I’ve taken many overnight trips on Europe’s railways – always in shared compartments. And while I love the idea of sleeper trains, when you’re pressed in between snoring strangers, it can be impossible to sleep at all.
So when I booked an overnight trip from Brussels to Prague – a new-ish extension of European Sleeper’s cross-continental route – I decided enough was enough. I gritted my teeth and booked a private couchette, and spoiler alert: it was better.
At the end of June, on the warmest day of the year so far, I arrive at Brussels Midi station to find out if my private berth on the European Sleeper is all it’s cracked up to be.
My expectations are high. Past journeys have found me in six-seater compartments on the NightJet from Amsterdam to Innsbruck, or full-size carriages on the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Glasgow. And on first glance, tonight’s room looks a lot like the seater compartments I’ve come to know too well: six seats facing each other, about a metre apart.
The difference here is that the backs of the seats push further into the wall, and a set of crisp sheets and plump pillows are stashed overhead, waiting to be draped across the seats.
All the same, it looks a bit rough-and-ready – the Orient Express, this is not. But the sheer novelty of having the room to myself already makes me optimistic. I settle in, open the window, and prepare for the train to depart.
The Orient Express, this is not – but the sheer novelty of having the room to myself makes me optimistic for the journey
At 19:22 we roll out of Brussels Midi station. The carriage is warm, but with the window fully open the rush of air soon cools the compartment as the train chugs through Brussels into Flanders. I’ve been offered a complimentary welcome drink, and I happily crack open a can of Cristal as we pull into our first stop at Antwerp. From then on, there’s little excuse but to relax and enjoy the view.
For the first few hours the scenery does not disappoint. From Antwerp to Rotterdam I enjoy a glorious pastel sunset over the neat, green fields of Flanders and Holland. As I lean out the open window, Golden Hour bathes the countryside in light, and as we cross the river at Dordrecht the sunlight sparkles from the waves and boats.
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European Sleeper has a certain old-fashioned charm – on how many trains, in this day and age, can you fully open a window and lean just close enough to feel the wind in your hair? By the time we get to Amsterdam, night is falling, and as the train heads on to Germany it’s time to close the curtains.
This is the real test of the journey: the sleeping part. With the sheets laid out across the couchette and the pillows piled up plumply, my bed for the night looks not too shabby. I’m soon lulled to sleep by the click of the tracks and the sway of the train. And while I am woken up at scheduled stops during the night, overall, the lack of disturbance from fellow passengers makes this the best night’s sleep I’ve had aboard a sleeper.
When I wake up for good, it’s to the sound of birdsong as the train trundles into Berlin. Clear morning light glows on the buildings, and an S-Bahn chugs past as we pull into Lichtenberg, one of our two stops in Berlin. I catch a fleeting glimpse of Berlin’s famous TV Tower glinting in the sun before we’re off to Dresden. It’s time for something to eat.
Breakfast on the European Sleeper is a decent mix of juice, bread, chocolate and spreads. I eat it looking out at fields of crops, admiring the rural views.
At Dresden, engineering works sadly force us to change to a replacement bus. But the bus is comfortable, and I arrive at Prague’s stunning art-nouveau central station in the early afternoon, ready for my first pint of Pilsner and my long-awaited plate of marinated hermelín cheese. Prague is as hot as Brussels today, and I’m soon escaping the heat in the cool, dim bars of Prague’s Old Town.
Would I recommend a private couchette? Yes, absolutely. The main difference is that, for once, I arrived fresh and ready to explore the city, rather than drowsy and sleep-deprived.
For once, I arrived fresh and ready to explore the city, rather than sleep-deprived
And if the price of a private compartment seems steep, the good news is that private sleeper travel may soon be getting cheaper. Nox, a Berlin-based startup, has promised to connect 100 European cities using private sleeper compartments only, for the tantalising price of €79. This brings sleeper travel much closer to budget flight territory. And if the promotional shots are anything to go by, Nox’s cabins don’t skimp on comfort either. I’m already looking forward to my first trip.
All in all? It might not be the cheapest option for sleeper train travel in Europe right now, but take it from someone who’s travelled in all types of compartments: a private room made the journey even sweeter.
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