JUNE 2019
After my boyfriend had a successful trip with the night train to Switzerland, I knew I wanted to experience the night train again. Years ago I traveled through China with my family and I remember that I really liked long distance travel by night train, yet I never used it for a short trip in Europe. I also try to cut down on taking an airplane for short distance trips, so this seemed like a good experiment.
Travel details
We decided to go to Vienna for three days. I booked two beds in the train from Dusseldorf to Vienna. Dusseldorf is pretty close to the Dutch border and for us it was easiest to drive to Dusseldorf and park our car there. In the Netherlands there are direct trains to Dusseldorf from Amsterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem, which could also be an option. We had a compartment with four beds, so we shared the compartment with two other travelers. It is slightly cheaper to travel in a compartment with six beds, but I thought those compartments seemed too cramped. You can also upgrade and book a private room for two, you can book a compartment with a shower! However I did not mind sharing the compartment with two other travelers.
Sleeping comfort
Our train left at 9PM on a Thursday night and arrived on 9AM on a Friday morning. When we went back home on Sunday evening we had the same train times, which means you have sufficient time to get a full night of sleep. You get a pillow, blanket and sheets, which creates the idea of having an actual bed. They also have some changing rooms in the train, where you can freshen up and brush your teeth (without being in a toilet). We decided on “bed-time” with our fellow travelers. Most people who book a bed on a night train actually want to sleep, so we had no issues with that. The rhythm of the train made it pretty easy to sleep. You can also lock the compartment from the inside, so you can feel super safe. The staff woke us at around 7.30, when we received a small breakfast. I had to work straight away on Monday morning and had no issues with that as I was able to sleep for over 7 hours on the train ride!
Costs
We paid € 70 per person for the outward journey and € 100 per person for the journey back. The earlier you book, the cheaper the train ride.. We booked two months in advance, so we probably could have traveled cheaper. A similar journey by airplane would have cost about € 120, which makes traveling by train more expensive. However I found traveling by train to be super relaxing and you do not have to be at the train station two hours in advance. In most cases the train station is located directly in the city center, while you need an additional transfer while traveling by plane. Because we were able to sleep in the train we only needed two nights of accommodation, instead of three when you travel by plane. I hope train travel will be able to compete with airfares in the future. I was very happy to have enjoyed a guilt free trip!
Read more about our trip to Vienna here.
Other destinations
Other destinations that are easy to visit with a night train from the Netherlands/Germany are:
- Austria: Salzburg, Innsbruck
- Switzerland: Zurich, Basel, Lugano
From these locations you can easily travel onward to for example Budapest, Bratislava, Geneve or Milan.
More information: https://www.nightjet.com/en/reiseziele.html