Couchette/Sleepers in Overnight Trains?

Question

Can someone please give me some details? I'm using Rick Steves to help plan a trip to Europe. He mentions that couchettes/sleepers are available for overnight trains. These are cheaper than the hotel trains (for example, a hotel train from Paris to Madrid, overnight, is going to be $100 pp plus the rail pass).

My question is this: do all trains have a berth for sleeping? even if it isn't a hotel train? For example, I'm looking at taking the train fron St-Jean-de-Luz-Ciboure into Madrid, to avoid the Hotel Train, and it's an overnight trip (leaves at 21:04, arrives at 8:20). (Trains are CVG 8543 and Coralt 204). I'm assuming that if I take this train, I can find somewhere to sleep for the night, or do I just have to sit up in my seat for 12 hours?

Answer 1

If they're anything like American overnight trains, the seats are quite different than the trains you're used to.  They're designed for people to sleep in overnight, so they tilt quite far back (1-2 feet rather than the 1-2 inches an airplane gives you)... and they have things which flip up to support your feet and calves.  Kinda like a La-z-boy train seat.

However, ask your agent to get clear on the accomodations they offer.

They surely won't provide free berths for coach passengers.  It'll be your seat or nothing. If you want a berth, reserve it and pay for it.

When you say "Hotel train" that smacks of the luxury travel that they aim at the cruise ship crowd, rich American retirees.  That's gonna be first class all the way and $$$$.  It's possible that second-class sleepers exist at much less cost.  Amtrak had them in the east until the mid-1990s, and I used them a lot before I got used to coach.

Answer 2

I will give you a web site below that shows pictures and explains a lot about couchettes.

I don't know who Rick Steves is, but you need a good travel agent to contact Rail Europe for you to make reservations and insure you know what you are actually booking. Check with your local travel agent.

http://www.seat61.com/Sleepers.htm#Trave...