Night trains alone: how they work
A night train gets rid of two of the most annoying parts of travelling alone at once. You don’t arrive at a strange station at midnight, and you don’t pay for a hotel night you’d barely use, because the train is the hotel. You leave one city after dinner and wake up in the next one in time for breakfast, with the whole day ahead of you.
Book a bed, if you can
Most night trains sell three kinds of place. A seat is the cheapest, but you won’t really sleep in it. A couchette is a bunk in a shared compartment of four or six, with sheets and a pillow. A sleeper is a proper bed in a compartment for one to three people, often with a washbasin, and it costs more.
On your own, a couchette or a sleeper is worth it. The price difference is often about the same as a night in a budget hotel, which is exactly what it replaces. Night trains also sell out early in summer and around holidays, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.
Women-only compartments
Some operators let you choose a compartment shared only with other women. ÖBB’s Nightjet trains offer women-only compartments in the couchette coaches, and in the sleepers men and women are usually separated unless you book a whole compartment together. Some Swedish night trains offer the same choice. It isn’t always shown on the first booking screen, and on some routes it has to be booked a few days ahead through the operator’s own channels, so look for the option or ask before you pay.
What goes in the cabin bag
Pack a small bag for the night, separate from your suitcase, so you’re not digging through everything in a narrow corridor.
- Night things on top: something comfortable to sleep in, a toothbrush, and a layer, since compartments can be warm or cold.
- Water and breakfast: the café on board keeps its own hours, and on some trains it closes early or doesn’t open at all.
- Earplugs and an eye mask: trains stop and start through the night, and the corridor lights stay on.
- Your valuables: phone, wallet and passport go in the bunk with you, not in the luggage rack.
- A charger: many newer carriages have sockets by the berth, but older ones don’t, so a power bank helps.
Feeling safe on board
Compartments lock from the inside, and on most trains the attendant checks tickets and passports in the evening so you’re not woken at a border. Keep your phone and passport with you in the bunk, lock the door when you settle in, and if anything about your compartment doesn’t feel right, the attendant can usually move you. Being nervous on the platform the first time is completely normal, and once the train starts rocking, most people sleep better than they expected.
A few routes to try
Some of the classic overnight routes in Europe run from Vienna to Venice or Rome, from Zurich to Vienna, between Berlin and Stockholm, and from Stockholm north to Narvik above the Arctic Circle. Timetables and operators change from season to season, so check the current one before you plan around it.
If a whole night on a train doesn’t appeal to you, the flight is still there. But for a first trip on your own, arriving rested in the morning instead of tired at midnight makes the first day a lot easier.