Nightjet 235 arrives in La Spezia in the early evening and the train is packed. People everywhere, pushing their bags through the hallways. There are six-seat compartments, couchette compartments for four people and the almost luxurious version, a sleeping car with a row of seats for three people.
Three people close to each other
It will be tight for taller people, but not just for them. In front of the seats there is a wall, with a small sink on the edge that takes up additional foot space. When it’s time to sleep, three bed surfaces are folded down, all around 2.5 square meters. After the beds are assembled, the only option left is to lie down, for everyone. In the early hours there is no toilet paper in the toilet, which also serves as a shower. In the new and modern carriages there will be showers in all compartments.
Almost no space for luggage
In the compartment there are small water bottles with the words “Dream now, enjoy tomorrow”, which after 20 years of operation aim to indicate the next generation of sleeping cars. It’s very tight even for the train attendants and at least for many passengers. Suitcases are tidy, says one traveler about luggage space: “That will also be a problem, because there is no space for three suitcases. You have to rearrange things and sort things out with each other. Also, this is a women’s compartment. I don’t know how a lady can carry her heavy suitcase there.
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Fellow travelers: this is the last time
The small table is removed by the train attendant because it also blocks legroom. It’s tight, very tight. The three of you sit next to each other and look at the wall. The traveling companion says: “I have to be honest, never again. So it’s better to sit with your legs straight than in the sleeping car.” Men are separated from women. If you haven’t booked in months, you don’t have much to choose from.
Well traveled couple
The Götzhaber family is traveling from Genoa to Klagenfurt on the Nightjet. Günther is retired from the railway and has traveled a lot with his wife Judith. This route is a conclusion, says Juditz Götzhaber: “We drove from Klagenfurt to Berlin, first with the Nightjet. And after Warnemünde via Genoa to Istanbul and back on the same ship, we went on a cruise.” Husband Günther adds: “We were on the road for three weeks. About Gothenburg, Southampton, A Coruña, Lisbon.”
Delay in Villach
The route: La Spezia-Milan-Verona-Villach-Klagenfurt. In the railway town of Villach there is another connection change, there is a delay of one hour. Anyone traveling like this shouldn’t be in a rush anyway. If you can handle the noise, you can sleep very well, even with two strangers. The Götzhabers have reserved maximum luxury, says Günther: “We have already tested several lines. This year we took the sleeper train to Florence. We didn’t get a sleeping car compartment, but we did get a private compartment, perfect. This is a normal compartment for six people. This is what you get for the price for two people. And this is yours. And there is space there. It’s not like that, it’s a single cell.”
Next time by car
The cost of a one-way trip is around 140 euros. In the new carriages, which will initially only run towards Hamburg, it will probably be more expensive. For Götzhabers, space is a luxury on the train. But this is not available on the Nightjet, so next time they want to drive to the cruise ship in Genoa, says Günther. “Just the fact that now you have to stay in Villach for an hour or more if you want to go to Klagenfurt is difficult.”
Breakfast on the train consists of fresh breads, jams, etc., and is served in a takeaway bag in Villach. It’s 6am there. But only when everyone was awake would you find space to have breakfast on the way to Vienna.