deborah

I will be traveling alone and taking a train overnight from Paris to Nice. I am undecided if I should pay the extra to get a single sleeper or maybe a double and share with someone I don't know. Or is couchette acceptable and safe?

Tony

Deborah, <BR> <BR>I don't want to pour cold water on your plans, but regretfully, overnight train travel in France, and some other European countries, is becoming increasingly unpleasant and less and less safe. <BR>On French overnight trains there have been two murders in the past 12 months, both of females, at least one of whom was an overseas tourist, Police suspect the same person is responsible for both, as yet not caught. There have also been reported rapes, so if you do travel overnight I would strongly recommend you exercise extreme care - how I don't know. <BR>Is the overnight travel critical? <BR>There is an excellent TGV express from Paris at 0734 every morning, arriving Nice 1437, My suggestion would be that you consider this option.

elvira

I've done that same trip, and was in a couchette. There were usually all women, one time there was a husband/wife and baby (who never made a sound!). The train personnel do try to put women in the same couchette, or couples with women. No guarantee, though, that will always be the case. <BR> <BR>If you're an uneasy or light sleeper, get your own sleeper; otherwise, you won't sleep well (I can sleep on bricks, so I had no trouble). The other consideration is couchette etiquette. Once you have your bunk, get in and do your unpacking, whatever, on the bunk. There is just a very narrow walkway between the bunks, so standing in the aisle disrupts everyone. I made sure everything I'd need for the night was in my small daypack, so I didn't have to open up the suitcase. Be sure to have a bottle of water and lozenges (why does one always get a nasty coughing fit when it will disturb the most people?), and scope out where the WC is (so if you have to go in the night you won't have to do a search!).

Jayelle

I travelled alone by overnight train from Rome to Paris about a year ago. I chose to get a private sleeper. It was more expensive but I felt safer that way and I preferred the privacy. After the porter came by and set up the bed, I locked myself in for the night and didn't need to come out again until morning. <BR> <BR>I have also heard about the recent incidents that one of the previous posters described, and would advise you to be careful about your surroundings.

Ben Haines

Fodors <BR> <BR>Could somebody please confirm my impression that the murderer strikes in day cars, that is, cars with seats, on night trains? I think he or she can't get into sleepers because the sleeeper attendant locks them, and doesn't get into couchettes because while murdering one woman he would need to explain himself to the other five. <BR> <BR>For Deborah: With the e-mailcopy of this message I am sending anote I have on disc on couchettesand sleepewrs, asit may be of use. You'll see that I agree end to end with Elvira -- indeed, I have borrowed her paragraph on couchette etiquette (without copyright pemission !) to add to my note as it was. <BR> <BR>Welcme to Europe. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR>

ron

Further to Mr. Haines' reply, I was under the impression that the "French train killer" was captured in Lisbon back in January and committed suicide in late June while awaiting extradition. The allegations were that he had killed a British student in October 1999 and a French woman in December. In the case of the British student, they were reportedly sitting together on the train, he was high on drink and drugs, she was smoking his dope and she borrowed his cell phone to call her boy friend. Unless there have been more unsolved murders, it is not apparent that there is any need to take any more precautions on French trains than in any other circumstances a sensible tourist might find oneself.

Ben Haines

Fodors <BR> <BR>A word of thanks for this restorative note. I'll quote your advice if the matter comes up again. Happily some tales do pass away: it's over a year now since I've read the tale of poison gas in Italian night trains. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR>