Sleeper trains
Discussion
Who's used one? Where, what was it like?
Apparently set for a comeback, as the powers that be proclaim trains to be more worthy than aeroplanes.
Idea does kind of appeal to me, as aside from being 44 going on 7 thus "trains":
A: By the time you've declined getting out of bed at 4am/arriving at 11pm as that's no way to start a holiday, have the temerity to want to sit with you dearest, the audacity to desire to bring with one a change of clothes, and the effrontery to require conveyance to the airport by means other than as-yet uninvented transponder technology, your 30 quid ryanair flights suddenly become more like 150pp.
B: by chosing to travel at congenial times, adding in the travel to airport with buffer time + a couple of hours at the airport then flight then travel from wherever the airport is to where you need to be... you can pretty much write off most of the travel days in terms of doing anything holidayish.
Thus enter the sleeper; catch the overnight and be there at 8am with a day to exploit; spend your last day then hop back on the train to relax and chill, chat about the adventure and snooze when ready, there are no "lost" travel days. No waiting around stupid airports, dealing with the insidious treadmill of security clearance and having your pants pulled down for for drink. You save at al least a night's hotel cost. Even if travel costs more, which who knows, I tired 3 different websites for the london-penzanze sleeper and still have not managed to conjure up an example price, maybe their "people don't want this" problems would dissolve if they put some people who want to sell stuff in charge, I can get full flight details and costs in seconds on Skyscanner.
So what gives?
Apparently set for a comeback, as the powers that be proclaim trains to be more worthy than aeroplanes.
Idea does kind of appeal to me, as aside from being 44 going on 7 thus "trains":
A: By the time you've declined getting out of bed at 4am/arriving at 11pm as that's no way to start a holiday, have the temerity to want to sit with you dearest, the audacity to desire to bring with one a change of clothes, and the effrontery to require conveyance to the airport by means other than as-yet uninvented transponder technology, your 30 quid ryanair flights suddenly become more like 150pp.
B: by chosing to travel at congenial times, adding in the travel to airport with buffer time + a couple of hours at the airport then flight then travel from wherever the airport is to where you need to be... you can pretty much write off most of the travel days in terms of doing anything holidayish.
Thus enter the sleeper; catch the overnight and be there at 8am with a day to exploit; spend your last day then hop back on the train to relax and chill, chat about the adventure and snooze when ready, there are no "lost" travel days. No waiting around stupid airports, dealing with the insidious treadmill of security clearance and having your pants pulled down for for drink. You save at al least a night's hotel cost. Even if travel costs more, which who knows, I tired 3 different websites for the london-penzanze sleeper and still have not managed to conjure up an example price, maybe their "people don't want this" problems would dissolve if they put some people who want to sell stuff in charge, I can get full flight details and costs in seconds on Skyscanner.
So what gives?
stevemcs said:
I like the idea and have looked at Scotland and Cornwall on one, however I have to travel 3 hours south to get one and then pay £300 plus for 2.
Nice idea but way overpriced.
Probably only works in the viable alternative sense if you're already somewhere the service departs from.Nice idea but way overpriced.
Like said our last £30 "budget" flight - ryanair to Barcelona a month ago - was well north of £200 with seats+1 bag+few days airport parking. We had 3 nights in the hotel, arriving at the hotel around 4pm on the first day and departing on the morning of the last so effectively 2 full days to explore. With an overnight sleeper to your destination you could get the same "time on point" with just one night in a hotel if you wanted (I'd do at least two but for the sake of comparison). £300 then starts to look attractive as it's not just a train fare.
Teddy Lop said:
Probably only works in the viable alternative sense if you're already somewhere the service departs from...
Indeed. Although for a lot of us in the south east it is easier to get into Central London from our local train station than to drive and park up at Heathrow or Gatwick even though they are 'nearby' on paper. (Even more so if you want to use public transport - eg. train to Woking and get the bus to LHR)
Great things. You'll hear people moan they are too expensive but that tends to be when you compare them with a flight or a day train. The point is you are paying for the travel bit and usually the cost of an overnight hotel too, so add those two component's together and then compare to the cost of a sleeper.
It might still be expensive, but these things are ferociously expensive to operate, you can't get many people on them so the taxpayer is paying a good chunk for you to enjoy your ride. Enjoy it for what it is.
It might still be expensive, but these things are ferociously expensive to operate, you can't get many people on them so the taxpayer is paying a good chunk for you to enjoy your ride. Enjoy it for what it is.
Done Bangkok to Chiang Mai in what I think was an ancient Japanese carriage... single berth- like a jail cell!
Hanoi to Lao Cai (and back), and another in Vietnam if I remember. A cockroach issue in 2nd class. Ended up in a four berth with a group of native police people on one of them. Played cards and drank wine on the floor. The deluxe trains up to Lao Cai are actually very classy, wood panelled and with white cotton sheets. About 35USD for that.
