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OBB Nightjet (international)
If you will be taking a journey by Nightjet trains our guide will tell you all you need to know, from boarding, to making the most of the journey experience.
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At a Glance
Travel Pass Supplement
Rail Pass Reservation Fees
Reservations
Compulsory
Time of Day
Night
Train Specification
Attributes of the train
Has a Conductor
Country
Which country these trains operate in.
Austria
Belgium
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Switzerland
Travel Passes
Eurail
InterRail
On Board
Deluxe Sleeping cabin:
Perks
Power Socket
The power sockets on this train are compatible with standard E.U. two point plugs.
WiFi
A complimentary WiFi portal is available throughout this train.
Bed linen and slippers provided.
Shower and toilet in cabin; with complimentary shower gel, soap and towels.
(the higher price for travelling in the Deluxe cabins is justified by the fact that these cabins contain a shower cubicle, aside from that there is little difference to a Standard Cabin)
Note that Deluxe Cabins may only be available when the cabin is occupied by three people
All sleeping cabin tickets (standard and deluxe) also include:
(1) Complimentary welcome pack - bottle of mineral water, sweets/snacks, an evening aperitif (usually a small bottle of wine), face mask etc.
(2) Access to menu of additional (paid for) evening meals* and snacks/drinks served in the cabin (*= if your journey will be commencing in the evening).
(3) Continental breakfast with your choice of up to 6 items brought to the cabin, re-fills of hot drinks and newspaper.
(4) Access to OBB 1st class lounges in Austria, but no access to lounges at stations in other countries.
If you board in in the evening the cabin may be arranged with seats and a table, convenient for eating an evening meal; these trains don't have separate restaurant cars.
The attendant will then re-arrange the cabin for night time use.
There is only one power socket in each cabin, you'll find it just below the bottom bunk.
Links
Standard sleeping cabin:
Perks
Power Socket
The power sockets on this train are compatible with standard E.U. two point plugs.
WiFi
A complimentary WiFi portal is available throughout this train.
Bed linen and slippers provided
Washing facilities in cabin (sink/basin with soap and towels); though some Nightjets also have a shower cabin available at the end of the car, which all sleeping cabin passengers can access.
All sleeping cabin tickets (standard and deluxe) also include:
(1) Complimentary welcome pack - bottle of mineral water, sweets/snacks, an evening aperitif (usually a small bottle of wine), face mask etc.
(2) Access to menu of additional (paid for) evening meals* and snacks/drinks served in the cabin (*= if your journey will be commencing in the evening).
(3) Continental breakfast with your choice of up to 6 items brought to the cabin, re-fills of hot drinks and newspaper.
(4) Access to OBB 1st class lounges in Austria, but no access to lounges at stations in other countries.
If you board in in the evening the cabin may be arranged with seats and a table, convenient for eating an evening meal; these trains don't have separate restaurant cars.
The attendant will then re-arrange the cabin for night time use.
There is only one power socket in each cabin, you'll find it just below the bottom bunk.
Links
Couchettes
Perks
WiFi
A complimentary WiFi portal is available throughout this train.
A berth in a 4 berth compartments is more expensive than in a 6 berth
Berths in female only compartments are available.
Sheets and pillows are provided.
Washing facilities are available (shared with the other compartments)
Complimentary bottle of mineral water and breakfast tray provided.
Travellers also have access to a non-complimentary menu of additional (paid for) snacks/drinks served in the cabin.
Private compartments
Private' couchette compartments are typically available on and are intended for use by families or a group of friends.
They have a reservation fee for the entire compartment, but they are not a money saving option, particularly if they will be occupied by three or four people.
When four or six people are travelling together, the info on the OBB website makes it clear that they will not automatically be assigned every available space in compartments with 4 or 6 berths - so in effect a premium now has to be paid to ensure privacy.
Links
Compartment seats:
Perks
WiFi
A complimentary WiFi portal is available throughout this train.
These are seats that face each other that can occasionally, in theory, be pulled flat to create a sort of bed.
However, to make use of this facility you need to have a spare seat opposite to yours.
The seats are grouped in rows of 3, so a total of six seats, can be arranged so that three people can lie down on one large bed (cosy).
However, this isn't guaranteed.
If too many seats are occupied then converting them into beds won't be possible.
And on many of these trains, there won't be an option to flatten the seats, so the travel experience in terms of comfort, will be no different to being on a daytime train.
