Night train experiences? (OBB/Nightjet)

Where are you traveling from/to?

Hi @Emily -- judging from your location, I imagine you might be an OBB expert! :)
Train ticket is from Brussels to Vienna. This is connecting part of trip, neither of these cities are my main destination. Starting trip in London.
( I was also interested in Amsterdam to Vienna, or some other route possibilities, but got scared that tickets were already selling out, 6 months before trip, so just booked)

In that case my answers are:

• Yes, I've never had a problem with a door lock and never had any issues with security or privacy.
• Can't answer that, I've never used a common shower on an ÖBB train.
• For Brussels to Vienna, what checkpoints?

Thanks @Badger.
May I ask please, were you generally satisfied with the sleeper compartment experience in OBB? I'm not sure what checkpoints - maybe something in Germany.

Yes, I've had no complains about the beds. And never had any problems sleeping. But as soon as someone asks something about night trains in this forum, the "anti night train crowd" usually show up to reply that they are horrible, you won't be able to sleep and you will be miserable the entire next day.

Belgium, Germany and Austria are all part of the EU and the Schengen area so there should be no customs or passport checks along the way. Although you will have to show your ticket, but that is not done in the middle of the night.

Used Nightjet Munich to Venice and DB Nighttrain Munich to Rome (not in use anymore) and it was always absolutely ok.

EDIT: Forgot to mention DB Nighttrain Munich to Hamburg - perfectly fine as well.

Always booked private cabine.

Always able to look the door.
Did not use the shower because rather used the one in the hotel.
They've collected the tickets and passports and therefore we were never woken up.

Just give it a try and hopefully you like it.

Before Corona I took OBB night trains , an important option in my traveling, numerous times but never opted for the sleeper option, so I can't help you there with specific advice.

I sat in the general seating area or in a 6 seat compartment, as I'm not interested in going for the "sleeper" or " couchette" option.

Sometimes every seat in the compartment was taken, only once was there one other passenger besides me. Never had any problems. If "they" are strangers to you, so are you to "them." What is the difference... makes no difference to me. It is sociologically interesting to see who your fellow passengers are standing on the platform waiting for the ÕBB night train to pull in.

Forget these so-called horror stories, never saw anything comparable to what these fairy tales say. Night trains in the summer do book up, the first option to go is the "sleeper" option.

From Brussels to Vienna is 680 miles, and it's over a 10.5 to 11 hour train trip. You could fly on Austrian Airlines or Brussels Airlines in 1 hour 40 minutes--with airfares starting at $146. That's the preferable way to make such a long trip.

I'm okay on trains up to 3.5 hours, but I try to avoid any longer trips. I once took a train trip in a compartment with a soccer team--with one guy asleep on my shoulder. I also took a night train many years ago, and I woke up every time the train stopped along the way. No thanks!

Ensure you wear flip-flops or something into communal showers. I got something I'd rather not reveal on a public forum. It was not fun. Otherwise the trip was fine except for some soccer partiers nearby, but they finally went to sleep sometime after midnight and I got a few hours of sleep, which is all I need.

My experience is generally positive too.

In the past I have travelled by night train from Copenhagen to Oslo in a shared cabin (couche-someting I can't spell).This was because - if not faster than flying - the departure and arrival times suited me better.

5 - 10 years ago we travelled 3 or 4 times by auto train from Hamburg to Verona in a private sleeping cabin. It was fine, easy to lock from both inside and outside. I NEVER experienced anyone entering uninvited. Once our shower was not functioning, so I had to use the communal shower and that was fine too. Yes - there are hooks for your clothes and toilet bag, but it is small - think caravan sized - so limit how much you bring.

Last June (2022) we travelled from London to Fort Williams in the Caledonian Sleeper. That too was fine, but the shower was a bit more cramped than on the auto train. I basically had to sit on the toilet while I showered.

I will surely do this again. If for nothing else, I will do it to save on my CO2 emission.

Prior to OBB taking over the night train service, DB offered it with its City Night Line service until Dec 2015. The one advantage that OBB has is that choosing the night train option is cheaper than what CNL had charged for its "Sleeper" option. To me that that didn't matter since the "Sleeper" didn't apply to me anyway but just its mere expense.

