Couchette, sleeper or Mini Cabin: choosing a night-train bed

A couchette if you are happy to share

On ÖBB Nightjet, standard couchette compartments have four to six berths, while couchette comfort compartments accommodate up to four. Bedding and a small breakfast are included, with toilets and washrooms in the carriage. Women-only compartments are available.

SNCF's INTERCITÉS de nuit offers six couchettes in second class and four in first. Bedding, a travel kit and water are included. First class reduces the number of bunks in the compartment. It does not automatically give you the compartment to yourself.

For a shared journey, keep night clothes, a toothbrush and anything needed on arrival in a small bag. Pack it before boarding so you can leave the main suitcase closed once other passengers are asleep.

A private couchette for a family or group

A couchette can also be private. Nightjet's flat-rate private couchette products allow up to three adults and children aged fourteen or under, within the compartment's capacity. A group of four can book its own four-berth compartment instead. SNCF sells an espace privatif in either class, with a flat-rate price for the compartment.

For a family, compare this with a sleeping car. You keep the couchette layout and facilities while deciding who shares the space. Enter everyone travelling in the booking and compare the complete compartment price. Two individual berths in a four-berth compartment do not reserve the other two.

A Mini Cabin for one

Nightjet's Mini Cabin is an enclosed sleeping space for one passenger. ÖBB lists its dimensions as 190 × 63.5 × 90 cm, in length, width and height. It has a reading light and a folding breakfast table. The hand-luggage locker beside it takes a bag up to 40 × 55 × 23 cm. Toilets and washrooms are outside the cabin.

It suits a solo traveller who wants a berth screened off from other passengers and is content to spend the evening in that small space. There is no standing room inside. For a couple, two adjacent cabins on the same level can connect through a small sliding door. They remain two individual sleeping spaces.

Mini Cabins need to appear in the accommodation offered for your train. Children must be at least ten and accompanied by an adult. If you want to sit together before bed or help a companion change, compare a compartment instead.

A sleeping compartment for a made-up bed

Nightjet sleeping cars include a made-up bed, towels and an à la carte breakfast. Compartments can be sold for one, two or three passengers, depending on the stock. A single berth in a double or triple means sharing with another passenger. For sole use, book the compartment occupancy that matches your party.

Bathroom facilities vary too. Nightjet describes compartments with a washbasin and categories with a private shower and toilet. The newer comfort sleeping compartments include toilet and showering facilities. Match the bathroom description to the category offered on your train. EuroNight services can use different carriages and have different inclusions.

Pay for the sleeping compartment if its bed and facilities suit the journey. If the main aim is to keep strangers out, include a private couchette in the comparison. If the main aim is a shower before arrival, choose a category that explicitly includes one.

Classic or Club on Caledonian Sleeper

Caledonian Sleeper's Classic room is already private. It has twin bunks and a washbasin, with breakfast available to buy. Access to the Club Car after departure depends on space. The Club En-suite room also has twin bunks, adding a private shower and toilet, breakfast and priority Club Car access.

For two people, compare the total for both occupants in each room, allowing for the breakfast you would otherwise buy. Classic already provides the room to yourselves. Club earns its place through the bathroom and additional services. A room sold for two does not necessarily contain a double bed.

Berth position and accessible accommodation

If climbing to an upper bunk would be difficult, choose the berth position as well as the class. A lower berth and a compartment to yourselves may also make helping a travelling companion easier.

If you use a wheelchair, start with the accessible accommodation. Nightjet offers wheelchair compartments with an adjoining accessible toilet on many services. Its four-berth barrier-free comfort compartment can be shared. For the two-bed barrier-free compartment, ÖBB asks you to book it and boarding assistance through customer service no later than 36 hours before departure.

SNCF describes INTERCITÉS de nuit as unsuitable for wheelchair users because of narrow access, corridors and unadapted toilets, and recommends daytime trains instead. A lower couchette is not a substitute for a wheelchair-accessible compartment.

Compare the complete booking

Compare the same number of passengers on the same dates. Keep a price per person separate from a price for the whole compartment, then add the return accommodation, hotel nights and meals. Allow for breakfast where it costs extra, as in Caledonian Sleeper Classic.

On Caledonian Sleeper, a room supplement on its own does not include travel. It is for passengers who also hold a qualifying travel ticket. An ordinary booking through the operator includes travel and accommodation, so there is no separate supplement to add.

Leave the arrival morning lightly scheduled. Somewhere to have breakfast and leave a bag makes a more forgiving start than a timed visit immediately after the train. Choose the bed you are prepared to use before treating the night on board as a replacement for a hotel.

Use the Chronotrains map to compare destinations from your departure city, then choose the overnight service and accommodation with its operator.