Sleeper trains
Photo: NAC, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sleeper trains combine travelling with a place to sleep. This allows you to hopefully arrive refreshed in the morning, enabling you to make the best of your arrival day at your destination. You also avoid paying for separate accommodation.
UnderstandBefore the breakthrough of air travel, sleeper trains were the preferred way of travelling long distances overland.
Rail systems with sleeper trainsSleeper trains normally appear on long journeys which cannot realistically be completed in a single day.
BookingUnlike daytime trains, sleepers usually must be booked in advance, as bed assignment is done during the reservation process. For high-demand days, the sleepers may sell out quickly.
EatMost sleeper trains also have a dining car, while almost all of the others offer food at your cabin.
DrinkUnless a sign clearly indicates that a water is drinkable, tap water on a train is usually not drinkable – in Europe this is usually clearly indicated either by a pictogram or in words (usually in more than one…
SleepWhile some people love the rumbling and bumbling of the train that "rocks them to sleep" others hate the noise and cannot sleep.
CopeWhile en suite bathrooms are uncommon, many sleeper trains have shared showers, at least in Europe. As there will certainly be queues in the morning, you might want to plan when to go.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Sleeper trains" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: NAC, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons