in advanced? And, if so, how, specifically, would I need to go about doing that?

I'm thinking of getting a T4 couchette right now, but am willing to get a T3 sleeper or a double if I am able to get a single-sex compartment.

Thanks in advance!

I think you can be in an all female compartment in you reserve a T3. I'm sure that you can not reserve an all female compartment in a couchette compartment. Unless the rules have changed in the past year, you may can request, but it will not be guaranteed.

Sleeper compartments are always single-sex if shared by strangers: you will not have to share with a stranger of the opposite sex.
Couchettes are normally mixed, but a few trains do have female-only couchettes.
The Amsterdam-Praha train is a German City Night Line train. On these, you can no longer book a berth in a shared sleeping compartment, but there are female-only couchette compartments. These trains can be booked on-line via www.bahn.de.

Thanks for the info. I'll be getting a Selectpass, as well as an Eastern pass for my trip. I'm guessing that when I go and make my reservation for the night trains, I can just verify and ask to get an all female compartment with a T3, yes?

Are single-sex compartments automatic with sleepers, or is it something you need to verify? I'm not too worried about the Amsterdam-Prague leg, but I'm a bit apprehensive about the Prague-Budapest one as it looks like English isn't really as widely spoken by train ticket vendors (from what I've gathered).

As Geoff says all-female couchettes are rare

triples and up usually possible - i'll give you one reference to call to make sure - Linda at Budget Europe has booked trains, couchettes for years and will be able to answer this question i think with authority - 800-441-2387 - she can also book them but i usually wait until Europe and rarely have any trouble -not always that much cheaper but i demand flexibility - Fridays and Sundays IME are harder to book on popular routes. With your Eurail Select flexipass you of course know about the 7pm rule - board the overnight train itself after 7pm and the next day in your unlimited travel day - gratis travel from 7pm until midnight. Only applies to the overnight train itself and not connecting trains.

Overnight bunks are of two basic types: sleepers and couchettes.
Sleepers are single-sex if shared with strangers.
A T3 is a sleeping compartment. If you can book a berth in a shared T3 compartment, it will be with people of the same gender. However, the Amsterdam-Praha train is a German night train and these no longer offer shared sleeping compartments - you'd need to book a single-berth sleeping compartment, or a berth in a shared couchette compartment. On this train, there are female-only couchette compartments.
On the Praha-Budapest night train, you should be able a book a berth in a T3 sleeping compartment which will be single sex. Sleeping compartments are never shared with strangers of the opposite sex.

You'll need to pay extra on top of your rail pass for sleeping accomodations.

Private 2-person cabins are single sex. Couchette bunks/cabins (3-6) are mixed.

Geoff, thanks for that. I don't know what was going on with my brain the first time I read your first post, but your second post cleared everything up. I think I'm going to follow what you wrote and attempt to get an all-female couchette for the Amsterdam-Prague route and a sleeper for the Prague-Budapest one. Thanks again.

Suze, thanks for the info. From what I've gathered, it looks like the supplement for a T4 for the Amsterdam-Prague route is around 30E, and a double for the Prague-Budapest one is 30E, as well.

Really?? Only a 30 euro supplement for a private sleeper?

Everybody is confused by the different types of compartments.
A T4 is a four-berth couchette compartment. They are normally mixed gender, but some trains have female-only couchette compartments.
The commonest type of sleeping compartment is the T3 which can be configured to have one, two or three berths. These are always single-sex if shared by strangers.

Suze, I was surprised myself. This is according to the Euraide website (as referred by Rick Steves). I think this is confined to the Prague-Budapest route. As a double supplement, for example, for the Paris-Rome route is listed at 75E on top of a railpass.

Perhaps the Prague-Budapest supplement is cheaper because of the inexpensivenbess of train travel within Eastern Europe itself? Not sure, but I guess I'll see when I get there .

I hope you report back as i am interested in the 30 euro thing what it really is

In Munich a few weeks ago i noticed that Euraide's office in the main station was gone?

Though i understand the desire for all female compartments

european women seem to have few fears of unisex compartments

Of hundreds, literally, of couchettes i've ridden in over the years i'd say nearly half the occupants have been ladies - of all ages and none seem to have an problems

Perhaps it's an American thing?

I've ridden some trains in the CR and Poland, and I suspect the supplement is really cheap just because the trains are a lot cheaper there. The one I took in Poland, even the first class compartment was not at all the standards of trains I've taken in W Europe. They have a lot of older trains there, still, I think.

I wouldn't ever want to be in a compartment with strangers of any type myself, as an adult, but if I had to, I would prefer an all female one, also. I think calling this a "fear" is perhaps trying to put it down and make fun of the desire. I don't think, in most cases, it is really a fear, but simply a desire and preference that one would be more comfortable in an all female compartment. I don't think it's an irrational "fear", although I certainly wouldn't like it if you were the only female in a compartment with all men -- probably especially if it were only one other man. Maybe that never happens, but it seems like it could. There might be something in that situation I could describe as a slight fear. Women generally have learned that being with a strange unknown man in a closed compartment is not a particularly brilliant thing to be doing.

I know myself and simply would not be able to get to sleep with strangers of either sex in a couchette situation. If I couldn't afford my own compartment, I'd probably break up the trip and do it by day trains instead (or fly).

Thanks, Christina. I think you just took the words right out of my mouth .

For me, it's not so much that it's a "fear;" rather, it's more of me wanting to take any available precautions I can take as a solo, female traveller.

If it ends up that I can't get an all-female compartment, or that my budget breaks and have to take a couchette instead of a sleeper, it won't change my plans. I'll still go to the places I've planned to go, albeit, with a bit more apprehension.

I'll definitely be doing a report to see how my trip pans out, particularly with the supplements. Only two more months to go .

<it's more of me wanting to take any available precautions I can take as a solo, female traveller>

I understand the feeling of a solo female, never having been on overnight trains perhaps, feeling an all female compartment was necessary for the reasons you list

I would heartily dispute that the precautions you think to take are simply unwarranted on european couchette trains

to wit the many many solo females i've seen in couchettes

But if it makes you apprehensive, valid or not, then don't do it - you will not sleep!

My comments above were not for safety sake (pro or con), just I am a horribly light sleeper under any situation. I couldn't stay in a dorm at a hostel either.

don't get me wrong - i fully understand that outlook and find nothing wrong about it.