Eastern Europe Train Travel

Thank you so much for your replies regarding a night train from Prague to Krakow. One reply indicated they had a sleeping compartment for two. When we got onto Rail Europe they indicated two person compartments were not available. How did you get your reservation and were you able to obtain it with a supplement to a second class ticket?

I took this train in 2009. I felt very safe. There is a conductor in each car. He will gather your passports and tickets and return the passports in the morning. Personally, you will be very safe. You do need to take measures to protect your possessions. Lock your bags. Place them in the overhead storage area in your compartment. This will make them very hard to get at. (Both for you and a potential thief.) Lock the door to your compartment. (The conductor reminds people to do this.) If you do these things, your belongs will be safe too. I have taken 3 night trains. Typically a younger college-kids-on-summer-holiday crowd. Enjoy your trip.

We took this train five days ago. It was surprisingly nice and safe. There were THREE locks in the door. One of which was that kind you'd have on a hotel room Door so even if the door opens, they cannot get it more than a few inches open. Our car was a dead end. The conductor was sitting at the end of the car in some sort of office. Every time I got up, the door was open and he was in there. If there'd been any sort of commotion, he would have been able to react quickly. There were a lot of middle aged people on our train. In fact, a fellow Rick Steve couple was next door. There was an open closet which easily fit all our bags. There was no oVerhead shelves that would have fit our backpacks. I'm assuming you're taking the night train? If you're not traveling alone, the luggage should never be alone. We were in a 2person compartment and had a sink, two bottles of water, three small things of water for brushing teeth. And there was actually a shower In the hallway bathroom. I actually used it (I had pedicure flip flops to use as shower shoes and chucked them when I was done.) we took the night train from Prague to Munich four years ago and was less impressed with the locking mechanisms on the door.... Enjoy your journey!

(sorry it took me so long to reply to your pm, shirley! We didn't have access to Internet until today....)

Shirley, we are in Europe and don't have the most reliable Internet connections. Will be able to answer you properly in two days. You don't leave before then, do you?

My mom and I felt very safe, and took the train on Sept 18th. Book as soon as you can, because we couldn't get a double compartment. Buy the ticket when you get there, as it is much cheaper than if you buy in the USA. We booked the day before and got 2 beds in a "4-person" bunk. This is really a 6-person couchette, but paying a tad more to share with two others. We lucked out with a great couple from Canada that were interesting and had already been to most of the places we were going. We took the Krakow-Budapest night train a few nights later and were in the first class double, and it was a MUCH better experience. Cleaner, more comfortable beds, more space, newer compartment.

If I booked tickets a few days in advance (during July 2012), would it be possible to get a double on most trains in Eastern Europe?

Annika, we did it. In fact, I think we booked ours no more than two days in advance for both our doubles on night trains. BUT, that was in September. July could be busier. Maybe someone else will weigh in.....

We took that night night train in the spring of 2010 and had a locked cabin. We felt very safe, since the door locked and we were able to sleep without worrying. We bought our tickets about 2 days prior to leaving, and purchased them from the Prague train station downstairs. You pay a bit extra for the sleeper, and go to the basement and not the travel agent. Enjoy your trip! I can't wait to do it again.

We traveled this route several years ago (2004) so my input is dated. However, though the train was not very modern, we felt quite safe.