Advert
Supported by
The comfort was questionable at times and the food mediocre, but for everyone on board, it was a delight in itself.
By Evan Rail
Step 1: Get on the train. Step 2: Get into bed. Step 3: Wake up at your destination.
This might seem like a distant dream for many travelers, but it is a developing trend in Europe. Although many night trains have been destroyed by the rise of cheap airlines in recent decades, they are on the way back, thanks in part to greater awareness about the environmental impact of flying, as well as a growing interest in slow travel.
This spring, a new Paris-Berlin connection caught my eye — a Nightjet operated by the Austrian railway ÖBB. That renewed overnight route made headlines when it started up in December after a 13-year absence, with the French transport minister at the time, Clément Beaune, among its first passengers.
“It’s magnificent,” he said later. “We want positive, ecological and European projects. »
Most of the 3 trains per week in either instruction were already fully booked when I bought my price ticket about a month in advance. The cheapest tickets for the night were for the main seats, which I found to be about 35 euros (about $39) at first. The berths, starting at 50 euros, were small in a compartment shared with 4 or 6 passengers. The highest price of the “sleeper” tickets included a larger bed, starting at 80 euros in a compartment shared with two other travelers. I splurged on a personal “bed” compartment for a single person with its own bathroom and shower, which costs 260 euros (the price of partially and fully refundable tickets charges more).
We are recovering the content of the article.
Allow JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we determine access. If you’re in gamer mode, exit and log into your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.
Thank you for your patience while we determine access.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
Do you want all the Times? Subscribe.
Advert