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The Age
7 days ago
- The Age
I travelled across the breadth of Europe on trains over six weeks
There's something delightfully atmospheric about waiting on a chilly platform for a sleeper train to distant parts. After a few days exploring Amsterdam and a scenic side-trip to pretty Utrecht (a handy use of the Eurail pass), I find myself at Amsterdam Centraal Station at 10.30pm. European Sleeper is a Belgian-Dutch night train which began service in 2023, and I'm picking it up for the Amsterdam-Berlin leg. I'm ushered aboard by Dylan, a friendly young Dutch attendant. He tells me this sleeper carriage first saw service in 1955, though it's been fully refurbished. I've booked my compartment as a 'single', for sole use, via a reservation on top of the Eurail pass, and the compartment is spacious. There's a bed, an armchair and a tall cabinet containing a washbasin and mirror. Comfortable in my little room, I wake at 5.15am to breakfast: a box containing a bread roll, cheese spread, jam, yoghurt, muesli and orange juice. An hour later, right on time, the train pulls into Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Berlin to Krakow, Poland The online seat reservation for this Polish daytime train, named Galicja, costs only €4: a bargain for the comfortable first-class seats. It doesn't have an assigned seat number, so I spend the day changing seats as new passengers board. This does help me meet interesting people, as the facing seats encourage conversation. I'm delighted to discover there's a dining car, and am soon enjoying a steaming bowl of rye-flour soup with egg and sausage, served in a ceramic bowl with metal cutlery. As we trundle past the green forests of Silesia, who could ask for anything better? Krakow to Budapest, Hungary After a few days enjoying Krakow's historic splendour (and its vodka), I board a Polish sleeper train, Chopin, at Krakow Glowny Station. I've booked a single again and, surprisingly, my compartment has a bathroom complete with washbasin, toilet and shower. These were once sold as deluxe sleepers, but due to uncertain availability they're now the same fare as sleepers without bathrooms; a nice bonus. In a cupboard I find a bottle of water, orange juice and a chocolate wafer bar. Then I head to bed for what I assume will be an uninterrupted sleep. But no. About 1.30am I'm awoken by Czech ticket inspectors. Unable to find my printed reservation, I show them the phone version and they're happy to scan that. Later I discover the train attendant kept hold of my reservation so I wouldn't be woken in the middle of the night. I wake again around 6.30am in Slovakia, and the attendant delivers my breakfast. It's similar to the one on my previous sleeper, with the addition of slabs of dense brown bread. I sip my coffee and admire the lovely scenery as we follow the Danube across the border to Hungary. Budapest to Brasov, Romania At Budapest's spectacularly grand Keleti Station I gain access to its retro-styled Premium Lounge, open to those with a sleeper reservation. Then I walk to my Hungarian sleeper train, the Corona. Built in the 1960s, it's a retro delight with wood-panelled compartments. I'm in a single, with a table, a washbasin and a cupboard containing snacks. It also has a standard electrical outlet and two USB-A slots, the most charging capacity I've had on a sleeper train. There's no air-conditioning, but as we move on this hot day, the open windows cool the interior. This experience is a stark contrast to the sleek high-speed trains of western Europe. However, it feels like true old-school rail travel, with fresh air and lots of rattling. The dining car has tables with red-and-white cloths, blue-upholstered seats, gilt-edged lampshades and curtains. As we pass through the flat Hungarian landscape with its peaked-roof houses and green fields, I enjoy goulash soup followed by pork ragu accompanied by a beer. This for me is rail travel at its best. After a decent sleep and an uneventful border crossing, I awake to the mists of Transylvania, with trees, houses and rivers looming out of the fog. Brasov to Bucharest, Romania Having enjoyed the historic sights in and around the attractive city of Brasov – including that famous tourist trap, Bran Castle – I ride a packed train for 2½ hours to the Romanian capital. I had thought a Monday morning service would be empty but discover it's the end of a long weekend. Though the seating is cramped, the scenery is moody as we descend from the Carpathian Mountains to the plains of Wallachia. Bucharest to Sofia, Bulgaria For 10 hours I'm seated in a second-class compartment of a Bulgarian train with no air-conditioning, no dining car and dire toilets. Luckily there are only three of us in the compartment: me, an American school bus driver, who saves up for a big holiday every year, and a young Belgian on his university break. We get on well, but it's a hot day and the train is glacially slow. The saving grace is the