As we said last week, rather than spend a day of our mere one-week trip in transit between Vienna and Amsterdam we opted to take a sleeper train, the “NightJet”. We knew the NightJet was not going to be like the Orient Express — nothing else is, really. So our expectations were pretty low. Lisa packed a pillowcase and planned to stuff it with our jackets because she needs a lot of neck support to sleep well, and we’d read that the pillows provided were pretty slim. We both made sure we had clothes to sleep in and a change of underwear to start the next day fresh. Our smartest move was to pack everything we needed for the overnight in our two backpacks, allowing us to put the roller bag away for the entire trip, under the seats.
Boarding was NightJet was simple: the station display boards in Vienna showed us not only what track to be on, but exactly where our car (#253) was going to pull in along the gangway; no wandering through multiple cars dragging luggage behind! Our cabin was a deluxe, just the two of us (although a 3rd could be accommodated) and included a larger luggage stowage area above a cabinet containing a sink. The seats were very comfortable, although they required perfect posture (there was no way to recline or put your feet up). A small window could be opened to get more air, although it couldn’t be left open while the shade was down.
The beds folded down out of the wall and were outfitted with a thin mattress, a duvet-covered poly-fill comforter, and a fairly flat pillow. It all seemed very clean (no smells!) and the comforter, while narrow, provided plenty of warmth. Both of us had plenty of room to stretch out, although someone much over 6′ might be a little uncomfortable. The pillows were very flat, and Lisa was incredibly happy with her well-stuffed case.
The major — and we mean MAJOR — downer was the toilet. Not that it was down at the end of the car, but that it was SMALL. The case over the soap dispenser fell open onto Lisa’s shoulder every time she used the facilities. Someone was a messy washer and there was water on the floor — and we are trying desperately hard to believe it wasn’t something else — for several hours. Neither of us is small, and our bodies BARELY fit into the space, requiring a great deal of strategic maneuvering to be able to use the facilities (one foot here, slight twist to bring the other foot in, close and lock door, now step over the toilet to face the correct direction . . . you get it). It was cleaned regularly, so that was a plus, but seriously, it was smaller than ANY airplane facility we’ve encountered.
All that rolls up into our summary judgment: it was neither uncomfortable nor particularly comfortable, but adequate enough. It wasn’t a particularly cheap fare. However, it did buy us a day on our trip, since we had a full day of touring about Vienna, then slept on the train, and arrived early enough in Amsterdam that – as you will read next time – we hit the tourist ground running.
Comments (2)
Out of curiosity, did you look into flying from Vienna to Amsterdam or would that have eaten too much of a travel day? Wondering where the cost vs. time vs. comfort calculation would end up.
We looked at it. There’s certainly nothing wrong with flying, and in fact I don’t know that the train was competitively priced (Lisa can speak better to that). Taking the train came down to a couple of things. 1 – doing the travel overnight felt efficient. Might not have been, but felt like it. Not just for traveling while sleeping, but also the relative convenience of getting on and off trains vs. planes as far as location. We literally walked ~5 minutes from our hotel to the train station, and only another minute or so to be on our platform. No security lines, bag check etc… and the drop off was much more central that the airport in Amsterdam. 2) We like trains. 🙂 Not much argument to have when it’s a romantic notion rather than a cogent explanation, know what I mean?