Gillian Thomas on the pleasures of the sleeper train 
With ever-increasing concerns about carbon emissions from aircraft, taking a train instead of flying is a good way to demonstrate your green credentials. Trains emit at least 10 times less CO2 per passenger mile, though exact comparisons are complicated because trains are fuelled in various ways, including France’s less-polluting nuclear-generated electricity. Overnight trains in particular put the excitement back into travel. Cocooned in a comfortable sleeper, you speed through the darkness lulled by the soporific movement and wake up to different surroundings outside the windows. The sleeper trains that criss-cross Europe offer a real alternative to flying for business or pleasure. Paris, Cologne and Zurich are among several hubs with overnight services that leave late in the evening, so after a day in the office, you have time for dinner before boarding the train at bedtime and arriving the next morning ready for a full day’s work. You also save time compared to flying, as there is no need to board the train more than a few minutes before it departs. Moreover, city railway stations are invariably centrally situated rather than on the outskirts or beyond, avoiding the delay and hassle of airport transfers. A standard sleeper compartment has top and bottom bunk-beds, sheets, duvets/blankets, towels and a razor power-point, plus a fold-away washbasin unit; some of the most modern trains even have en-suite showers and toilets. Compartments are allocated exclusively for the use of men or women (except for couples and families), and first class passengers get single occupancy. The cheaper option is a couchette compartment, which has either two or three single bunk-beds on either side. Only light sleepers should be disturbed by any middle-of-the-night jolts when the train stops and starts. Earplugs or a sleeping tablet can help. As for space to walk around, trains beat planes hands down and most have restaurant cars or a bar/buffet. Accommodation on an Elipsos Trenhotel from Paris to Madrid and Barcelona is particularly special, ranging from plush reclining seats to “Gran Classe” single or double sleepers with en-suite facilities. Travelling by train also avoids any worries about what bags can or cannot be carried as hand luggage or what you can put in them, though luggage is screened on Eurostar’s connecting services at London Waterloo (St Pancras from 14 November), Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels Midi. Security is assured by having compartment door locks that can only be opened from the inside. Unfortunately for the good of the planet, overnight rail trains cannot compete on price with the very lowest air fares. Special offers like German Rail’s SparNight tickets are often available, however, though no refunds or changes are permitted. In any case, the train fare is likely to be less than the cost of staying in a hotel. You also avoid the cost of getting to and from the airport, and you won’t be tempted to spend anything on food and drink to help pass the lengthy check-in times. TEN OF THE BEST ROUTES 1. Paris–Rome  Artesia’s Palatino train departs from Gare de Bercy at 7 pm and arrives in Rome at 9.50 am, with a stop in Florence at 7.16 am. Return: departs from Rome at 6.40 pm, arrives in Paris at 9.10 am. Return fare from €110. A similar service runs to Venice, departing at 8.28 pm and arriving at 9.27 am. 2. Paris–Madrid The Elipsos Francisco de Goya Trenhotel departs from Gare d’Austerlitz at 7.43 pm and arrives in Madrid at 9.13 am. Return: departs from Madrid at 7 pm, arrives in Paris at 8.27 am. Return fare from €134. This is one of Europe’s premier overnight trains, offering a choice of four classes of accommodation – reclining seat, four-berth couchette, two-berth sleeper or Gran Classe single sleeper (€652 return), which includes en-suite shower/toilet, dinner and breakfast. A similar service runs to Barcelona, departing at 8.32 pm and arriving at 8.24 am. 3. Strasbourg–Vienna The Paris–Vienna overnight Orient Express will run for the last time on 8 June, when the new high-speed TGV Est Paris–Strasbourg route opens; this will cut the journey time from four hours to two hours, 20 minutes. From 9 June, overnight services will depart from Strasbourg at 10.20 pm, arriving in Vienna at 8.15 am. Return: departs from Vienna at 8.28 pm, arrives in Strasbourg at 6.43 am. Fares have yet to be confirmed.  4. Paris–Berlin A DB NachtZug train departs from Gare du Nord at 8.46 pm, stops in Brussels at 11.41 pm, and arrives at Berlin Ostbahnhof at 8.20 am. Return: departs from Berlin at 9.19 pm, stops in Brussels at 6.15 am, arrives in Paris at 9.14 am. Return fare from €216.
There are conveniently timed evening stops in Dortmund and Hannover on the way back from Berlin, and the early-morning stop in Brussels connects with the first Eurostar to London. 5. Cologne–Copenhagen A DB NachtZug train departs from Cologne at 10.24 pm and arrives in Copenhagen at 9.59 am. Return: departs from Copenhagen at 6.53 pm, arrives in Cologne at 6.56 am. Return fare from €105. 6. Cologne–Warsaw The Jan Kiepura EuroNight train departs from Cologne at 9.18 pm and arrives in Warsaw at 8.55 am. For a truly transcontinental rail journey, you could stay aboard and reach Moscow the next day at 9.20 am, a 1,500-mile journey. Return: departs from Warsaw at 6.35 pm, arrives in Cologne at 6.14 am. Return fare from €84.  7. London–Inverness First ScotRail’s Caledonian Sleeper departs from Euston at 9.15 pm Monday–Friday, 8.25 pm Sunday, and arrives in Inverness at 8.30 am. Return: departs from Inverness at 8.40 pm Monday–Friday, 8.25 pm Sunday, arrives at Euston at 7.43 am. Return fare from €85.
8. Dresden–Budapest A D-Nacht train departs from Dresden at 9.09 pm and arrives in Budapest at 10.13 am. Return: departs from Budapest at 4.45 pm, arrives in Dresden at 6.47 am. Return fare from €207. 9. Zurich–Berlin A CityNightLine train departs from Zurich at 7.44 pm or Basel at 9.07 pm and arrives in Berlin at 7.40 am. Return: departs from Berlin at 9.25 pm, arrives in Zurich at 9.18 am. Return fare from €106. 10. Frankfurt–Prague The Johannes Kepler EuroNight train departs from Frankfurt at 8.38 pm and arrives in Prague at 8.55 am. Return: departs at 8.06 pm, arrives at 6.17 am. Return fare from €85. |