beautiful Bulgarian countryside, with its green rolling hills and rocky mountainsides. Sofia to Istanbul, Turkey Sofia Central Station is a revelation, its main hall restored to its brutalist-modernist style splendour. On platform five is the Turkish-operated Sofia-Istanbul Express and my compartment is another single. There are two armchairs folding down to a bed, a retractable table, a washbasin and, unexpectedly, a bar fridge. We pull out at 6.45pm and pass through attractive green countryside. About 1am we arrive at the Turkish border station where everyone alights for passport control and luggage scans. It's actually more relaxed than it sounds – it's a balmy night, there are stray cats wandering about and the station's shop is open. In due course I'm back aboard, and falling asleep. In the morning we pass wheat fields and apartment blocks before our arrival at Halkali at the western edge of Istanbul. All that remains is to board a train on the adjacent commuter railway line and travel to the historic heart of the great city. Standing on the platform, at the end of an unforgettable transcontinental rail journey, I take a moment to catch my breath. Loading THE DETAILS RIDE Eurail passes cover a range of time periods. A popular choice is 15 days of travel within two months, costing $US486 ($745) for second-class travel and $US617 for first class. Additional seat reservations are often required.
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
I travelled across the breadth of Europe on trains over six weeks
There's something delightfully atmospheric about waiting on a chilly platform for a sleeper train to distant parts. After a few days exploring Amsterdam and a scenic side-trip to pretty Utrecht (a handy use of the Eurail pass), I find myself at Amsterdam Centraal Station at 10.30pm. European Sleeper is a Belgian-Dutch night train which began service in 2023, and I'm picking it up for the Amsterdam-Berlin leg. I'm ushered aboard by Dylan, a friendly young Dutch attendant. He tells me this sleeper carriage first saw service in 1955, though it's been fully refurbished. I've booked my compartment as a 'single', for sole use, via a reservation on top of the Eurail pass, and the compartment is spacious. There's a bed, an armchair and a tall cabinet containing a washbasin and mirror. Comfortable in my little room, I wake at 5.15am to breakfast: a box containing a bread roll, cheese spread, jam, yoghurt, muesli and orange juice. An hour later, right on time, the train pulls into Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Berlin to Krakow, Poland The online seat reservation for this Polish daytime train, named Galicja, costs only €4: a bargain for the comfortable first-class seats. It doesn't have an assigned seat number, so I spend the day changing seats as new passengers board. This does help me meet interesting people, as the facing seats encourage conversation. I'm delighted to discover there's a dining car, and am soon enjoying a steaming bowl of rye-flour soup with egg and sausage, served in a ceramic bowl with metal cutlery. As we trundle past the green forests of Silesia, who could ask for anything better? Krakow to Budapest, Hungary After a few days enjoying Krakow's historic splendour (and its vodka), I board a Polish sleeper train, Chopin, at Krakow Glowny Station. I've booked a single again and, surprisingly, my compartment has a bathroom complete with washbasin, toilet and shower. These were once sold as deluxe sleepers, but due to uncertain availability they're now the same fare as sleepers without bathrooms; a nice bonus. In a cupboard I find a bottle of water, orange juice and a chocolate wafer bar. Then I head to bed for what I assume will be an uninterrupted sleep. But no. About 1.30am I'm awoken by Czech ticket inspectors. Unable to find my printed reservation, I show them the phone version and they're happy to scan that. Later I discover the train attendant kept hold of my reservation so I wouldn't be woken in the middle of the night. I wake again around 6.30am in Slovakia, and the attendant delivers my breakfast. It's similar to the one on my previous sleeper, with the addition of slabs of dense brown bread. I sip my coffee and admire the lovely scenery as we follow the Danube across the border to Hungary. Budapest to Brasov, Romania At Budapest's spectacularly grand Keleti Station I gain access to its retro-styled Premium Lounge, open to those with a sleeper reservation. Then I walk to my Hungarian sleeper train, the Corona. Built in the 1960s, it's a retro delight with wood-panelled compartments. I'm in a single, with a table, a washbasin and a cupboard containing snacks. It also has a standard electrical outlet and two USB-A slots, the most charging capacity I've had on a sleeper train. There's no air-conditioning, but as we move on this hot day, the open windows cool the interior. This experience is a stark contrast to the sleek high-speed trains of western Europe. However, it feels like true