Hello! Does anyone have any experience on the Nightjet from Stuttgart to Venice in the private sleeper cabin with WC/shower? Looking at booking this for our family of four this summer to save some time but wondering if it is possible to get a decent night sleep as it is a pricey option. We would book two double sleeper cabins.
The alternative is to break up the journey with a one or two overnight stay somewhere.
Thanks!
I have no experience with a European cabin, but have had 3 night trains in couchettes. None of them afforded a really restful nights sleep like you would get at a hotel, but neither were they a nightmare. Note that while the nightjet to Venice is direct, it is by no means non stop. There are likely over a dozen interim stops, with some attendant noise and bumping/jerking each time.
Cabin (as you are asking about) and couchette (as last poster described) are two different worlds. Cabin is like a hotel: your own room where you control lighting, temperature, noise and staff interruptions. Couchette is like a hostel: a bed in a common room with strangers above and across from you, each deciding when they want to turn on a light or watch videos.
I haven't used Nightjet personally but I do like night trains and have taken several across Europe. Nightjet is reputedly the new hot thing in night trains. The best train reviewer out there is the Man in Seat 61. Check out his notes here: https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/nightjet.htm
I took the NIghtjet from Munich to Bologna last July in a private cabin. It was all very comfy, I loved having a private bathroom and it included evening snacks and a light breakfast. I did not sleep well even though it was comfortable and quiet, due to the intervening stops and knowing that I had to be off that train at 5 in Bologna. I did enjoy a hot shower before arrival though.
15 years ago, my family and I took an older night train from Venice to Paris. Although we had the couchette cabin all to ourselves, the bathroom was on the hallway and disgusting by morning. The train pulled over for hours and turned the. Ventilation off. We were up all night choking in the heat. I swore never again…but a cabin is a different game.
I thought that maybe next time I would just go through to Rome, so I could sleep later without the early morning wake-up stress. Not sure it would matter much, but I’d give it another go. I think it can be a nice experience, but not a great night’s sleep…so you have to decide what matters more to you.
We've taken the Nightjet twice from Germany to Italy although not your same endpoints. The first time things were great although a bit hard to sleep; the train goes thru a lot of intersections and the streetlights flash in the cabin a bit even with the shades pulled. We learned to bring a sleep mask in the future. The second time the A/C in our cabin did not work so our alternatives were to swelter (trains get quite toasty sitting in the sun all day) or crack the window and listen to the wind blast. So not a fun trip.
YMMV
