Hello,
My fiance and I are planning a 10 day trip to Europe this fall. To maximize time, we're considing taking an overnight train from Munich to Budapest. For anyone that's taken an overnight train in Europe, how are they? Did you find it difficult to sleep? Please let me know your thoughts on overnight trains!
Thanks so much!!!

~TravelGuy83

They are great if you get a cabin with a locking door. If you want to sleep in reclining seats they aren't too great as you wake up at every piece of noise and worry that someone is stealing your used underwear.

travelguy - IMHO one of the joys of train travel is being able to see the countryside go by - not very easy on a night train. treat it as a day of your holiday and enjoy!

travelguy - IMHO one of the joys of train travel is being able to see the countryside go by - not very easy on a night train. treat it as a day of your holiday and enjoy! y

you can get a train that leaves Munich at 9.20 ish and be in Budapest by 16.30 with no changes. though the bahn.de website is showing a train leaving this evening that will get into budapest tomorrow morning for only €29!

So I guess it's Budapest for your third stop.

I wake up each time the train stops. There are 14 stops between Munich and Budapest.

There are 2 night trains. You want the one that leaves at 23:40 and makes no transfers.

I sleep quite well on European night trains, but NOT in seats. You need at least a couchette. See http://seat61.com/Hungary.htm

I sleep well on night trains too. But I have a single cabin with bathroom and shower, including a hair drier. I would never do an overnight in seats.

With such a short trip, I would definitely consider a night train. We don't like to waste an entire day on a train. Yes sometimes the views are good but not worth 8+ hours of missed city siteseeing!

We get a 4 person couchette or private double room. Also make sure there are no transfers in the middle of the night.

Hi TravelGuy,

I'm another one who has enjoyed them. I've taken them a few times -- in 1968 when I was 13 and travelling with my sister, a few times in the 1980s, and two times just a few years ago (München to Dresden, and Dresden to Zürich).

What you lose in scenery, you make up for with romance and uniqueness. Yes, get a private cabin with shower & toilet. Buy a gourmet picnic, including champagne. As the train rolls out of the station, turn out the lights, open the shades, tuck into bed, open the champagne, and watch the world slip by your window. You'll find that you're in a movie that's set in the 1940s! It's a great experience.

I've never had trouble sleeping through the night, either.

Have fun!

s

Hi TG,

Bahn.de is offering 2 persons in a 2 class private sleeper cabin for 158E, less than flying.
Depending on your travel date, you might get it for less.

Do it. Night trains are great. For an introduction see http://tinyurl.com/y57vft. Not only do you save a day you also save on a hotel room. Scenery? The lighted hillside villages are charming if you can't sleep. I have no problem sleeping with the *white noise* of the moving train. Sometimes I wake when the train stops but have no problem getting back to sleep after it starts again. You might have long stops at Vienna and at the Hungarian border.