Nightjet trains serve a clear purpose: they take passengers from one city to the next with minimal fuss and maximum privacy. Owing to the departure times, there are no dining cars on board and no plans to introduce them, but wraps, sandwiches and microwaved meals, including spaghetti bolognese, cheesy tagliatelle and vegetarian chilli are all available for under €10. Otherwise, there’s plenty of popcorn, Pringles, peanuts and Haribo for late-night snackers who want to crack open a can of Stiegl while the train rumbles on through the night.
Hunting around for human life, I looked up and down the corridor, nothing but the hum of the train in my ears. Ideal for business passengers with early-morning meetings, this carriage was free from the usual background mix of voices, phones and films. Here, you hop aboard, close the door and don’t emerge until morning. Rummaging through the complimentary paper bag of slippers, flannel, eye mask, ear plugs (and tiny chocolate wafer), I slotted my phone into the wireless charging pouch, popped in the ear plugs and snuggled under the duvet, taking the advice of the pillow which stated: “Dream now. Enjoy tomorrow.”
The Nightjet Comfort Plus CompartmentHarald Eisenberger
Despite having travelled on more than 200 sleeper trains, I’m still a horribly light sleeper, but for the first time in months, I slept undisturbed until 7am, a record stretch of more than eight hours without being slung around, jolted awake or annoyed by voices in the corridor. Curious as to where we were, I nudged up the blind to find the train drawing out of Passau, just turning at the confluence of the Danube, the Ilz and the Inn rivers, known as the Dreiflüsseeck. Austria to my left and Germany to my right; I watched the sun warming up the skies through the forests, deer scattered around the foreground. As the mists lifted off the water, the day came into its own, and over a breakfast of self-made ham and cheese sandwiches, I absorbed the details of villages and towns rolling by, curtains opening, horses being fed and children arriving at nursery.
For all my misgivings, the shower was hot and powerful with shower gel in a dispenser, and I emerged from the train exactly how Nightjet intends – refreshed and ready for the day. For €3.50 (cash only), I left my bags at Vienna Hauptbahnhof and set off on foot to the Belvedere Palace to view some Klimt and a bit of Egon Schiele before lunch at the nearby Edelgreisslerei Opocensky, a deli with a restaurant attached. Toasty and welcoming, they have a daily menu featuring hearty plates of spring vegetable strudel, pork knuckle and dumplings – the perfect spot to load up on cheese, wine and slabs of terrine for an onward train ride.
A berth in a single comfort plus compartment starts from £443 per person, tickets at omio.co.uk. Monisha Rajesh is the author of Around the World in 80 Trains, published by Bloomsbury at £10.99
