I thought I was playing by the rules in booking reservations for Night Trains for two different trips for a so-called "deluxe double" (two person compartment with wash basin, toilet and shower--albeit small ones--in the compartment). In the First case I was surprised to learn the Bergen to Oslo Night Train doesn't offer this type accommodation (even though someone at Rail Europe told me it did). In the Second case I was told Night Train reservations cannot be made more than 3 months in advance, but I just learned (3 months before the date of the trip) the Basel to Hannover train accepts reservations for the deluxe double 6 months in advance. . . guess what: I wait until 3 months to book/reserve same and all are booked. Soooo, my wife asks me: "How many people are we sharing a toilet with and is there a shared shower on the train, and how many share it/them"? I have no idea what the answer is to the question of sharing. I would be grateful for any information on an internet site(s) that show the layout of the toilet/shower arrangement on a Norwegian and a Swiss/German Night Train car with private compartments? Thanks for any help.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
There are no shared showers and I've never been keen to take a shower on a moving train, so I wouldn't pay for a private one. The Norwegian link that George provided describes showers available at hotels near the station. Number of people sharing the toilet at the end of the car might be about 20, if all the compartments in that car are doubles, or more if there are other styles of compartment.
DB web site is only showing Basel-Hannover tickets for sale 3 months ahead from today. They also may not get loaded into all sales databases exactly on time. If you need reservations to go with a railpass and Rail Europe doesn't seem to have what you need, then try www.euraide.de (no online ordering; contact them by email [email protected]). If you're buying tickets plus reservation, then buy the German ticket direct from DB.
Posted by
OP
Cincinnati, OH, USA
768 posts
Thanks for the responses to this and my other post on "General Europe"; I now have the scoop on personal hygiene on Sleeper Cars. Now I just have to book the trains--which brings up another question. Since the other question is not about toilets and showers, I'll start another thread that is more on topic. Thanks for the responses on this thread. I'll let this thread remain for a couple days then delete it. Thanks again for the help.