London to Aberdeen... Difficult to justify the expense vs. flying but a much more pleasant experience. Cheese and a wee dram in the club car.
Love'em. Great fun.
The Asian ones particularly charming, smoking cigarettes between the carriages with most of the operations staff and watching the track flash by.
Hanoi to Lao Cai (and back), and another in Vietnam if I remember. A cockroach issue in 2nd class. Ended up in a four berth with a group of native police people on one of them. Played cards and drank wine on the floor. The deluxe trains up to Lao Cai are actually very classy, wood panelled and with white cotton sheets. About 35USD for that.
London to Aberdeen... Difficult to justify the expense vs. flying but a much more pleasant experience. Cheese and a wee dram in the club car.
Love'em. Great fun.
The Asian ones particularly charming, smoking cigarettes between the carriages with most of the operations staff and watching the track flash by.
quite fancied the london to edinburgh one, but the double room is permanently booked out, and honestly im pretty close to most london airports so £250 vs a £50 flight is a bit of no brainer. Im thinking more the novelty then anything. Inherently I quite like the idea though.
www.seat61.com is generally the place to look for info about trains
www.seat61.com is generally the place to look for info about trains
Yes, I used Seat61.com for ideas and accurate booking details when I went Interrailing with two of my kids about 15 years ago. We got the Eurostar to Paris and then trains onwards to Munich, Budapest, Bucharest, Thessaloniki and ended up in Athens, with some island hopping and flight back from Athens to London. We should have stopped in Istanbul too, but the tracks had collapsed in storms a few days beforehand.
The sleepers were brilliant (the Paris-Munich leg and the Bucharest-Athens leg), 3 bunk beds so we were all together and all well organised. The only slight (!) concern was when the train stopped at the Romanian border in the middle of the night and armed police got on the train to examine everyone's passports. They kindly decided to 'look after' our passports for us. At that point, my son (12) decided to get off the train and have a wander up and down the platform, which was a bit of a worry as he forgot to tell me his plan. But watching the train changing engines was apparently very interesting.
The sleepers were brilliant (the Paris-Munich leg and the Bucharest-Athens leg), 3 bunk beds so we were all together and all well organised. The only slight (!) concern was when the train stopped at the Romanian border in the middle of the night and armed police got on the train to examine everyone's passports. They kindly decided to 'look after' our passports for us. At that point, my son (12) decided to get off the train and have a wander up and down the platform, which was a bit of a worry as he forgot to tell me his plan. But watching the train changing engines was apparently very interesting.
Hmm, I remember reading something fairly recently about sleeper trains making a comeback. I've searched around and all I can find is this.. https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/sustainable-t...
The article only talks about increasing the number of European sleeper services, but maybe it's a sign of things to come in the UK?
The article only talks about increasing the number of European sleeper services, but maybe it's a sign of things to come in the UK?
Been a few times down to the Alps on the overnight ones (was ideal for Les Arcs, train into Bourg then funicular up to resort) and several around India, I think I've done every class now. I usually sleep fine, way better than trying to have a snooze in an economy aeroplane seat.
When I was a kid we once took the motorail down to the south of France, that was fun, car goes on a transport carriage, you go in a sleeper. Wish there were more of those, there's hardly any left these days.
Have looked at Scotland or Cornwall on the sleeper but it's mightily expensive. It's a real shame too that the potential of the channel tunnel wasn't used - an overnight from London to Venice or Rome would be ace.
When I was a kid we once took the motorail down to the south of France, that was fun, car goes on a transport carriage, you go in a sleeper. Wish there were more of those, there's hardly any left these days.
Have looked at Scotland or Cornwall on the sleeper but it's mightily expensive. It's a real shame too that the potential of the channel tunnel wasn't used - an overnight from London to Venice or Rome would be ace.
Bluesgirl said:
Hmm, I remember reading something fairly recently about sleeper trains making a comeback. I've searched around and all I can find is this.. https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/sustainable-t...
The article only talks about increasing the number of European sleeper services, but maybe it's a sign of things to come in the UK?
Its just talk. Talk is cheap.The article only talks about increasing the number of European sleeper services, but maybe it's a sign of things to come in the UK?
Sleeper services however, are VERY expensive, because releatively, few people can be carried.
There was a story in the Mail the other day with lots of photos of the Caledonian Sleeper service. Never tried it but looks ok.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1179798...
The one I really want to do is the Amtrak California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1gRPEZdKyI&t=...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1179798...
The one I really want to do is the Amtrak California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1gRPEZdKyI&t=...
Edited by Cotty on Tuesday 7th March 13:34
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