The Austrian railway company ÖBB recently (December 12, 2023) launched a new over-night sleeper train connection between Paris and Berlin called “Nightjet”. The Nightjet runs three over-night connections per week between Paris and Berlin in each direction. There are similar connections with Brussels and Vienna.

I tested the deluxe sleeper cabin of the new Nightjet between Paris and Berlin – here is all you need to know.

Tickets

How to book

• From Berlin to Paris (Monday, Wednesday, Friday): https://www.nightjet.com/en/reiseziele/frankreich
• From Paris to Berlin (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday): https://www.nightjet.com/en/reiseziele/deutschland/berlin
• Stops: Berlin Hbf – Berlin Südkreuz – Halle – Erfurt Frankfurt (Main) – Strasbourg – Paris Est (not Paris Nord!)
• Make sure to book tickets early (several weeks in advance) for cheaper prices.

Travel categories

When booking a ticket you can choose from three different categories with increasing comfort and price:

• Seating carriage: Usually a seat in a compartment of six seats (3 seats facing each other). The seats are reclinable. If the seat in front of you is empty, both can be reclined and moved together such that you can lie down.
• Couchette/Liegewagen: Compartments of four to six beds. The beds are quite narrow and hard but more comfortable than the seating carriage. The doors of the compartment can (and should!) be locked. Great for groups.
• Sleeper cabin/Schlafwagen: Compartments of one to three beds. The beds are wider and more comfortable than in the couchette. Fewer beds also means less distractions from other people. Some cabins are equipped with their own toilet and some even with a shower (the “deluxe” ones – see test below). Again, the cabins can and should be locked.

There are restrooms on the hallway, sometimes even showers. The ÖBB website has further details and impressions of the three categories.

Testing the deluxe sleeper cabin on the night train

The most “deluxe” travel option is a single sleeper cabin with own toilet and shower and free cancellation. I wanted to try this option and booked it up front for roughly 200€ for the Nightjet from Paris to Berlin.

First off, make sure you are at the right train station in Paris. The nightjet leaves at Paris Est (East), not Paris Nord. Luckily, both train stations are very close, so you can walk from one to the other in roughly 10min. At the train station, the night train should show up in the departures list. The platform is usually just shown shortly before departure. When entering the train, check your ticket for the correct wagon number so you can directly enter the right one.

The evening

At the sleeper cabin, the friendly staff welcomed with a small bottle of champagne. There is also a bag with small goodies such as slippers, eye covers and ear plugs for a better sleep, water, and a cookie. You can also choose what you want to have for breakfast in the morning. All this is included in the ticket.

If you are hungry, you can additionally order dinner. There are a few different choices from sandwiches to warm meals or sweets, costing around 5-15€. I ordered chili sin carne for roughly 8€. The food is served directly in the cabin.

When you want to sleep, someone from the staff will fold down the seats in the cabin and fold out the bed. There are pillows, a blanket and towels. In the deluxe cabin, there is also a shower and toilet, so it is really like a small hotel room. The shower worked surprisingly well – the water was hot and had enough pressure.

You can and should lock the cabin to avoid that your stuff is stolen. The cabin door locks like a normal hotel door: Twist locks from the inside and a keycard from the outside.

The night and morning

Sleeping on the train was quite comfortable and refreshing. Of course, the mattress is shorter, not as wide, nor as soft as in a hotel. Once awake, the staff converts the cabin back from a bed to seats and a table and serves the breakfast you ordered the night before.

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Overall, traveling with the night train from Paris to Berlin was a great experience. The “deluxe” cabin offers quite a lot of comfort. If possible, I would book the single cabin again but would omit the in-cabin shower (and maybe toilet). For me, the night train is a very good alternative to flying (or even driving by car): It is much more comfortable and relaxing, you do not waste any time since you travel over night, and it is clearly more sustainable. I definitely recommend it!