OBB has expanded its night route network....all shows that this way of traveling having certain cities as night train hubs (Munich, Vienna, etc) is viable from its perspective.

@ blackcat....You show your ticket/reservation only once, ie at boarding. I never had to show my passport. Ideally, if the train gets in by 7 AM after a 9-11 hour ride, that's great since your destination station is already open and business is happening.

My two friends and I rode the Nightjet from Vienna to Venice in Sept. 2019. We booked three seats in a four person couchette sleeper. We are all females in our 60's. We didn't have anyone else join us until probably midnight and then it was a man who brought his friend along with him. Presumably his friend had just purchased a regular seat and was hoping that one of the sleepers would be empty. After a short while, they both left and didn't come back until around breakfast time. If the friend of the guy hadn't left, I would have notified the train attendant.

I brought a silk-like sleep sack and a travel pillow to sleep with. That made me feel much more comfortable. I slept fairly well, all things considered My friends and I didn't use the shower.

I don't think that we were woken up to show tickets or passports. The attendant may have asked to see them when we boarded the train.

It was an interesting experience. But I will never buy tickets for a sleeper or couchette again unless it is just for me and my party.

I would say big difference between sharing with strangers or booking a private sleeper. I always booked a private one.

I don't sleep well on night trains. I think I could because I sleep well on airplanes, but usually I'm a bit excited and the way the train moves and starts and stops wakes me up a lot.

This does not at all mean that it's not fine for you. And it can be very well worth a less than good night's sleep.

I've had the opportunity to shower on the train, but I never have. Seems like more of a hassle experience than it's worth. You can skip a shower in Europe, wash a little harder the next day in a hotel in a proper bathroom.

Trains are public transit, so you don't really know what you're going to get. But usually the night train is pretty quiet and calms down when it gets a little later. It's not cheap, so it's not like full-on broke dirtbags are able to afford to give you headaches on it.

I've used the OBB night jet a few times. Several times from Zurich to Austria, once Basel Berlin and a few times Basel Hannover and Basel Hamburg.
In the sleepers you can lock the cabin from the inside, and often you get a key card that allows you to lock it from the outside as well. But I usually just stay in my cabin the whole trip. I always book a cabin for myself (these were all business trips). Preferably one with a shower, and the "deluxe" on the Vienna - Zurich, in the double deck cars is my fafourite.
If I can't get my own shower I just take a sponge bath in my cabin. But usually I take a day train outwards, and the night train on the return, and thus can always shower at home afterwards...

Yes, I've had no complains about the beds. And never had any problems sleeping. But as soon as someone asks something about night trains in this forum, the "anti night train crowd" usually show up to reply that they are horrible, you won't be able to sleep and you will be miserable the entire next day.

Until you try a night train, you won’t know if you are in the ”pro” or ”anti” camp. I’m a light sleeper and unfortunately have never been able to sleep on planes and trains and thus am in the ”anti crowd” as Badger states.

I hope you have a good experience.

My single best night of sleep ever was on a night train between Vancouver and Jasper. I loved the rocking motion. The train stopped a few times and I problably woke up briefly, but I wake up often to turn over anyways, so this wasn't a problem for me. I would happily try a night train again, but I would also want a private compartment.

I'm okay on a train for 3-4 hours. Any longer and I'm taking a budget European airline.

Max flight times in Europe are about 2 hours, and it's often cheaper to fly than take a train

European railroads are de-emphasizing night trains--it would appear.

From Brussels to Vienna is 680 miles, and it's over a 10.5 to 11 hour train trip. You could fly on Austrian Airlines or Brussels Airlines in 1 hour 40 minutes--with airfares starting at $146. That's the preferable way to make such a long trip.

It's not the preferable way for everyone, including people who want to lighten their carbon footprint where possible.

I would not draw the conclusion that night train service, whether one chooses that travel option is disappearing or being scaled back. Not what I've seen and experienced. Totally the opposite.

We can thank OBB for expanding this needed service. Presently, night trains lines exist where they did not when DB had its City Night Line service.

Great that DB has an article on the expansion of taking night trains.