Overnight train - private cabin possible?
 

I'm firming up my final itinerary for Northern Spain and it looks like I'll need to get from Leon, Burgos, or San Sebastian to Barcelona. Leon & Burgos don't have airports and the airfares one-way from San Sebastian (and Bilbao) are over $160USD.<BR><BR>I'll be traveling by myself and would not mind taking an overnight train as long as I could book a cabin to myself. If it's cheaper than $160 plus the cost I would have paid for a room that night it would certainly be nice to use the trip time sleeping and make use of my awake time! <BR><BR>Does anyone have any experience with this? Can you then keep your luggage with you and lock the cabin for security/privacy?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance for your responses.

Cathy, It should be cheaper than that but go to www.renfe.com to get confirmed costs. You do keep your luggage with you in your cabin.

I did that from Paris to Frankfurt a couple of months ago. It was less than $100 for my private cabin, and you keep your luggage with you.

You can check prices for various night trains, and see what type of accomodations are offered, on a page at:<BR>www.euraide.de

You lock your door, and also look for the fixed door chain which you can put into lace so that even the conductor needs a hacksaw to open your door. Very re-assuring.<BR><BR>Trains that reach Barcelona at 0905 leave Leon at 2147, San Sebastian at 2259, and Burgos at 2343, so that that from Leon offers the fullest night?s sleep. A note on http://www.twenj.com/tipsnighttrains.htm describes the best way of getting value from a sleeper in Europe. The Euraide site is good, and they will happily book you on these trains at a low surcharge, but their web site does not show the fares. The Spanish rail site in English is http://www.renfe.es/ingles/index.html, but it does not give the sleeper supplement on your train. It says that the fare for a first class seat by day (Preferente) is just 48 euros, so if you take the berth to be 100 euros at most the cost for the night might be 148 euros.<BR><BR>Please write if I can help further.<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR><BR>

The euraide site doesn't give the whole price, but it does list the price of the sleeper and couchette supplements.<BR><BR>http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...e/pricestr.htm

San Sebastian to Barcelona by night train "Pio Baroja" costs 29.50 euros + 75.50 for a single cabin, according to www.renfe.es.

I never did it in Spain, but both Geneva/Venice and Venice/Paris. Solo, female, American, 48. It was great!Tiny private room with two bunk beds, linens, small sink, window, door that locked, racks and hooks for clothing and luggage.<BR><BR>A conductor sat in the hallway during the trip.<BR><BR>Shared toilet down the 'hall'.

Thanks, everyone. This definately sounds like the way to go. <BR><BR>I had the renfe website but the english version doesn't list the sleeping compartment options and prices - go figure! After Daniel's post I went into the spanish version and figured it out.

one more time for a slow learner -- can someone give me the French, Spanish, and German words for the 'private compartment' for one person? Thanks. J.

For JW: "Wagon-Lit" in French... but if you are traveling solo you could have 1 other person of the same sex assigned, unless you pay even a bit more to keep it a single & private room.<BR>