Review: ÖBB NightJet Sleeper Cabin

Taking the train across Europe is a great alternative to flying. With stations located in most city centres, they can be a more convenient and timely option compared to heading to the airport and flying to the next city. 

I’ve always wanted to try a night train and luckily, this trip presented a fantastic opportunity to take one. In 2023, OBB introduced private Mini Cabins onboard their sleeper trains across the continent. I thought this was a great option during my journey across Europe, saving a day’s worth of travel for around the same price as a stay at a hotel or even some flights. 

If you are deciding where to stay in Amsterdam, you can check out Daniel’s review of The College Hotel Amsterdam, Autograph Collection or Josh’s stay at the Doubletree by Amsterdam Centraal, right near the departing point of this train.

The Mini Cabins are quite unique, as they resemble capsule-like sleeping pods, similar to the ones you can find in Japan. Thankfully, for the size of the cabin, they are also quite a bit cheaper compared to booking a single-bed sleeper cabin aboard this train.

Booking ÖBB NightJet Mini Cabin Sleeper

The Mini Cabins have not been introduced to the entire ÖBB NightJet network yet. I purchased this Sleeper journey with the help of an EURail Pass, a discounted continental pass program for those who live outside Europe.

Although the pass doesn’t cover the route ticket and the sleeper fare, it is still discounted a significant amount versus booking directly with ÖBB. Additionally, the cost of a Mini Cabin was less than staying for an additional night in either Amsterdam or Vienna, so this was no doubt the option to take.

Direct with ÖBB

You can book directly through ÖBB’s website, which is simple to navigate, though the Mini Cabin is hidden under the Couchette category on the booking page. Mini Cabins are very popular so it’s quite common that they sell out. If you do happen to find one available, they can be reserved for around 160 euros, which includes the price for the ticket on that train itself. 

With Eurail/Interrail

With multiple train trips planned across different operators, I opted to purchase an Eurail Pass to travel across Europe. My Eurail Pass was $309 for a Youth pass, for any 4 days within a month. Although I had a 1st class pass, the price is the same for 2nd Class pass holders when you purchase the Mini Cabin reservation.

For my journey, I paid around 75 Euros for the Mini Cabin option, though prices tend to be a little higher for the upcharge with the big demand for the Mini Cabin. If you or you know someone who’s a student or close to graduating, be sure to read about miles and points or discount opportunities for students!

If you do purchase Nightjet tickets through Eurail, be sure to print out your tickets before travelling, as some train operators do not accept mobile copies of reservations. Better safe than sorry!

Seat Selection

Booking with the Eurail Pass, I was not able to pre-select a cabin for my trip. If you book directly with OBB, you can choose a preference for a top or bottom bed. The only major difference other than height is that the bottom cabin has extra storage under the mattress.

Station Experience

Amsterdam Centraal is a massive multi-modal hub for travellers coming in and out of the city. Located right along the harbour, the station hosts various international, intercity and overnight trains. Many modes of other transport can reach the station, including local trains, subways, buses, trams, and even some of the city’s ferries.

Getting to and from the airport is also quite accessible, with trains departing from Schiphol every 15 minutes or less during the day with a trip time of 15 minutes or so.

Typically, overnight trains don’t have access to lounges in Amsterdam, however, those who held a first class international ticket or pass or elite train status at one of the major European carriers, can receive access. 

With my Eurail 1st Class Pass, I had complimentary access to train station lounges across Europe, including the NS International Lounge at Amsterdam Centraal before departure and after arrival in Vienna at the ÖBB Lounge. Access is only allowed 3 hours prior to a train.

NS International Lounge (departure)

The lounge is located next to a KIOSK convenience store on Platform 2a. It is located within the ticket barriers, so if you are connecting from another train, you don’t need to exit the paid area for access to the lounge. It is open from 7 AM to 7 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 6 PM on weekends. 

The lounge is small but empty. There are several workspaces with European charging sockets. However, unlike airport lounges that I’m used to, NS International lounges have no food and travellers can only take one soft drink per person, which is quite an interesting limitation. WiFi speeds are decent, good enough for watching videos but probably not enough for streaming. 

Washrooms are also available in the lounge, saving you 0.90 EUR per visit versus the public facilities.

If you don’t have access to the NS International Lounge, Amsterdam Centraal has some food options, both in and outside of the faregates.

OBB Lounge (on arrival)

OBB’s lounge policies are a little more lenient, with most sleeper train passengers able to access the lounge for free. Those who are in a seated carriage do not have free access, but can pay to enter with 10 EUR. Similar to the NS lounge, first class passengers with a minimum ticket price of 15 EUR or passes and elite train status can enter the OBB lounge as well.

Before my stay at the Imperial Riding School, Autograph Collection, I went to the OBB Lounge on arrival at Wien Hauptbahnhof, or Vienna’s central station, I went to the OBB lounge which had no limits on soft drinks plus had a few snacks including nuts and croissants. The space was a little larger and a little busier, but still nothing compared to airport lounge crowding in North America. The lounge also saved me from paying a Euro for the public washroom at the station.

