-
I spent 11 hours in a shared cabin on an overnight train from Vienna, Austria, to Venice, Italy.
-
For less than $100, I got a bunk bed in a six-bed room with three other people.
-
I’ve traveled on Amtrak overnight, but in private rooms. I didn’t adapt well to the shared space.
I recently spent 11 hours with three strangers on an overnight train from Vienna, Austria, to Venice, Italy, during a two-week journey through four European countries.
Although it was my first time traveling in a sleeping car in Europe, I spent 60 hours on Amtrak trains overnight in their 20-square-foot rooms and 45-square-foot bedrooms, where I had private rooms to myself.
Read more: I have traveled in 4 types of Amtrak train cars, from business class to private bedroom. Here’s what each looks like and which one offers the best deal.
I thought a night train would be the best way to get around Europe so I could explore more during the day. But the bumpy ride made it hard to sleep and I didn’t feel rested when I arrived in Venice.
OBB Nightjet did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
The Austrian Federal Railways’ OBB Nightjet train is a railway that operates night routes between Austria, Italy, France and the Netherlands, and can go as fast as 143 miles per hour, according to the website.
Source: OBB Nightjet
Nightjet trains have regular assigned seats, couchette cars (seats that fold out to benches in shared cabins) and sleeper cars with bunk beds of four or six, which is what I booked. Some routes have private cabs, but mine doesn’t.
Source: OBB Nightjet
To travel by train, I bought a Eurail pass for $477, which gives access to most European trains for a certain number of days. Some trains only require a Eurail pass, while others, including night trains, have an additional discounted price.
Source: Eurail
This overnight leg of my European train journey, which came with breakfast, cost $44 with my Eurail pass. Without the pass, the ticket would have been about $84.
Source: night jet
My journey started in the Austrian train station Wien Meidling. I arrived about an hour and a half before my 9:35 pm train, so I would have plenty of time to find the platform.
The departure screens said my train was going to Zurich. At the information desk, I learned that unlike Amtrak, the train cars disconnect at different stations to go to different locations. I should get into my assigned train car; each has a number.
While waiting I saw that OBB had a lounge. It’s free for first-class OBB passengers traveling during the day and costs about $10 for all other OBB passengers. Since I didn’t see any empty seats in the rest of the station, I paid for it.
I was surprised to find I was the only one in the lounge as the rest of the station was full of people. There were plenty of tables and chairs available.
Complimentary drinks were served in the lounge, from coffee to nuts and seeds. It was a smaller selection than I’ve seen at Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounge, which I visited in New York, but I wasn’t hungry, so I just bought a water bottle.
Source: I traveled first class on an Amtrak Acela train and thought the benefits were cool – but not worth the $270 price tag
I went to the platform about 20 minutes before my train’s scheduled departure at 9:35 PM. But when it arrived I didn’t have time to check the train carriage number before boarding. I just went to the nearest car and asked an attendant for help.
In the sleeping cars I saw narrow, dimly lit corridors filled with small cabins with bunk beds.
My room had six bunk beds and a large window with a curtain. On my leg of the journey, one traveler was already there when I boarded and two others arrived within an hour. Two got off around 5am, and the other stayed past my stop.
Source: Seat 61
At 74 square feet, it felt like a cramped space to me—especially with everyone’s luggage around. There was room for bags above the beds, but not enough for everyone. I couldn’t imagine six people squeezing in there.
While my cabin was assigned, the beds were first come, first served. Since I have experienced more bumps on higher bunks in Amtrak trains, I opted for a lower bunk.
The train provided sheets and a pillow. I thought they weren’t as soft and snug as the sheets on Amtrak trains, but they were better than nothing.
Above the curtain door to enter the room were temperature and shared lighting controls. My fellow passengers and I agreed to turn off the lights once everyone had gone to bed.
There was a power socket and a small bedside table on the side of each bunk, as well as night lamps above the bed. Without curtains around each bunk, I thought I had no privacy.
Other passengers in the room said hello upon arrival, but otherwise it was quiet in the room. Some of us looked at our devices, while others went straight to sleep.
Before going to bed, I used one of the two bathrooms for everyone in my sleeping car. I thought it was a typical train bathroom with a toilet and sink. According to Nightjet’s website, only private sleeping cabins have a shower.
Source: OBB Night Jet
When I was ready to go to bed, I watched TV before going to sleep. The bed was stiff and uncomfortable in my opinion. I was woken up several times during the night by other travelers entering and exiting the room, or because of the bumpiness of the train.
An attendant woke me up with breakfast at 8am, about 20 minutes before my stop in Venice. I have two sandwiches with butter, jam and coffee in my bunk bed. There was no cafe car or common area on board for passengers.
When I got off the train in Venice, I was exhausted from the lack of sleep. I thought it made my first day in the city less fun.
Next time I won’t choose a shared night train. While sometimes it’s about the journey, not the destination, in this case I prefer to arrive refreshed so I can enjoy where I’m going.
Read the original article on Insider
