I’m going off the rails on a crazy train! – Ozzy Osbourne
My dream of a family adventure on a scenic European sleeper train turned into a mix of nostalgia, chaos, and comedy aboard Austria’s OBB Nightjet. From overflowing toilets and cold showers to unexpected 1990s carriages, our Berlin-to-Vienna journey proved that even imperfect travel makes great stories —and that sometimes the ride is the real adventure.
When I was a kid, my adventurous parents took me on a cross-country Amtrak trip from New York to California aboard the Southwest Chief and California Zephyr. My dad, always chasing a bargain, booked us into a tiny sleeper cabin with a sink the size of a cereal bowl and toilets down the hall. My mom and I shared the top bunk—cozy! But I loved it, especially falling asleep on the train and living it up in the dining car like it was a five-star restaurant on wheels.
As budget airlines took over Europe, sleeper trains mostly vanished. But things are changing. With climate concerns rising, airport headaches increasing, and more people craving slower, scenic travel, night trains are staging a comeback
What began as a niche revival has grown into a large network of overnight train routes across Europe. Luxury icons like the Caledonian Sleeper and the Orient Express still roll on, but Austria’s OBB Nightjet has become a major player. They started with refurbished 1990s sleeper cars—shared cabins sleeping up to six, and private ones sleeping one to three. Some of the comfort cabins even come with en suite bathrooms. Families can book connecting cabins on certain routes, though in our case, I was grateful we didn’t—we needed the space in front of the connecting door for our carryons. After years of buzz, Nightjet’s sleek new futuristic carriages are finally hitting the rails on a few select routes… including, we believed, ours.
For years, I’ve been dreaming of a family sleeper train adventure, fueled by endless TikTok’s and YouTube reviews. Our trip took an unexpected turn when airport strikes threw a curveball. France was supposed to be our next stop after an epic AC/DC concert in Berlin (yes, it was totally rad!), but we found ourselves scrambling for a backup. We decided to take the sleeper train to Vienna!
I snagged the last two comfort cabins with en suite bathrooms. Technically, they sleep three—but calling them “cozy” would be generous. It was a late-night, spur-of-the-moment booking. Everyone else was asleep, so I texted two close friends: “This is either going to be amazing…or I’ll never live it down.
Berlin Hbf: Pro Tips Before You Ride
Berlin’s central station (Hbf) is enormous and has every convenience you’d want: food, shops, and even showers (10€ per person). For long train rides (4+ hours), I always recommend grabbing food before boarding. Many long-distance trains have dining cars, but options can be limited or sold out—and stops are often too short to hop off for snacks.
9 minutes to Board Hell on Wheels
At 6:45 p.m, our train rolled into the station. Despite reviews and PR announcements, we boarded expecting sleek, futuristic carriages like those in Star Trek. Instead, we found a full-blown 1990s throwback resembling Amtrak’s oldest sleeper train. Despite our family’s initial disappointment, they remained good sports and boarded.
We had 9 minutes to board, and a lot of luggage. My linebacker husband and two strong boys got to work. There was plenty of storage, all at the very top of the cabin. It was difficult to hoist 50-lb suitcases up to the ceiling, balancing on seats and a narrow ladder. Even my older son, a former powerlifter who can deadlift 400 lbs, struggled.
With bags finally stashed, our cabin attendant arrived to collect breakfast orders—comfort class includes a light morning meal. The OBB website also promised a dining car, which we were excited to try. There wasn’t one. The attendant offered a few sad microwave meals and one lone bottle of Coke Zero—which I took after asking for a regular Coke. Luckily, I’d packed a picnic.
Toilet Trouble and Sleeper Chaos
Just as I started unpacking dinner, shouting erupted from our sons’ cabin. Their toilet was already half-full when they boarded, and when they flushed, it overflowed—sending dirty water from a previous user across the bathroom floor and into the shower pan, nearly reaching the carpet. My oldest son bolted out and slammed the door, his legs flecked with mystery droplets. He was…not thrilled.
