Murder on the Overnight Train from Zurich to Vienna

The overnight train is a convenient way to cover huge distances in Europe

Jeremy was glad we took the night train from Zurich, Switzerland to Vienna, Austria - so he knows to never do it again.

Waking up, Jeremy asked me: 

"What are you going to write on the blog? Are you bummed all that content happened in one night?" 

"I slept great!" was my chipper reply. (6 1/2 hours of sleep is pretty good by my standards.) 

"You take that back," growled Jeremy, already somehow getting 4 standing hours on his watch, even though he never left his top bunk.

Complacently, Kate retorted, "Still better than the felucca," in reference to our overnight on the Nile in Egypt two years ago.

For the record, we raised our kids camping in tents. Sleeping on a boat or train is hardly any different.

Trying to get from the platform onto the train was immediately frustrating. Although I've been on a night train before, I immediately regretted my decision to add it to our itinerary. The small compartments are nearly impossible to squeeze into with 6 people and our small packs. We had 4-person compartments and still were perplexed how to get in. I kicked them all out so I could make the beds up and shove luggage under and over the beds.

"This is like the Harry Potter bus," Vivian texted her best friend.

Here's a quick run-down of our torturous night:

• Our train car (#305) had only one working bathroom for 60 passengers. (We snuck into the premium sleeper train.)
• There is no dining car.
• Asked for our breakfast order, Kate requested cream and sugar. No. "There's no coffee machine," the conductor flatly replied. (The black coffee is served with a creamer container but nothing fancy like sugar.)
• Only one slot of our compartment's two charging ports worked.
• The heat in our compartment didn't work. Kate slept in her winter coat.
• And last but not least - to top it all off - our cabin light wouldn't turn off. "Sorry" the conductor said, in her limited English.

Honestly, once I was in my bunk, as long as the train was moving and swaying (it has some brief stops along the way), I slept like a baby in a cradle.

Greg and Chris shared their compartment with a young German couple who crawled into their top bunks when they boarded and crawled back out after we arrived in Vienna.

Packed in like sardines 

It was a little better once I stowed our luggage and made the beds

Crime scene evidence: how you "sleep" with the lights on while earning 4 standing hours

Our tickets included a breakfast of 2 rolls, butter, jam, coffee - and no sugar

Having lived through the horror of the night train, they can now tell the tale

Note: While our train felt like it was built eons ago, OBB (Austrian train line) has updated its cars on other night train routes. Those might have a better experience.

Logistics:

Getting night train tickets was the bane of my existence every day for four months.

Vloggers Nate and Kara - who inspired our Christmas market trip - originally planned their itinerary to cover huge distances to the different countries overnight on night trains. However, for them the night train tickets were well-past gone. They sell out fast.

My go-to website for information on trains in Europe, The Man in Seat 61 says:  "I love travelling by Nightjet, a real treat - kids of all ages love bunk beds on a train."

Particularly challenging for train travel after mid-December is what is called the "December Timetable Change": for trains after Dec. 1, sales are no longer available at the normal booking window 3-6 months in advance. Planning our itinerary a year in advance, I hinged our expensive trip on getting the cheap night train tickets. So just in case, I started checking 6 months out, which is when they would normally go on sale. I checked every day, and in the end checked 3 times per day. Finally on October 16, at 4:45am PDT, I got our tickets - two hours after OBB updated their facebook page announcing the release.

Less than the cost of the day trains, and saving us on a night of hotel expenses, the 10-hour overnight train cost us €60 each for a "couchette" bunk in an upgraded compartment for four. Roomier "sleeper" compartments are available for a lot more.

At time of publication (12/29/24), today's 8-hour day ticket costs €215 with one train change. If you want the guaranteed ticket without a concern for cost, third party website (thetrainline.com) pre-sell the overnight ticket for $150.

One day after I bought our tickets, the price had already increased by €32. Two weeks later, by 11/1, they were already up to €180 each. I stopped checking but by 11/27 only regular seats were left; no sleeping options.