Get an exclusive @Surfshark Holiday deal! Enter promo code WINGINIT to get up to 6 additional months for free at surfshark.deals/winginit The OBB Nightjet Next Generation trains are here! I took one on the second day of service from Vienna to Hamburg and WOW - this is a standard-setter. There is some bad news which we'll get to in the video, but otherwise, I'm very impressed. These brand new sleeper trains are discretion and luxury personified and by far the most lovely public sleepers in Europe. Follow me on Twitter: @paul_winginit ¦ twitter.com/paul_winginit Follow me on Instagram: paul_winginit ¦ instagram.com/paul_winginit I made a Bright Trip guide: www.brighttrip.com/europebytrain Merch store: wingin-it.teemill.com/collection/all-products/ Preferred VPN: surfshark.deals/winginit - promo code WINGINIT for discount
I ask myself, why cany every travel aircraft/train vlogger be like you? You know, actually review stuff, offer an unbiased opinion, and not just get on a plane, show the food, eat the food and go to sleep. You are the Defacto standard Paul.
Security is actually an issue unfortunately. Theft does occur, especially at night during stops with people entering the train, grabbing what they can and then immediatly leave again, so I recommend to keep your door locked at all times.
This is especially true if you stay in a couchette or pod and have to leave your room for the WC, worse if you stay alone and in the old train, you cannot lock your door from outside.
At these high prices, as you said, I would be expecting a lot more. Comfortable as these cabins may be, they are very small and swinging a cat would be very difficult ! There is of course the advantages of not needing an overnight hotel room plus saving precious day time but all in all, unless one is very anti-flying, that is what I would choose even though I am a huge rail travel fan.
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Back in the 80s a mate and I interrailed around Europe. Around 300 quid for a month. We travelled from Hamburg to Munich over night in a compartment with 6 seats. Fortunately there were only 3 passengers and you pulled each seat into the middle so you got 3 beds. Such joy to be alive!
I love the dining carriage at the Eurocity from Budapest to Berlin. They have fresh meals like "Wiener Schnitzel" and "Szegediner Gulasch" also and "Budweiser Pilsener" in a mug. Also they have real waitresses !
I took the Nightjet from Vienna to Zurich a few years ago and really enjoyed the experience. To fall asleep while departing Vienna and awake hours later somewhere in the snowy mountains of Switzerland was incredible. I also had a single sleeper cabin and, though dated, it was in excellent condition. These new cars look like a tremendous upgrade! The dynamic fares are disappointing to hear, as years prior the value was fantastic - I paid around €120 which was much less than what a flight and hotel for a night would have cost me.
Paul, I've been watching your videos for almost 4 years now! I really love/appreciate your train reviews! This was a spectacular journey to feel like I was riding along with you. Much appreciation from Texas!
I tried it this weekend. Train to Hamburg 108 minutes late from the start, then in Nurnberg at 5 a.m. they threw us all out because of technical failures. (Although a Siemens technician was on board) The ride back was even worse, after 2 hours delay the train got canceled. My tip: Wait for the new train sets to get more reliable bevor booking.
I appreciate the effort you put into your travel reviews Paul, whether it’s flying, sailing, or going by train. It’s your down-to-earth demeanor and unpretentious attitude that I so much prefer, over so many other travel vlogers. It’s those little details that you point out - the good and the bad - that really give me a much better review of each journey you embark upon. I have to admit over the last 23 years, I usually fly everywhere when I’m back in Europe, but your train reviews are really making me reconsider that opinion, after all, the journey should be as much fun as the destination 😆 Keep up the great work mate and I look forward to continuing to enjoy your content in the new year! Happy New Year!
I'm very much looking forward to trying the new sleeper NightJet service, but I'm torn in that I enjoy watching the scenery go by. That's more than half the fun of train travel to me. That said, the really long distance journeys would be fun to do all at once in a sleeper.
Paul, it looks like Christmas came a bit early to you! The joyful smile you had at the beginning of the review was infectious. I have been a viewer of yours long enough that a great train ride is probably your favorite mode of travel. I could tell early on this would be a favorable review, can’t wait to ride on one of these on a future trip to Europe. Thanks!
Thanks Paul for a very balanced and unbiased review . I wouldn’t be happy with those fares , and wouldn’t use that service at those charges . My Seasons Greetings and here’s to a happy and healthy 2024 and beyond .