The cabin attendant gave a shrug and called the conductor, who offered us either a 10–20% refund or the option for the boys to sit in coach for 12 hours. Not exactly a win. They opted to stay and hope the bathroom door held.
Later, a young German-American traveler struck up a conversation with my son and casually mentioned that toilet issues are pretty common on older Nightjet trains. Funny how that never made it into any of the videos and blogs I’d watched.
Nighttime Trials and Cold Showers
By 10 p.m., everyone was wiped—and with breakfast starting at 5:30 a.m., it was time to wind down. I decided to test our en suite bathroom, which we paid a premium for. The toilet flushed (a small miracle), but the shower blasted ice-cold water in 30 second bursts—just enough time to freeze, soap up, and rinse in survival mode. Even better, the shower water didn’t drain for the rest of the trip. We left a pair of soggy slippers OBB provided for toilet and shower visit.
My youngest son powered through like a champ. My husband sounded like a tormented animal. And my oldest? He had the worst luck. Mid-lather, the carriage lost power, leaving him soapy and stranded. I was already prepping bottled water when the pump kicked back in. Let’s just say his post-shower review would’ve required a lot of bleeps.
Sleep, Straps, and Surprise Stops
At 11:30 p.m., our cabin attendant set up the beds. Passengers aren’t allowed to convert them on their own. My husband and opted for the lower bunk and middle bunk to sleep. The boys opted for the middle and top—only to realize later the taller one didn’t fit comfortably in the highest bunk. If your planning on someone sleeping up there they probably should be no taller than 5’6” (or 1.68 m)
Despite thin mattresses and glowing control panels that doubled as nightlights, we managed to doze off—on and off, anyway. The ride started out smooth, but somewhere in the night it felt like the conductor decided to race through every curve. My husband compared it to sleeping on El Toro, the wooden roller coaster at Six Flags, as his body slid from one side of the bed to the other with every twist and turn. At one point, my younger son jolted awake during a particularly sharp bend, convinced we were about to derail—“We’re definitely dying tonight!” he thought.
Dawn into Vienna
By 5:45 a.m., only my family was up, having given up an attempting to sleep. We discovered we were sitting at a station 40 minutes outside Vienna—apparently, we were too early to pull into the city. Our cabin attendant, despite telling us to be ready by then, looked genuinely surprised to see us awake. He rushed in to convert the beds back to seats and serve breakfast.
Breakfast was simple but satisfying: bread rolls, yogurt, coffee, juice, cheese, and salami. Each passenger could choose six items, with extras available for a small fee.
One final challenge: getting the luggage down. Slightly easier than the night before, but still no small feat. By 7:10 a.m., we were on the platform in Vienna, saying goodbye (and good riddance) to our hotel on wheels.
Final Thoughts
Despite the chaos, discomfort, and overflowing drama, I’m still glad we went for it. Travel is rarely perfect—but the messiest moments often make for the best memories (and the funniest stories). Research will only take you so far; sometimes, you just have to be on the ground living it to get the full picture.
Would I do it again? Maybe—but only if I could confirm that all the cars in the system had been upgraded. I wouldn’t risk the expense (or another sleepless night) without a guarantee that we wouldn’t end up in old stock again.
European Sleeper, another rising player, is in the process of rolling out a brand-new fleet, and I’d consider giving them a try to compare—or splurging on a higher-end option like the Caledonian Sleeper. As for my kids? Let’s just say they wouldn’t complain if we left them behind for round two.
A final note, OBB Nightjet’s customer service has been a major letdown. No one followed up about our cabin issue, and the refund or travel credit we were promised onboard never arrived. My follow-up email has gone unanswered, and at this point, our only recourse is to file a dispute with our travel credit card. I’ll update this post if we ever see a resolution.
Travel by Marisa 