We've been taking a night train (Euronight) from Zürich to Budapest to visit my parents quite regularly in the past years. Do not know who operates that train but it does not look fashionable and is always fun to travel on.
Took this train all the way from Vienna to Rome last year. I didn't know that I could use the lounge so I ended up dodging interesting characters in Vienna. I didn't pick the Deluxe room but I'm not sure it's necessary because there is a spacious shower in the carriage and two toilets. Absolutely fantastic service by the attendant and the bed was very comfortable. The breakfast was great too! It was incredibly expensive but if you factor in a hotel, the time and stress saved by not having to travel to an airport and the overall comfort, I think it's worth it.
I did Milano Rogoredo to Vienna Hbf and back for a school trip almost a week ago, both legs in seat carriages since couchettes were occupied by another school and it was a hell of a ride. Fortunately in the first leg we were only 4, but 6 at the return, despite it was a great experience. I miss Vienna :(
As an Serb-Austrian, I am really proud and happy of our excellent Railways! Hope you will keep making these amazing Videos and keep on showing us such trains!
This is interesting. I travelled Amsterdam to Vienna in a deluxe sleeper in Mid March 23, and it was brilliant. For the return 4 days later though, the deluxe sleepers were all sold out, so we booked a private couchette . The couchette stock on that route is very old, and sleeping near the roof, it is a bit like being in a washing machine, but we actually slept better in the couchette than the sleeper. Its thoroughly recommended though, and I enjoyed it a lot. I should add that, as others have said, the attendants were brilliant both ways
Wiener Neustadt was built from the ransom money the Austrian Babenberg duke got for capturing Richard I after the 3rd Crusade. It was originally just called Neustadt (Civitas Nova) and was a medieval model city, planned to become a new capital. Which it actually was a few decades later under a Habsburg Emperor. The designation Wiener only came centuries later, to differentiate it from other towns called Neustadt, which was a relatively common name for newly founded towns around German lands. Naming of Wiener Neudorf occured very similarly. It was called, like many other settlements Neudorf (new village). In later centuries, when it became necessary to differentiate between all the "New Villages" they got a descriptive added name for something remarkable that they were close to. In the case of Wiener Neudorf, that was the city of Vienna.
I just love these European train trips which are very rare here in N. America. As far as the Couchette segments, may I suggest comparing the price of a private overnight cabin to a day-time seat + local Hotel. Armed with this info, one might better understand the reasonable affordability of a DeLux Cabin. (Just a thought)
We once took a night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi and it was an unforgettable experience! Not sure it was deluxe or anything but the quality and comfort were just great!
Used the same train to come back home after a 260km bike trip between Germany and Austria. We booked the cheaper 4 person cabins (with seats that fold down and actually become a big bed), without the amenities. It still was a great experience, and we got some much needed rest after the trip. I think I would have died in a normal train, lol
Interesting video. The new interiors look much more modern (going by the website). Much closer to business class on a plane (ish). It's kind of weird that on planes you get more swish seating, entertainment and food, but have to share a bathroom, and showers are rare (usually they get provided at the airline lounges), but on this train, you get individual showers onboard. I guess because you're on it for longer than a plane on average and space/weight is at less of a premium. Comparing to air travel, I managed to find one-way flights between Vienna and Milan for around £50 per person in economy. The flight is only 1hr 30mins, and with connections included, the total travel time is about 4hrs. So flying is a third of the time taken and half the price, but I guess is takes up half of your day, whereas on the train, it only takes up a night and you save on one night's hotel stay, which is probably £150-£200. So if there's 2 of you travelling, then you're looking at £250-£300 for 2x one way flights and a room for the night, and you still have to spend 4hrs travelling. I suppose that actually stacks up quite well in favour of the train (plus you're helping the environment).
@mdhazeldine How many of your aircraft go from the centre of the city to the centre of the destination city, this is the appeal of train travel. I for instance live 2 hrs from the interstate hub. If I take my regional train to the city and catch the overnight to the destination for say a medical appointment, I arrive refreshed, breakfast served and ready to go and the same on the return. If I choose air travel, it's a 4 hour trip to arrive at the airport from the house, wait minimum 2 hours for a flight, take 1 hour travel to city centre, check in to hotel with relevant cost. And the next morning it is the same as the train, although its likely I would stay outside the city to save money, so I would have a commute from the suburbs to the city centre. and then reverse the procedure to go home. It'd be the train for me every time.