Great review as always! Cabin looked awesome, really nice with a new sleeper, most have been around for quite some time. I agree that the lack of a restaurant car is a let down, I think the price you paid was fair for that cabin, but those top end prices, up to 1000€ are insane 😮
Emjoyed the honest assessment of this train journey. Trains were my preferred mode of travel as a graduate student abroad, but how is this possible for students any longer?
Looks really interesting but you are right, if the cost is so high people will continue to fly which is a real shame. Great videos, informative and a cute host too
it's really disappointing that the cost is so high. Though as an American who often takes Amtrak from NYC to Chicago or Atlanta, the cost isn't far off and we also have some amount of dynamic pricing - though not nearly that extreme. I'd love to try this trip as I travel frequently through Europe for work, but not sure they'd pay for that!
I've been on the old nightjet from Paris to Salzburg and loved the experience as i have always wanted to go on a sleeper but even then, as a solo traveller, flying would have been a lot cheaper. I had a goody bag on that journey which included the cava, snacks, slippers, 3 bottles of water, an eye mask etc. I notice you do not get the goody bag on this. As much as i love travelling by train and want to do the right thing by the environment this is a no go for me. Far too expensive for the service, facilities and efficiency provided.
Looks very nice. My impressions may be colored by too many Amtrak trips. That's a very nice compartment although I prefer the berths running across the car rather than parallel to the train as yours were. The lack of a window for the upper berth is a minor issue. The wife and I took the older NightJet from Rome to Munich and I'd not hesitate to patronize ÖBB again, the trip, except for the madhouse that passes for a train station in Rome, was perfect.
Thanks for the video! It seems that bigger luggage is a problem on these new sets. I'm taking this trip in January in the deluxe cabin and looking forward to it. It seems that they started to iron out the issues as the punctuality of the train started to improve.
Seems like a very civilized and comfortable way to travel such a distance overnight, and 235 Euro doesn't actually seem that high compared to taking a day train and paying for a night in a nice hotel and wasting the whole day traveling (unless you're into that). And compared to Amtrak, it seems like a steal, although of course you only get a cold continental breakfast while Amtrak includes 3 hot meals in a dining car. But for just an overnight trip that doesn't seem like such a sacrifice especially at this price. I'm imagining what it would be like to have such service here in the US between say NYC and Chicago, LA or SD and SF, or SF and Portland or Seattle and even Vancouver, at such a price. It would sell out in hours.
Great video as always! My initial thought was "If Swiss did trains this is what it would look like". 😃 Really top-notch design and overall nice cabin layout (albeit a bit pricey!). The more I find out about different aspects of Austria, it grows on me; the wines both red and white - fantastic! Austrian Airlines: I flew Business Class BOS-VIE in 2019 - nice cabin, great service (Especially the Coffee menu!) and short haul VIE-ARN was just as good as Lufthansas European business class product! I guess I'll have to put Vienna on my "European-cities-to-visit" list...
Thanks for the... again... superb review 😊 I was checking prices for Vienna...most of the time way too expensive. As good as the product looks, flying is still quite cheaper. Damn...
Paul, I really appreciate your honesty when it comes to pricing. I could see value at the price you paid but at double, I'd probably fly and book a cheap hotel or air bnb
These new Nightjets look great - but I'm with you, the pricing is off-putting. When a train can't compete with ultra-low-cost airlines that's a *big* problem.
Wow Paul, wonderful review! Why can’t America embrace rail travel like Europe. Amtrak here is comparable to greyhound, not great! This sleeper car is beautiful, modern, and pleasant.
