Munich-Venice ÖBB nightjet NJ40463

Travelogue Sleeping Car from Munich to Venice with two small children

In the summer of 2022, we went on our first overnight train holiday. Beforehand, I found it very difficult to get information for planning our trip with two small children. I received contradictory answers from the official agencies, both by phone and by email, which were then changed again in different ways when I asked. Therefore, I decided to provide another piece of the information puzzle for other travellers with our travel report.

Our original plan for 2020 was to train from Munich to Venice, then ferry to Rovinj, from there bus to Rijeka and from there back to Munich by sleeper. Then Corona came along and we postponed our trip and in spring 2022 only sleeping cars were bookable on the Munich-Venice route, but not on the Munich-Rijeka route. As we would have liked to keep the old route, I asked at various places by e-mail and telephone. The information varied between "Sleeping cars no longer run on this route" and "Booking of sleeping cars will only be activated later". We then changed the plan to Munich - Venice - Porec - Venice - Munich.

We booked the train tickets for 08/17 August on the ÖBB website at the end of February. Ticket sales always start 180 days before the travel date. When booking, our train had a choice of seat, couchette (4 beds), sleeper (1 to 3 beds) and sleeper deluxe (1 to 3 beds + shower/WC). We opted for the sleeping car with three beds. We booked for two adults and two children (2 and 5) with a 6-year-old child. Actually, children under 6 pay nothing, but this is the only way we get a sleeping car with three beds. The plan is that the two small children share a bed. In total for all four persons and return journey we paid 413,60 €. The price was already €463.60 in mid-April. At the beginning of May it was € 473.60 and the Deluxe sleeper was no longer available. On 17.05. the sleeper was also no longer available for this specific day. From mid-June, no more tickets were available for our desired date. So it is highly recommended to book really extremely early.

About the equipment and size of the compartment:

The lower two beds have mattresses approx. 70 cm wide (measured as 2 A4 sheets long sides and half a short side) and approx. 175-180 cm long (minimally longer than my height). Around the mattress, however, there is a 5-10 cm gap to the wall. This gives a little more space, but objects can fall down during the night. The top bed is just as wide. However, because the trains are narrower at the top due to the round train roof, the mattress is considerably shorter. However, the train compartment protrudes into the aisle area at the top. Similar to a "one-sided T". The lying surface extends into this bulge. However, the lying surface is interrupted by a gap about 5 cm wide, and there is no longer a mattress in the bulge, but a surface upholstered with leather. So you lie with your head and neck on the leather surface and in the shoulder area on the gap. That is very uncomfortable. Of course, it would be possible to simply lie in the bed the other way round. However, due to the round draft roof, the ceiling height at the other end of the bed is very low.

The beds have a metal bar on the long side, the metal bar of the upper bed also runs almost once around the compartment. A fall-out protection is attached to these bars and by two screws directly on the bed on the upper and middle beds. On one of the two journeys, however, one of the two screws was broken out and the fall-out protection was practically unusable. Since I slept in this bed together with the 2-year-old child, I found this borderline. We put the ladder in front of the bed as additional protection and it worked quite well. The ladder is attached to the top bar and can thus be used flexibly wherever it is needed. In addition, the metal bars are great for hanging things up. A small handbag hung next to the face is practical for everything you want to reach easily at night or in the morning (e.g. your mobile phone). But there is also a small luggage net, like on the back of the front seat in the plane or coach, in the bed. Wash bags with hooks are also easy to hang up. Real sleeper professionals might even use these backpacks, which fold out as hanging organisers. Because trying to get something out of your suitcase or rucksack again on the train is Tetris for advanced players, at least when there are four of you with luggage in one compartment. It's a good idea to organise yourself so that you don't have to do much in the compartment. We already changed at the station (no pyjamas, but very comfortable everyday clothes that you can keep on right away the next morning) and brushed our teeth.

Next to the beds there is another corridor about 70 cm wide, at the door again a little narrower. There is space for luggage in three places: In this narrow piece of floor in front of the beds, where it is of course constantly in the way. Under the seats there is space about 30 cm high (and then of course like the mattresses 70 cm deep and 180 cm long). However, we already had a large box and a large pile of fabric there (laundry bags for the bedding???). And as a third option, there is additional space for luggage (about the size of a medium-sized suitcase) in the recess next to the top sleeping place, which can also be secured with a fall-out protection. What you want to heave up there should be handy and not too heavy. We put our folded Fuxtec trolley up there, the backpacks under the seats, a small suitcase on the lowest bed (together with the 5-year-old child) and the large suitcase and shoes on the floor.

The travel experience:

Anyone who has experience with the railway naturally prepares for the unexpected. In Munich, according to the electronic display on the platform, we expected our carriage to stop in area E and F on the platform. So we walked with our luggage to the end of the platform (Munich is a terminus station). When the blue Nightjet cars arrived at 23:00 (20 minutes before departure), our cars were at the very beginning. So there was a big hike of all travellers on the platform. On the return journey, three paper bags with a water bottle, slippers, earplugs and a small towel were waiting for us in the compartment. There was also an information brochure on the bed and three breakfast menus to tick off. On the inside of the door was a chip card that can be used to open the door from the outside when going to the toilet at night. All this was missing on the outward journey. There are two toilets per carriage, one with a shower. On the outward journey one toilet was defective, on the return journey the other toilet (with shower). On the outward journey, we were given two breakfast trays, each with two fresh Kaisersemmels, butter and a small jar of jam, without being asked, about an hour before arrival, and were asked whether we wanted coffee or tea. On the return journey we indicated that we did not want breakfast so that we could sleep longer. The arrival in Venice was on time. On the return journey, however, despite leaving Venice on time, we were 1.5 hours late arriving in Munich (arrival around 08:00). There would have been enough time for breakfast - but even on request there was not even a cup of coffee. Shortly after boarding, someone handed out bottles of champagne on both journeys. Shortly after the train departed, the train attendant came to explain the compartment and collect the tickets and breakfast orders. The stamped tickets were returned in the morning, about 1h before the train arrived. 20 minutes before arrival we were woken up by knocking on the door.

How does it feel to sleep in a sleeping car?

In the top bunk it was very bad because of the divided lying surface. With a 2-year-old child together on 70 cm it is very cramped, but it went much better than I had assumed. Both children slept very well. Spending such a long journey with children sleeping instead of whining or arguing is really worth its weight in gold. We adults didn't really sleep well with all the rocking, jerking and clattering. There is something sedating about the rocking, but I didn't get a really deep and restful sleep. When the trains have a longer stay at the stations to change couplings, they stand still, sometimes the electricity and thus the ventilation system also fail for 10-20 minutes, and these changes always woke me up. As an after-effect of the rocking, I always had problems with my sense of balance the next day and the feeling of walking on a swaying ship.

Conclusion:

Beforehand, I thought I would either find the night on the train terrible or be thrilled. Now I'm rather undecided. I think with a 2-person sleeper (without the uncomfortable top bed) and on a slightly longer route with earlier departure and later arrival it would have been more relaxed. In the end, though, I guess travelling is always uncomfortable, whether you're in the car for 10 hours or have to get up very early to get to the airport in time and then sit squeezed on the plane. The sleeper trip was definitely not worse - but not as pleasant as the advertising says ("arrive at the holiday destination well-rested in the morning"). But on top of that there is the good conscience of travelling in a climate-friendly way and for the children the sleeper trip was an experience they like to tell about.