Business Insider’s reporter got no sleep in a reclining seat on an overnight train through Europe.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I spent 12 hours in a regular seat on an overnight train from Berlin to Vienna.
For less than $50, I got a reclining seat in a seating carriage with five other people.
I’ve traveled on Amtrak sleeper cars in private rooms, but I didn’t adjust well to the shared space.
I got exactly zero hours of sleep on an overnight train from Berlin to Vienna in October 2022.
I had taken overnight trains in the US before, but this was my first time on a sleeper train in Europe — and my first time in an accommodation shared with other guests. I spent the 12-hour journey in a seating carriage that held six passengers.
Since I wanted to maximize my time exploring during the day, I thought an overnight train would be the best way to travel through Europe. And at $40, it was the cheapest overnight train ride I’ve ever booked. Ultimately, though, the ride was too uncomfortable to sleep, and I arrived in Vienna feeling too exhausted to explore.
To get from Berlin to Vienna in 12 hours, I took the Austrian Federal Railway’s OBB Nightjet train.
A Nightjet train stopped at a station.
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The rail line operates overnight routes between Austria, Italy, France, and the Netherlands, and it goes as fast as 143 miles per hour, according to the company’s website.
Nightjet trains have sleeper cars with seating carriages and bunks of three, four, or six.
A full couchette accommodation on a Nightjet train.
I booked the former, which are cabins with six regular assigned seats that deeply recline. Some routes have private cabins, but mine didn’t.
“We recommend the sleeper or couchette car for night travel. There is enough space to stretch out. Seated carriages are recommended for shorter journeys,” OBB Nightjet wrote in a statement to Business Insider.
“The quality of travel depends not only on the carriages, but also on the route,” the statement also said.
I used a Eurail pass to travel by train through four countries, but without the pass, my ticket would have cost $40.
The author’s Eurail pass on a European train.
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To travel by train, I bought a Eurail pass for $477, which gives access to most European trains for a set number of days.
Some trains only require a Eurail pass to ride, while others, including overnight trains, incur an additional discounted price.
With my seven-day Eurail pass, the train trip cost $14. It was the cheapest overnight accommodation.
My journey began at Germany’s Berlin Ostbahnhof train station.
The train station in Berlin.
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I arrived about an hour and a half before my 6:53 p.m. train, so I had ample time to find the platform.
Since my ticket didn’t include a meal, I grabbed food from the McDonald’s inside the station.
The author gets McDonald’s in the train station.
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McDonald’s in Germany has different menu items from locations in the US, like the hash brown burger.
Then, I went to platform three after viewing on a screen that it was where my train would be arriving.
The author’s train platform.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The train arrived on time, and I found and boarded my assigned car, number 254.
Inside the seating carriages, I saw narrow, dimly lit corridors that opened to small enclosed cabins with six seats in each.
Corridors on the train lead to the author’s room and seat.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I made my way to my assigned seat in one of these cabins.
During my leg of the journey, three travelers were already in my room when I boarded.
Couchettes are chairs that recline into beds.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Two others arrived within the first few hours.
Right away, I thought the room was cramped and lacked enough legroom for each traveler. However, I was surprised to find ample luggage space on two rows of storage racks above the seats.
I thought the seat was slightly wider than a typical train coach seat.
The author’s seat in the reclined position.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
It had two cushions and reclined far enough to almost lie flat, but not fully.
Each seat came with a small table that slid out from the armrest.
A side table in a couchette accomodation.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
It was just large enough to hold my ticket and phone.
I wanted to charge my phone, but I only saw two outlets next to the window in my carriage. I had to communicate with other passengers to take turns using them.
Outlets in use in the train car.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
An OBB Nightjet rep told Business Insider that new cars that began running in 2023 have more outlets.
Even though my ticket didn’t include a meal, I checked the menu to see what was available for purchase.
The OBB NIghtjet menu.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I thought it had a wide selection with snacks, pasta, and wraps.
Since I had already eaten, I skipped the food and used one of the two shared bathrooms in the car to brush my teeth. The bathroom looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a while.
A bathroom in the author’s train car.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
“Toilets are always cleaned when the trip starts,” OBB Nightjet said in a statement to Business Insider. “In addition, our staff is doing regular checks during the night.”
Back in my room, someone had turned the lights off. I tried to fall asleep, but I found it impossible with the constant bumps on the ride and so many people around me.
The author stays awake on her journey to Vienna.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I hardly had any personal space.
I reclined my seat all the way, but the gap between the back and the bottom of the seat made it tough to get comfortable.
The author’s seat at bedtime.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I didn’t see any pillows or sheets provided for guests, either.
The rep for OBB Nightjet told Business Insider that pillows and sheets are only provided for guests in the bunk-style sleeping cars because the seating carriage is not recommended for long-haul trips.
Although seats were assigned, I noticed other passengers moving around the car to find less crowded rooms. I followed suit.
The author finds a less crowded room on the train.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I ended up switching to a different cabin with only two other people.
I knew that someone boarding at one of the many overnight stops could kick me out at any time if I switched to a seat assigned to them.
The door to the cabin the author switched to.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Even in a less-crowded cabin, I couldn’t get comfortable on such a bumpy journey or with the knowledge that someone might wake me up to move.
I ended up staying awake until the morning.
Views out the window in the early hours of the morning.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
My train arrived in Vienna at 7 a.m., and I was so exhausted that I ran around town looking for any hotel that would take me in so early.
Splurging on a hotel room upon arrival for a few hours of sleep made me feel like the cheapest ticket on an overnight train ultimately wasn’t worth it.