I did the trip from Hamburg to Innsbruck. I payed 75% more than you. I think that price is not resonable, the one you payed is (my opinion). These trains are really nice and the compartments are also awesome. I had two hours delay on departure and one hour on arrival. I don't mind a delay on night trains, as arrival will not be so early, then. I really enjoyed the trip, but my price was a bit too high. Between 200 and 250€ is resonable for a single compartment. Let's hope, ÖBB will get a better system on prices. BTW really cool video :)
The sleeper looks nice. The train appears to have very good ride, control and very low road noise. I prefer the longitudinal bed arrangement. You can watch out the window in bed easier than when perpendicular. In the USA the longitudinal sleeper arrangement is used when the sleeper cabins are on each side of a central walkway. This how Amtrak does its two person roomettes. The Nightjet train car are rumored to Siemens chassis similar to the Venture coaches Amtrak is accepting in the USA. Using the entire passenger useable width of the car for for a single cabin in the USA is the arrangement of Amtraks bedrooms. Amtrak bedroom has perpendicular arranged beds. The bedroom has the advantage that a passenger can see out both sides of the train, but in a roomette you can't. The bedroom cabin door has a large window with closable blind that looks out into the passageway that is lined with windows. That might not seem that important, but many roomette based train travel videos have missed a major aspect the route because it was entirely on the other side of the train. The Nightjet sleeper doesn't take advantage of being able to have left and right side sleeper cabins with a central walkway when placing the beds longitudinal. Then when it does use the entire usable passenger area for one cabin it does not allow people in that cabin to see out the cabin door with a window to see out both sides of the train. In the USA Viewliner II roomettes have an upper bunk similar to this Nightjet, but it has another window at that level specifically for the upper bunk. That is likely why the somewhat strange looking passenger car is called a Viewliner. USA passenger trains use to have individual person sleeper slumber coach cabins that were cleverly arranged so the bed was high then low with side-by-side cabins so the enclosed bed cabin protruded into side cabins allowing the seat floor length to be about 4 feet long, but the bed enclosure to be 7 feet. It even had a small sink and toilet that with the llid down the toilet could server as a seat. Amtrak needs to bring back the individual sleeper slumber coach. Because it for an individual, it can sell for about 1/2 the price of two person roomette. That may allow its normal price to be about twice that of coach instead of four times for the typical single person using a roomette. The two times I used a slumber coach I felt it was ideal. It was quiet, very good heat, ventilation, cooling control. I liked having my own sink and toilet. The toilet was nice because I could take the time to super hydrate with lot of water without having to go to a public washroom. There was no shower available on the slumber coach. Not great, but it does give me a more comfortable feeling taking care of myself with a sponge bath. The sink allows shaving. Operating in the slumber coach takes slow careful movements, but it passes the time with the feeling of accomplishment to reach a high level of normalcy in a very small space with a great view and good bed. Then it's off to the dinner or lounge car. I'd always walk the entire length of the train at least once and it was my tradition to check out the locomotive at some point on my sleeper train.
Awesome review but yeah with that price they should feed you better and have hot service food. Hate the prices are going so far up though. But it did look like a nice room compaired to a roomette on Amtrak
Each sleeping and couchette car has an office with microwave oven so it could warm up a hot meal. Not sure why that didn't work yet. Was the morning coffee any good? Breakfast should be 6 components to choose from, so I'm happy with it.
Looks great! Might seem a bit pricey but I'd rather spend a bit extra for a nice room than one like on an Amtrak. America really needs to step up their game especially with door locking from the outside and also the food.
I have to agree, if you are charging 1000 euros, you better get topflight (no pun intended) service and food. I was fortunate enough to spend a month traveling around Europe right before Covid hit, and all the rail experiences were worlds apart from the mess we get here in the US.
I still think it was better in the 90s and earlier when you had the second class OBB compartments, and if you got one to yourself on an overnight journey you just pulled out 3 seats from each side into the middle where they joined to make a humungous king size bed filling the compartment. At least as an interrailer on a limited budget, with a sleeping bag in your rucksack, it was ideal and only cost the price of a second class seat. But seriously these are nice compartments and way better than the ''couchette'' sleeper compartments with 6 stretcher like beds on 3 levels, across Italy. However they are not cheap at all.
The trains look fantastic- I could see how excited you were to go on it! The prices could be their downfall - if I wanted to take my family of 4 on the train, it sounds like it would be over €1000 before the price rises - yikes!
No disrepect but might I remind you that you created that family of four seemingly on a that apparent shoestring. Get another job and spend less commenting on RU-vid. It might help dealing with the continuing to rise costs of nearly everything these days. Perhaps this is simply out of your price range. That's OK, it happens to everyone occasionally. This video showed it all and the price was zero. Enjoy it.
@@WilliamMurphy-uv9pm - it’s clear that anyone who writes “no disrespect but…” means the opposite. My finances aren’t really relevant to this - could we pay it? Yes. Are there much cheaper ways to travel - yes. Therefore, we as a family would be much more likely to use the significantly cheaper way. It’s a shame because I would much rather take the train but it’s a waste of money at 2 or 3 times the price.