@@couttsw Not everyone starts or ends their journey at the city centre though. It's highly dependent on your start/end location and the airport/station location for each individual trip as to which method of transport wins.
one thing to add about ÖBB trains in general: There's the option to go for special limited tickets (Sparschiene) which are usually a LOT cheaper, but they come with 3 caveats: - you are only eligible to travel on the train for which the ticket was booked - these tickets may not be canceled once bought (you'll get your money back if the train is canceled of course, but that's the only situation) - you have to book those fairly in advance, dependeing on how popular the route is I managed to take the very same night train from Innsbruck to Amsterdam and back, also the deluxe suite, for about 70€ more than the cheapest flight would've been (total was about 250€ ROUNDTRIP). That's a pretty good deal, especially considering that often times you'll need to get to and from the airport somehow, which also costs some money and tends to be a lot more stressful than solely traveling by train.
Great video, as always, your narration is especially worthy of praise, it’s just so relaxing. I would however like to point out that the Nightjet does not go to Ital (see video Description) ;)
I do find it quite weird that this train goes to Porta Garibaldi in stead of Centrale. I think night trains deserve a bit of respect and prestige and Centrale certainly has that
It is a bit of a misconception that Porta Garibaldi would be a secondary train station compared to Milano Centrale. It is definitely less monumental, but it was built in a totally different era (post-war Italy.) Aside from the fact that it is virtually adjacent ti Milano Centrale (as one can see looking at Milano's city map), acting almost as a double, it has a gazillion services and connections, including international and to the Malpensa airport, without counting the high speed trains. In addition to all this it is a crossing for two metro lines and S-trains, so in terms of sheer connection possibilities it even beats Centrale. (I am not including taxis, tramways and buses as these are a given.)
@@silviarosina The opener of the video (00:05) is a little cheat - such canopies aren't to be found at Porta Garibaldi ... The Porta Garibaldi environment though became spectacular in recent times with all the skyscapers ... On my first view of the video is was quite confused that the train is reaching Porta Garibaldi from the north ... a quick arrival the other way round via the Garibaldi tunnel would make more sense - even with the ongoing journey towards La Spezia in the actual timetable. I also assume this train is not in push-pull configuration - as it became fashion in Italy in the last couple years(even the VSOE !) ... soo bad for the lost of the nice rear view. There are still plenty of regional services bound for/from Centrale instead of long-distance traffic - that's not a good thing in my opinion. Centrale should host the long-haul traffic - regional traffic for Cadorna, P.Garibaldi etc The schedule of the Nightjets in Italy is quite "wild" there's a 170min-race from RomaTermini to Bologna but a 280min-linger on the opposite direction. Also the Brescia-LaSpezia-Brescia leg varies a lot in travel times. There's really no priority at all for night trains in Italy during the commuter hours(see also the 117min-stroll between Levanto and PiazzaPrincipe in the afternoon/evening) ...
@@kurzzug160 ))) Rogoredo ... a proper really prestigious railway cathedral ... I mean - it's true, that the dome is reachable directly and fast with the red subway line ... but let's think about passengers for connecting destinations in the north / the west of Milan(the lakes, Torino, the western alps etc.) ... not exactly convenient
Amazing video, as usual. I'm just interested in the scheduling of the video, why it took a year between traveling and posting? Some minor infos are not up to date, The only major change is, these trains don't call in Garibaldi anymore, but continue to La Spezia via Genova.
Great trip, Finally you try the Deluxe Sleeper on Nightjet. Correct me if I Wrong, on Villach maybe your train part away with Rome portion of train, but looks like you also got other Nightjet carriage from somewhere which also has same journey with your train.
Im german and im super jealous about this. I wish we had something similar. And i dont even think its very expensive. Thats 125€ per person. I recently travelled from Freiburg to Hamburg in a german ICE - first class. 150€ for a round trip. Sure that is just 75€ per trip so its less expensive but the comfort level is in no way comparable. And it was just a six hour trip. Sure on the one hand - faster is better. On the other hand...if you reach your destination well rested in the early morning you basically win a whole day. I was absolutly not well rested after my trip. Factor in a hotel, breakfast, water and so on (all not included for my trip) the overnight train is suddenly way cheaper. I would use that for every trip if i had the option.
To be fair it isn't just that easy - sure, in theory it's 125 EUR per person but that will only work if you have got a partner/ friend that is travelling with you otherwise you will end up with a stranger which may be pleasent but it could also be absolut hell :)
thats true. it will take quite some time to modernize all the night connections ... but still lucky they are keeping the night train network alive and update it to the 21st century :P
Looks good, just checked the prices and for 2 persons a deluxe cabin would be around 500€ for round trip and seating carriage around 400€, I think that it is too expensive for what you get, you can catch a plane for 50€ with ryan air or some similar company, the trip is a lot faster… But who likes trains I bet its an amazing experience !