old-school rail travel, with fresh air and lots of rattling. The dining car has tables with red-and-white cloths, blue-upholstered seats, gilt-edged lampshades and curtains. As we pass through the flat Hungarian landscape with its peaked-roof houses and green fields, I enjoy goulash soup followed by pork ragu accompanied by a beer. This for me is rail travel at its best. After a decent sleep and an uneventful border crossing, I awake to the mists of Transylvania, with trees, houses and rivers looming out of the fog. Brasov to Bucharest, Romania Having enjoyed the historic sights in and around the attractive city of Brasov – including that famous tourist trap, Bran Castle – I ride a packed train for 2½ hours to the Romanian capital. I had thought a Monday morning service would be empty but discover it's the end of a long weekend. Though the seating is cramped, the scenery is moody as we descend from the Carpathian Mountains to the plains of Wallachia. Bucharest to Sofia, Bulgaria For 10 hours I'm seated in a second-class compartment of a Bulgarian train with no air-conditioning, no dining car and dire toilets. Luckily there are only three of us in the compartment: me, an American school bus driver, who saves up for a big holiday every year, and a young Belgian on his university break. We get on well, but it's a hot day and the train is glacially slow. The saving grace is the beautiful Bulgarian countryside, with its green rolling hills and rocky mountainsides. Sofia to Istanbul, Turkey Sofia Central Station is a revelation, its main hall restored to its brutalist-modernist style splendour. On platform five is the Turkish-operated Sofia-Istanbul Express and my compartment is another single. There are two armchairs folding down to a bed, a retractable table, a washbasin and, unexpectedly, a bar fridge. We pull out at 6.45pm and pass through attractive green countryside. About 1am we arrive at the Turkish border station where everyone alights for passport control and luggage scans. It's actually more relaxed than it sounds – it's a balmy night, there are stray cats wandering about and the station's shop is open. In due course I'm back aboard, and falling asleep. In the morning we pass wheat fields and apartment blocks before our arrival at Halkali at the western edge of Istanbul. All that remains is to board a train on the adjacent commuter railway line and travel to the historic heart of the great city. Standing on the platform, at the end of an unforgettable transcontinental rail journey, I take a moment to catch my breath. Loading THE DETAILS RIDE Eurail passes cover a range of time periods. A popular choice is 15 days of travel within two months, costing $US486 ($745) for second-class travel and $US617 for first class. Additional seat reservations are often required.
Time Out
28-07-2025
- Time Out
I've taken crowded sleeper trains – my first journey in a private compartment was game-changing
I've taken many overnight trips on Europe 's railways – always in shared compartments. And while I love the idea of sleeper trains, when you're pressed in between snoring strangers, it can be impossible to sleep at all. So when I booked an overnight trip from Brussels to Prague – a new-ish extension of European Sleeper 's cross-continental route – I decided enough was enough. I gritted my teeth and booked a private couchette, and spoiler alert: it was better. At the end of June, on the warmest day of the year so far, I arrive at Brussels Midi station to find out if my private berth on the European Sleeper is all it's cracked up to be. My expectations are high. Past journeys have found me in six-seater compartments on the NightJet from Amsterdam to Innsbruck, or full-size carriages on the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Glasgow. And on first glance, tonight's room looks a lot like the seater compartments I've come to know too well: six seats facing each other, about a metre apart. The difference here is that the backs of the seats push further into the wall, and a set of crisp sheets and plump pillows are stashed overhead, waiting to be draped across the seats. All the same, it looks a bit rough-and-ready – the Orient Express, this is not. But the sheer novelty of having the room to myself already makes me optimistic. I settle in, open the window, and prepare for the train to depart. The Orient Express, this is not – but the sheer novelty of having the room to myself makes me optimistic for the journey At 19:22 we roll out of Brussels Midi station. The carriage is warm, but with the window fully open the rush of air soon cools the compartment as the train chugs through Brussels into Flanders. I've been offered a complimentary welcome drink, and I happily crack open a can of Cristal as we pull into our first stop at Antwerp. From then on, there's little excuse but to relax and enjoy the view. For the first few hours the scenery does not disappoint. From Antwerp to Rotterdam I enjoy a glorious pastel sunset over the neat, green fields of Flanders and Holland. As I lean out the open window, Golden Hour bathes the countryside in light, and as we cross the river at Dordrecht the sunlight sparkles from the waves and boats. European Sleeper has a certain old-fashioned charm – on how many trains, in this day and age, can you fully open a window and lean just close enough to feel the wind in your hair? By the time we get to Amsterdam, night is falling, and as the train heads on to Germany it's time to close the curtains. This is the real test of the journey: the sleeping part. With the sheets laid out across the couchette and the pillows piled up plumply, my bed for the night looks not too shabby. I'm soon lulled to sleep by the click of the tracks and the sway of the train. And while I am woken up at scheduled stops during the night, overall, the lack of disturbance from fellow passengers makes this the best night's sleep I've had aboard a sleeper. When I wake up for good, it's to the sound of birdsong as the train trundles into Berlin. Clear morning light glows on the buildings, and an S-Bahn chugs past as we pull into Lichtenberg, one of our two stops in Berlin. I catch a fleeting glimpse of Berlin's famous TV Tower glinting in the sun before we're off to Dresden. It's time for something to eat. Breakfast on the European Sleeper is a decent mix of juice, bread, chocolate and spreads. I eat it looking out at fields of crops, admiring the rural views. At Dresden, engineering works sadly force us to change to a replacement bus. But the bus is comfortable, and I arrive at Prague's stunning art-nouveau central station in the early afternoon, ready for my first pint of Pilsner and my long-awaited plate of marinated hermelín cheese. Prague is as hot as Brussels today, and I'm soon escaping the heat in the cool, dim bars of Prague's Old Town. Would I recommend a private couchette? Yes, absolutely. The main difference is that, for once, I arrived fresh and ready to explore the city, rather than drowsy and sleep-deprived. For once, I arrived fresh and ready to explore the city, rather than sleep-deprived And if the price of a private compartment seems steep, the good news is that private sleeper travel may soon be getting cheaper. Nox, a Berlin-based startup, has promised to connect 100 European cities using private sleeper compartments only, for the tantalising price of €79. This brings sleeper travel much closer to budget flight territory. And if the promotional shots are anything to go by, Nox's cabins don't skimp on comfort either. I'm already looking forward to my first trip. All in all? It might not be the cheapest option, but take it from someone who's travelled in all types of compartments: a private sleeper room is a game-changer.
Condé Nast Traveler
18-07-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
These 7 Sleeper Trains Are the Best Way to Travel Europe
When it comes to railway adventures, there are few things more exciting than falling asleep in one city and waking in the next, nudging up the blind to see what lies outside. Whether that reveals the golden haze of dawn or a moonlit night still holding on, the moment is one that's always filled with magic. For the last three years I've been journeying around Europe documenting the resurgence in sleeper trains, watching passengers drift back to the romance of the railways, eschewing budget flights and bullet trains for cosy couchettes and a slower mode of travel. For scenery, comfort, and camaraderie, these are the seven best night trains that Europe has to offer. The Good Night Train: Brussels, Belgium to Berlin, Germany Crowdfunded, and launched by a Belgian-Dutch collective named European Sleeper, The Good Night Train made its inaugural run from Brussels to Berlin in May 2023 and has since extended its route to Dresden and Prague, with a winter service to Venice. Set up by two night-train enthusiasts, European Sleeper offers a no-frills service whose hodgepodge of carriages date back to the 1950s—but no one on board is bothered, and raucous groups uncork wine and spread out slabs of pâté and cheese in what feels like a house party on wheels. With a mixture of sleeper and couchette compartments, the train departs Brussels three times a week, clattering out of the Belgian capital at 7.20 p.m. and pulling passengers through Flanders' golden meadows and waterways that turn blush in the setting sun. Stopping at Amsterdam, where canals glimmer through the darkness, the train then runs smoothly through the night, with barely a jolt or jerk, giving passengers a chance to sleep deeply before a dawn arrival in Berlin. Lacquered walls, velvet furnishings, and Art Deco design in the head-turning suites onboard The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ludovic Balay/Belmond The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a Belmond train: Paris, France to Portofino, Italy With its iconic blue carriages and gold trimming, Belmond's legendary train is a familiar sight to lovers of luxury travel, but