@@MrGreatplum You are right. Seeing the video and the pricing gives you the opportunity to simply skip it as not for you due to high pricing. That's OK and how the market-pricing system works. Pricing always varies based on what folks will pay. If OBB has gone off the pricing cliff, they will see empty trains and rethink their original pricing concepts. Understand, however, that early ticketing is much better financially for you and your family. You don't know what specials or cut-rate fares will be available when you do your research. You simply gave it up as too expensive for you. I don't disrespect you for that position. I just think you gave up way too early and yes, I may disrespect you for that. If you want it. Go for it. Fight on. That I respect; even if you fail.
These new Siemens sleeper cars would be amazing in the US, with Amtrak basically joined at the hip with Siemens I wouldn't be surprised if a version of this design becomes the new Amtrak sleeper cars.
I wanted to like this service, it would make a great alternative to leaving a meeting, flying to another city and getting to a hotel. But a 13 hour trip with no food except for a cold meat plate in the morning and microwave meals at night (if and when they are available), no thanks, i'm sure it will work for some, but not me. I did just price out a trip between Vienna and Amsterdam, while not 1000 euro, a flight, hotel (the hotel I always stay at in Amsterdam), meal, Uber in both directions still worked out to be slightly less. But look on the bright side Paul, Nightjet isn't owned by QR so you won't be banned.
Nice story about the new NJ-trains, which currently only serve one route... In the meantime ÖBB is failing to servce daytime services in Austria appropriately. They have substituted modern "Railjet"-services even with regional train sets, which feature neither 1st class nor any form of food/drinks service. And this is done right at the peak of the expected holiday travel season. The union says publicly that they alerted management about potential issues due to low supply of rolling stock and that their (i.e. the people actually working on the trains) concerns were not taken seriously. Many people who booked a ticket for the holiday season well in advance now face the threat of not being able to travel, as their seats simply do not exist on the substitute sets.....
Excellent vlog.But I wouldn’t pay them prices not when you could get a lot more for you’re money flying .I can’t see many people using them especially the inter-railers way too expensive.
I'm really surprised that the luggage lockers in Vienna are cash-only because there are railway stations in Switzerland that use the same model (same door design, same indicators - I'm quite sure it's the same product) but *do* accept card payments. The central payment terminal also looks as if there's space for a card terminal which isn't used. Strange. That being said, I'm very much for the *ability* to pay with cash, but cash-only does seem a bit old-fashioned.
Looks like they don't have the locomotive situation sorted with these yet either. They're supposed to be running with NightJet livery Vectrons which haven't entered service yet. You started with some regular OBB Taurus locos (but hey at least you get the musical locomotives haha) then looks like it switched to DB BR101s in Germany, wonder if the delay was from switching locomotives in Germany. Though DBs reputation for literally never being on time certainly factors in. I think the joke goes, Germans wouldn't know what to do with themselves if a DB train were actually on time.
So it's often late, ludicrously expensive, no luggage storage, and (cold) meals aren't included in your fare? And a flight and hotel are much cheaper if these fare rises go through? I guess the bed is comfy but I'm struggling to see why I would take this unless I'm willing to pay a premium to be environmentally friendly.
It has to be said that some of the issues with punctuality may be as a result of Deutsche Bahn's neglect of infrastructure rather than being caused by the train itself
The Caledonian has a cooked breakfast in the fare and a proper dining car and lounge on board which serves alcohol. The prices are about the same as the NightJet, so for me it’s a close call. But the NightJet is more like what the future looks like for sleepers, in my view.
It certainly looks great (especially compared to a Mk5 on the Caledonian Sleeper in the UK, but the price and lack of lounge/dining car are a big downside. Punctuality less so, provided you haven't any tight connections, as allows more time for sleep and to enjoy the experience.
sorry but the mini-cabins look like coffin express. I understand that financially makes more sense since it's more profitable for OBB, but I mean...a place as spacious as a coffin, nah thanks. rest of the cabins do look good. :)
I continue to be absolutely amazed at how spoiled we Americans are with our Amtrak service. I hear people complain, but honestly despite the equipment being out dated, the amenities far exceed what I'm seeing on your videos of "the latest" European trains. Pathetic shower water pressure, airline like seating and no hot meals, really? So this is "the future" of train travel? what rubbish! The next time I have a flat iron steak dinner on Amtrak (with a glass of wine served in a wine GLASS), I'll be thinking of this trip with your cool (not cold) salad served in a plastic box and that "fabulous" Continental breakfast (not).