They've recently introduced the mini cabins. Pretty much a capsule from a Japanese capsule hotel and from what I've seen, it's a pretty good middle ground between full room and seat. And more privacy than a couchette.
I also did a similar trip, from Venice to Vienna. But I didn’t get the deluxe suite, on the contrary I stayed in the 6 packed reclining seat cabin where you couldn’t recline since my knees were touching the others persons knees. Worst 11 hours on a train I ever did
Good video. It would have been interesting to see the communal shower and bathroom. And a list of prices for each level available on that train service.
took this sleeper from Vienna-Venice, in a couchette, and i go so sick was puking the whole night and even got special permission from our cart attendent to exit the train at 1am for our hour wait in Salzburg to go puke, other then that great train journey!
What's your opinion of the new Caledonian Sleeper - especially the longer Inverness or Fort William services. Looking to do Fort William in Deluxe/Club later this year. This and the Inverness train are booked ahead all Summer. I understand the food is very good.
Maybe the deluxe option in good… I traveled Wien to Zürich, some weeks ago in the “normal” compartments of the sleeping car and were quite uncomfortable. The compartment is tiny, hardly has space for luggage, very difficult for two persons to move. The bed is comfortable, though, even if the space until de upper bed/ceiling is small.
Hello, thank you for this interesting video, the review is wonderfull, the information is highly detailed, it is very helpful, I have a question, you said that you booked double deluxe, are there single deluxe sleeper compartment?
Compartments are convertible. You can choose single, double, or triple. Note that if you buy a triple room for one person, it is very likely you'll be sharing with strangers.
Wien HBF there is definitely ÖBB DB GYSEV pkp CD SBB ZSSK RegioJet mav start and I've not even started on the trains to Bucharest, Cluj Napoca and Kiev (Zahony now) as well as coaches from both the Slovenian and Variation Railways on there ECs to Zagreb and Triest Also you might be counting the lokal City Transport such as Wiener Linien Also the reason the sound control didn't work might we'll be because Night jet turns off theire Announcements quiet early on so it might give that impression
Funny that everyone complains about Amtrak in the USA yet at the very least when you book a bedroom you’re meals (three a day) are included and they’re actually good and prepared fresh if you’re heading west to east.
I enjoyed this video, but when speaking could you mute the background music, I am deaf and it makes it harder to hear. Would love to do the Nightjet service from Brussels to Vienna
I'm a regular traveller on ÖBB Nightjets and I'm very disappointed by it. There's a good chance you won't get your compartment because the rolling stock is so old, they have a huge maintenance issue, leading to regular outage without fitting replacement. If you do get your compartment, be prepared for the shower not working or the window not closing properly, whistling you out of your sleep at night. On particularly bad days, the fire alarm starts in the middle of the night due to technical faults (like I said, their rolling stock is old) and you will spend the next hour standing on a random platform in your pyjama. I am not joking. This happened twice to us on different travel occasions. All in all, I would not recommend the ÖBB Nightjet at the moment, especially not for the price... but unfortunately there is absolutely no alternative in the DACH region. Book the modernised couchette comfort instead. It's a better deal, less noisy, has actual working air condition you can control, a power socket at the bed and is apparently less prone to faults than the more expensive sleeper cabins. I seriously hope my experience changes once the rolling stock is finally replaced.
I think experiences may really vary with OBB nightjet for a few reasons. Recently completed a relatively small journey from Graz hbf to Wroclaw. The way in, in a standard sleeper. While it was great having a private cabin the cabin was tatty, the blinds didn't work. It feels as though OBB inherited these old DB wagons and never touched them. Additionally there was a what I can only describe as a weird pressure inside the sleeper wagon on my trip. The way back in the seating carriage, of all places, was much comfier in comparison. The seats are just so well padded, especially when flattened. It was also a lot better isolated in terms of noise, as was the Couchette wagon on this return trip. Feels as though these two carriages have been touched since the DB days. I do believe though, the greatest factor is where you are travelling and the quality of the rails, combined with the rolling stock. Part of the reason my return experience was better, I believe, was the fact that the railway infrastructure kept improving the closer to Czechia and Austria we got. The rough, southern polish part was therefore over at the start of the journey, rather than just prior to waking up. Thusly, I think if you travel to Italy, Switzerland, German or within Austria, you will have a flawless experience. To other places, with slightly worse infrastructure, you'll notice it more. A lot of this will hopefully be mitigated with the rollout of the new nightjet sleeper stock this year and into the future! Love the video though man, keep it up and glad you had a nice trip. If you're ever in Styria, give us a shout!
