greggarious

I'm doing a 2 week trip through Europe, and on 2 legs (Berlin ->Vienna and Zurich -> Amsterdam) I was planning on getting a sleeper car.

What does FT think - is it worth it to pay a bit more and have a compartment to myself?

(I'll be staying in hostels the rest of the time, but there's also a sort of camaraderie in hostels that might not be present with random strangers on a train...)

(Sorry if this would be a better thread for Budget Travel, but I thought the people who'd know best would be on this forum - you all seem super knowledgeable)

stut

Entirely down to personal taste and luck. Some find couchettes preferable to the intimacy of sharing with a single stranger, but I've personally had no problem sleeping in anything from 3 tiered open carriages to private en suite compartments. But I always sleep better on my own. And of course, if I can't sleep, at least I can watch a film or read at any time of night.

KQ321

As discussed in this thread, on Citynightline routes* I tend to use 4-berth couchettes (if travelling alone), or 2-berth sleepers (if travelling with Mrs KQ321). The beds in the sleeper compartments are definitely wider and more comfortable than in couchettes, so I will occasionally take a shared 2-berth when travelling alone, but I am normally content in 4-berth couchettes (6-berth can be a bit crowded). There is generally a significant price differential between a 2-berth and a 1-berth sleeper, so I don't think I've ever paid extra to have a compartment to myself (although once or twice I've got lucky, and booked a 2-berth compartment, in which the other berth wasn't used).

I've also never found the 'sharing with random strangers' bit to be a problem. Everyone makes an effort to fairly share the limited space in the compartment, and people tend to chat a bit (how much depends on whether you have a common language) - but otherwise people leave each other alone to get some rest. Indeed, given that people get on and off at different stops during the trip (but each berth is only used once during the journey), on some occasions you may hardly see the people you're sharing with (if you're asleep when they get on, or vice versa). If I have a choice, personally I prefer an upper berth, as then you have it completely to yourself, while lower berths may need to be shared if other people want to sit during the evening/morning - but even that is rarely a problem. Overall, a 4-berth couchette compartment feels far more civilised than being squeezed in 10-abreast on a long-haul overnight flight in economy...

* I would include the Berlin - Vienna Metropol in this (even though it's technically a Euronight service) as the pricing structure is similar to Citynightline, albeit slightly cheaper.

greggarious

Thanks a ton, that's useful.

One other question: Do you know if there's a difference between a savings fare and a
"Europa-Spezial Österreich" (Europe Special Austria, I think is the correct translation?)

My first guess is that the Austrian rail operator offers the fare at that price, but the mention of a surcharge made me pause.

KQ321

These fares are all issued by DB (not ÖBB, although ÖBB will probably offer very similar fares).

I assume you're referring to the difference between a 'Global Fare (1 Saving-Night)' and a 'Europa-Spezial Österreich (incl 1 Surcharge)'?

If you click on any one of those, you should get a pop-up explaining the different fare types. Basically, both are advance-purchase discounted fares. However, the 'Savings Night' is a 'global price' structure, where you pay a single price which includes the cost of both travel and accommodation. Meanwhile, the 'Europa-Spezial' is structured as a fare for the ticket, plus a surcharge for the accommodation. However, both the fare and the surcharge are included in the price shown (so you won't be charged anything else on top of this). For example, the price of €65 for 3-berth sleeper as a Europa-Spezial is probably structured as a discounted ticket price of €39, plus a standard 3-berth sleeper supplement of €26.

As far as you are probably concerned, the only difference between the two options is a) the price, and b) the cancellation conditions. The 'Savings Night' is completely non-refundable, while the Europa-Spezial is refundable up to the day before departure, for a fee.

However, there are a few other difference as well. The 'Savings Night' is only offered for itineraries involving a single overnight train, but won't show up on an itinerary that requires a connection. Meanwhile, the 'Europa-Spezial' ticket can include connecting trains (pretty much anything on a reasonable route in Germany, and some but not all trains on a reasonable route in Austria). So, if for example, you wanted to go Stralsund - Berlin - Vienna, you could book it all as a single Europa-Spezial ticket. However, Europa-Spezials are only offered for journeys that start or end in Germany - so if you asked bahn.de for the Zurich - Amsterdam Citynightline, it wouldn't offer a Europa-Spezial fare, but it would offer the 'Global Fare' options. Also, if you have a BahnCard, you can get a 25% discount on the fare-component of a Europa-Spezial ticket - but you can't get any discount on the 'Savings Night' price.

fwoomp

If you have a hard time sleeping in unfamiliar places, I don't recommend it--people going in and out will drive you crazy...both because they're getting on and off the train, or because you're bunking with a smoker who needs a cigarette periodically. IME, however, getting a good night's rest in a 2-berth sleeper was quite easy.

I've booked the 6-bed couchettes before, and ended up in the very top all but one time. If you're at all afraid of heights, I don't recommend it. They are quite narrow, and I'm not a large person (and was even less so then), but I felt like I was going to fall out all the time. On the other hand, yes, the top is more private.

We ran into some people who were chatty, one who was odd but harmless, and everyone was pleasant enough.