Washing facilities are available.
Drinks and snacks are available from vending machines.
Links
Routes:
The international Nightjet trains operate on the following routes:
- Berlin ↔ Wien/Vienna - Graz
- Berlin ↔ Bruxelles
- Berlin ↔ Paris
- Wien/Vienna - Linz ↔ Paris
- Wien/Vienna - Linz ↔ LIege - Bruxelles
- Wien/Vienna - Linz ↔ Koln/Cologne - Dusseldorf - Arnhem - Utrecht - Amsterdam
- Wien/Vienna - Linz ↔ Hannover - Hamburg
- Wien/Vienna - Linz ↔ Udine - Venezia/Venice
- Wien/Vienna ↔ Firenze/Florence - Roma
- Wien/Vienna ↔ Verona - Milano - Genova - La Spezia
- Wien/Vienna ↔ Pisa and Livorno (when travelling with a car)
- Wien/Vienna - Linz ↔ Zurich
- Graz ↔ Zurich
- Innsbruck Munchen/Munich ↔ Koln/Cologne - Dusseldorf - Arnhem - Utrecht - Amsterdam
- Innsbruck - Munchen/Munich ↔ Hannover - Hamburg
- Munchen/Munich ↔ Firenze/Florence - Roma
- Munchen/Munich ↔ Verona - Milano - Genova - La Spezia
- Stuttgart - Munchen/Munich ↔ Udine - Venezia/Venice
- Zurich - Basel ↔ Amsterdam, Berlin and Hamburg
Nightjet travel summary:
This article by a travel journalist also showcases the experience of travelling on a Nightjet.
There is also a great article with some really useful additional insights into taking these trains, which you can find HERE - great job Edward!
These trains convey:
- Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
- Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Couchettes (Liegewagen) -which can be booked as private compartments
- Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
- Deluxe sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
Rail pass reservations:
The reservation fees when using Eurail or InterRail passes to travel in a couchette have come down, but the reservation to travel in sleeping cabin on a classic Nightjet service have recently had a significant increase!
Seat = from €9.90
Berth in 6-bed couchette = €25
Beth in 4-bed couchette = €40
(the price per person is much more expensive if you opt to book a private couchette compartment).
Bed in standard /comfort 3-bed sleeping cabin = €95
Bed in standard 2-bed sleeping cabin = €125
Bed in standard /comfort 1-bed sleeping cabin = €300 (!)
Bed in deluxe 3-bed sleeping cabin = €190
Bed in deluxe 2-bed sleeping cabin = €255 (!)
Bed in deluxe 1-bed sleeping cabin = €640 (!!!!)
In effect the rail pass covers the travel costs and not the cost of travelling in any of the train accommodation - rail pass users in effect pay a higher seat reservation fee than that charged to ticket holders.
So with the prices of the journey element of taking a Nightjet typically being available from €29.90, when first placed on sale), it's worth thinking about the cost per day of using your pass, when considering whether your rail pass will be value for money when taking these trains.
Despite the journey element of the total price being covered by the price, when booking the Eurail / InterRail reservations on the OBB website, you will see two elements of the cost.
1 = equates to the cost of reserving a seat
2 = the additional cost of adding a place in a sleeping cabin or couchette, which is in effect added to the seat reservation price, to produce a total cost of the rail pass reservation.
How to book these rail pass reservations for the Nightjet on the OBB (Austrian Railways) website - no booking fees payable.
When booking these reservations on the OBB website, it doesn't ask whether you will be travelling with First or Second class rail passes, so you can book any of these types of accommodation, regardless of what pass you are using, as long as it is a Global pass valid on your travel dates.
On some routes; particularly those between Austria, Germany and Switzerland, the trains are operated as though two separate services are joined together, with the seated accommodation in an InterCity (IC) train and the couchettes and sleeping cabins in the Nightjet train.
When that is the situation, the booking path for rail pass reservations in the seats is the same as it is when booking daytime journeys by these IC trains.
Travelling with children:
Nightjet trains have family couchette compartments with 6 berths, which are sold at flat rate price - so are particularly good value if you will occupying 4 or more berths.
When making a booking on the OBB website, you will automatically be offered a 'Family Compartment' if the combination of travellers you enter, meets the criteria.
Children also travel at discounted rates in sleeping cabins on Nightjets, but the price per bed isn't particularly cheaper - but there are savings to be made if up to two children share bed.
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