Worth note though are the attendant staff who are fantastic! Peter in particular was a really friendly and helpful guy, new to the job but you wouldn't know it who I think I heard argue with the border guards in czechia (in a civilised way) that he knows how many are in the train, there's really no need to wake everybody up and it worked! On the return, I managed to bag a wee cup of tea from a very nice lady after most people had left in Vienna, who was really happy to see a wee tip (I guess they don't get it much). It was really sweet and I should also mention I will definitely be travelling with the nightjet again in the future!
@@SchwarzeSonne130 smrt fašizmu brat!! I tend to use local names but I did use Breslau when for a while before I could figure how to even say Wroclaw und in Der bierhalle, natürlich ;)
luckily they get lots of help by the city and NGOs and oc the ukrainian community in vienna to give them housing, clothing, toys for the children, ukrainian language school and of course money by the state as approved refugees. about 25.000 are in vienna right now. of course they want nothing more than peace and the chance to return back to their homes - or what is left if it - soon. but as long they are here they get all the support they need. just 1 month ago there were about 10.000 ukrainians in vienna on a protest on the annual day of the russian invasion - and many locals in solidarity with them.
I think it’s a good service for those who wish not to incur another hotel night stay. Me? I’d rather travel in Business Class during the day and watch the passing scenery and go to the restaurant car. 😉
It looks like a pleasant experience and it does save the bother of getting a night at a hotel. But surely a plane between these cities would take less than two hours? (well, add on the hassle of being in an airport I guess)
1. Talent (Austria) 2. ICE T (Germany) 3. PKK IC, (Poland), 4. CFR (Poland), 5.Ukrzalinytsia (Ukraine), 6. IC2 "Kiss" from Stadler, Germany, but before used of the mostly private WESTbahn, 7. Railjet this one is from the CD, the czech national railway, althought most of them are from the ÖBB
I took the Brussels-Vienna return with en suite toilet & shower with two friends in November 2022. Apart from the more than 1h arrival delay in Vienna (we weren’t on a hurry), the cabin is definitely too small for three. We didn’t get so many complimentary items. The attendant took note of our breakfast wishes but then he served us anything but what we’d ordered. On our way back the toilet flush was out of order. The attendant was helpful this time. I filled a complain back home. Unexpectedly we got a big refund from the SNCB (Belgian Railways) for the delay, although we didn’t ask for one, but we’re still waiting for any compensation for the toilet malfunction (this is May 2023.
I have been travelling with QBB for years and it is the best in a whole Europe to be honest especially the Rail Jet...nothing can compare to the comfort and service that they do provide...
Cannot see how u book the whole sleeping compartment with shower online only the whole one with 6 seats in, looked at lots of dates and none avail. Did u call up to reserve yours. Also was your price irrespective of number of people or charged per person, so if there were three of u would it be a third more? Great vid 😂
If I had to guess, there's ÖBB, RegioJet, DB, CĎ, ŹSSK, MÁV-START, PKP, CFR, SBB-CFF-FFS, HŹ, SŹ, FS, and Flixtrain, not counting the sleeper cars to Kyiv, and the other occasional through coaches. I forgot GYSEV didn't I?
New carriages are entering service in 2023, very impatient to see that. Important to say also: the price of these "suites" are equivalent or slightly more expensive to plane tickets. So, the money saved is on the Hotel night, which means if you can't sleep in a train, it's worthless.
I'd say these sleepers do lose out to the santa express trains from Helsinki to Lapland. Mostly because in them, all things work and the transformers bathroom with a swinging wall turning it to a shower is too clever.
For the 13 Operators I guess Nightjet,Railjet, ÖBB (Not sure if the 2 first count since they are ÖBB Subsidiares), Deutsche Bahn, ICE, CFR, MAV, ZSSK, PKP Intercity, CD (Czech Railways), UZ (Ukrainian Railways cause of the 2 Sleepers for Kyiv and Lwow), HZ (Croatian Railways), SZ (Slovenian Railways) and mabey also SBB for the Nightjet going to Zürich. Hope thats all!
You miss Regiojet :D and yes Regiojet is a Cooperation of Westbahn & Regiojet in Austria so you even can count Westbahn :D Gysev :) ÖBB Austrian Rail PKP Polish Rail Nighttrain and Daytrain MAV Night & Daytrain CD Railjets to Prague + Loco on Polish Eurocity Gysev Regionaltrains to Deutschkreutz & Bratislava Petrezelka DB ICE & IC CFR Trains to Romania SZ Slovenian Rail UZ Ukrainian Rail Regiojet with their own Stock but operated by Westbahn :) SBB but not sheduled ZSSK Slovakian Rail