this route is a well-kept secret, and the most scenic of them all. Running only once a year in summer, the VSOE departs Paris Austerlitz at 3 p.m., taking passengers to the pastel-colored town of Portofino. To the pop of a bottle of Ruinart champagne served with Petrossian caviar and blinis, the train thumps and clacks south of the French capital, picking up pace through villages and vineyards, warm air billowing through the wind-down windows. Over a black-tie dinner, guests are serenaded before moving piano-side for an all-night singalong, the bar only closing when the last passenger has left. Wisely, Belmond ensures that the train stables at midnight at Avignon, granting passengers five hours of undisturbed sleep in damask bedding until the train departs at dawn. Nudge up the blind and bite into warm croissants as you watch the sun rise over the Mediterranean, paddle boarders on the waters, and purple bougainvillea blooming by the tracks. The rest of the journey is nothing but sparkling ocean, beaches and palms, ending with two nights at the newly renovated Hotel Splendido in Portofino, overlooking the bay. For dinners on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, black tie is not a requirement but tends to be the norm. Karolina Marco/Belmond Menus onboard are designed by Paris-based culinary star Jean Imbert, who was appointed the train's chef in 2022. BOBY/Belmond Santa Claus Express: Helsinki to Rovaniemi, Finland A regular passenger train that runs year-round, the Santa Claus Express is Finland's flagship service carrying riders from Helsinki into Rovaniemi, on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Best ridden in winter, this green and white double-decker beast departs just before 7.30 p.m. and takes 12 hours to wind north through forests of fir sagging under the weight of snow. Filled with young families and tourists keen to meet the big man at Santa Claus Village, the train features some of Europe's most comfortable compartments with wide berths, underfloor heating, and toilets that fold down into showers. Pro tip: Hop on, dump bags, and dash to the tinsel-covered dining car for smoked reindeer stew and steaming bowls of meatballs and mash before it fills up with drinkers who won't shift until dawn. From the windows passengers can watch as nativity scenes twinkle through the woods, foxes dart through empty car parks, and Finland's freshwater lakes gleam like pools of black ink.
Local Germany
16-06-2025
- Business
- Local Germany
New German night train provider plans to connect '100 European cities'
A new startup has announced plans to set-up overnight rail connections between numerous central European cities, with passengers riding in private cabins and for a price comparable to a plane ticket. Nox, a Berlin-based startup with ambitions for revitalising night train travel has said it will launch its first services by 2027. The company suggests it will ultimately serve more than 100 cities on 35 routes including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome and Barcelona within a decade. Setting themselves apart for competitors on the market today, Nox plans to build up a new fleet of trains with one- and two-person sleeper compartments. "Today people have to share their cabins with strangers, beds are tight, and it's often more expensive than air travel," Thibault Constant, Co-Founder of Nox said. "We want to change that and make night trains an essential part of European travel." Graphic provided by Nox Mobility. According to a press release by the company, all of the passenger cabins in Nox's trains will have two metre long beds, separate seats with tables, and enough space to stand up and store your luggage. Nox also said it plans to offer double beds and beds with panoramic windows. READ ALSO: The destinations you can reach by direct night train from Berlin The destinations you can reach by direct night train from Munich A challenging enterprise A number of private rail companies have tried to take advantage of increasing demand for night train connections in Germany and Europe, but so far none have seen wild success. Advertisement A Paris-based startup launched in 2021 with a similar mission failed to get enough investor backing to take-off. Similarly, a Dutch company recently had to push back its plans after a being rejected for an initial loan. Another night rail enterprise, European Sleeper, has managed to start operating night trains linking Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague since last year. But the company has faced challenges trying to expand its connections on offer. However, interest in revitalising night train travel has picked up around Europe in recent years with Germany's Deutsche Bahn and France's SCNF also making some efforts to expand night-time services. At the EU level as well, lawmakers in Brussels have taken on the task of bringing various countries' standards into alignment, and to reduce hurdles for would-be international rail operators.
