r/Interrail • u/PWL-SAW • 3d ago
Couchette vs. Sleeper
I have booked this €169 sleeper train ticket (Zürich-Villach, single occipancy, the Croatian one), and I’m considering using a shared sleeper or a couchette one. I have used sleeper trains many times, alone or with my friend, but not a chouchette.
Is a couchette that uncomfortable compared to a sleeper bed? I thought about using a two-person sleeper, but as long as I have to share the space with others, I think I’d rather choose a couchette.
Any advice please? I’ll be travelling with a 28-inch wheeled suitcase and a normal backpack with me. I hope there is enough space to store my bag under the lower couchette berth?
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u/skifans 3d ago
I am a little confused as you say you have already booked? Or are you considering refunding and buying another one?
Also be aware there are usually 2 sets of carriages to Villach - the Croatian HŽPP ones which continue to Zagreb but also the NightJet ones to Graz. They are usually split up the line in Schwarzach-St.Veit. The later usually gives you an roughly half an hour in bed which I think is very important at that time of the morning! The Graz portion also has comfort couchettes which are sort of a halfway house with a sleeper. Though not a full mattress they have sort of a gym mat type thing that does make it significantly softer.
The best way I can describe a couchette is to image sleeping on just a carpeted bit of floor. It's a flat place to lie down in with some bedding. But there is no mattress to speak of. So it is a lot harder, personally I have been known to bring an inflatable camping mattress on a few occasions!
They are fine in my view but definitely a budget option. I've used both plenty of time and I do think the sleepers are significantly more comfortable and I am definitely happy to pay a bit more for them. But there is a limit and equally sometimes sleepers are just stupidly expensive, and I've still been happy with the couchette. Obviously very personal but I can still sleep well enough on them, but it's definitely a worse night's sleep then a sleeper.
So I do think couchette is second fiddle compared to sleepers. But they are still orders of magnitude better then seats which I would only consider in an emergency. But as a budget option couchettes are totally fine in my view.
Couchettes usually have more luggage space as there is space under the bottom bunks - same with the comfort couchettes - whereas with sleepers that space is usually taken up with the folded up seats for when they are in day mode. Where I have seen people struggle to fit bags is more with the depth of the bag then the length.
Couchettes are by default also shared unless you pay for solo use. So switching to one would have you sharing with up to 3 or 5 other people depending on which option you choose. The later can start to get a bit tight for luggage if multiple people have suitecases.
Finally make sure to check your exact dates as they do vary and there is some engineering work coming up.
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u/PWL-SAW 3d ago
I have already booked this 169 Euro ticket, which is semi-flexible for Interrail, and I somehow thought the price is just too much. So I thought about getting a couchette option instead.
Thank you very much for your detailed information. I had no idea it's like a 'carpeted floor'!
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u/No_Direction_4610 3d ago
So it's a pass reservation, not a ticket. It can be cancelled and fully refunded until 15 days in advance.
€169 for a sleeper sounds like you booked a single, i.e. a compartment just for yourself. If you're considering a couchette to save some money, then instead maybe consider booking a bed in a shared sleeper compartment for 2 or 3. That should cost a lot less.
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u/skifans 3d ago
Pretty typical for a single room reservation sadly, on other night trains they are much more! But yes it is expensive and I wouldn't be paying that.
Obviously all very personal and each to their own but as No_Direction_4610 has said going down to a shared sleeper is an option. Or you could look into the comfort couchettes in the Graz portion.
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u/slasher-fun 3d ago
If you like a really hard mattress, you'll like couchettes. Otherwise... not so much.