If you hold frequent-flier status with an airline and you’ve booked an AIRail ticket with a Miles & More partner airline, you also have access to the OBB Lounge at Linz, Salzburg, Graz, and Innsbruck railway stations. Check out our comprehensive article on combined Air-Rail tickets here!

Cabin Experience

The cabin area is small, and feels similar to a capsule hotel. Cabins are arranged in groups of four bunk beds on one side of the train, all sharing one ladder. Passengers sleep perpendicular to the direction of travel.

The window across from the cabin has a bench that can be flipped down from under the window as well if you’re travelling with others and you want to socialize together.

There is space for people up to 6 foot 2 inches tall, or 188 cm, but I would say that anyone 6 feet tall and under will be the most comfortable in this cabin. From a 5 ft 7 inches perspective, I am able to fully lie down, even with a small duffel bag behind my head and a commuter sized backpack inside the cabin.

Each cabin receives a small pillow, mattress topper and a fleece blanket for linens. You also get a bottle of mineral water, a hazelnut wafer cracker and a paper bag for garbage. The literature pocket includes extra paper garbage bags, a magazine, and a safety card.

Two coat hooks were on one wall and a sliding foldable table that can be moved through most of the length of the cabin with a mirror attached on the bottom. There was a cupholder in it as well, but it was too wide for most drinks, including the breakfast coffee cup which was only held above the table by the lid.

Announcements were made for the first few stations, welcoming other passengers onboard and notifying everyone about the quiet time and absence of announcements between 9 PM and 8 AM. However, announcements still continued to play past 9 PM, only stopping around 10:30 PM after our departure from Hamm Hauptbahnhof.

Bed

The mattress in each cabin is firm, so don’t expect a heavenly Westin-like bed. It did get quite warm at times in the cabin, even with the personal AC vents open. But after 10:30 pm or so passing Hamm, the room did cool down enough to use the fleece blanket, which was also around the same time boarding announcements had stopped.

Near the head rest area, you can find a small window with shades and a blackout curtain as well as a wireless charger, another cup area, and the small console for lights and facilities in the cabin.

The control panel had an indicator for which lavatories or washrooms were occupied, as well as a button to call the cabin attendant. Beyond changing brightness levels, you can also change the colour of the lights in case you prefer cooler or warmer ambient lighting.

About 30 minutes before arriving at Wien, linens were taken away as we prepared for arrival. 

Amenities

Each cabin has its own NFC card assigned to each room, similar to a hotel. The card is used for locking the cabin, a carry-on storage locker, and a shoe shelf. The carry-on compartment can fit standard carry-on bags and the shoe compartment can fit at least one pair of shoes, with extra room for any other small items.

For larger bags, you can use the luggage racks in the seated car, with a cable lock that is lockable using any NFC card, including a credit card, room key card, etc. On my train, the seated car was attached to one of two couchette/mini cabin cars.

Also, if you have a lower bed assigned, there is additional storage available in a private compartment located under the mattress, just enough for a small backpack.

Bathroom 

Each couchette car had a couple of toilets and a wash station. The size of the toilets are very similar in size to airplane lavatories. There are no showers available for seated, Mini Cabin, or Couchette passengers, but those with a sleeper cabin have access to one in their rooms. 

The toilets and washrooms were kept clean and there were no special amenities other than basic toiletries provided.

Across from the bathroom was a digital screen displaying key train information, including departure and arrival times.

Dining

Sleeper car and couchette car both have a dedicated service attendant, who you can order food from in their galley. You can check out the dining menu here. Not all options are always available, so double-check with the attendant for what was stocked. OBB charges in both Euros (EUR) and Swiss Francs (CHF) for the same amount, but it is typically cheaper when you pay with Euros. 

I wasn’t very hungry plus I had some snacks so I ordered Sandwich Combo 1. It included a Couscous wrap and any of the non-alcoholic drinks or beer, wine and spirits under 0.375 Litres.

There was a bit of confusion and a language barrier between the attendant and I, where she thought the wrap and the drink were charged separately, but after I showed her the menu on my phone, she apologized and I gave her 6.60 Euro for the combo. The wrap had some flavour and for a combo for that price in Euros, it was alright.

Sleeping in a Mini Cabin also includes a “Viennese” light breakfast. This consisted of two bread rolls with butter and jam, served with tea or coffee. The attendant takes your coffee or tea order when she comes by to check tickets and seat reservations. On my train, breakfast was served whenever the attendant passed by and saw that you were awake and your cabin door was open. Otherwise the attendants will come knocking around 20 minutes before your station arrival. 

The bread rolls were warm, fresh and crisp and the tea was strong enough for me to get through the day. The cup just barely fits in the cup holder in the table, though it was a few millimetres away from being held by the lid instead.

Entertainment

There is WiFi available onboard on newer NightJet services, including all NightJet trains with Mini Cabins onboard. If you do need access to cellular data while travelling abroad, you should read our article on comparing eSIM services for travel.

The WiFi portal gives you access to magazines, food and beverage menu, various movies, tv shows, audio books, and even travel guides for various countries and cities.

Information on your trip is also displayed here, including a live map that updates the train’s location every few seconds. The timetable listed the scheduled times, with live departure and arrival times intermittently appearing.

The train ended up arriving at Wien right at 9:30, which was 13 minutes late. For this long of a trip, 13 minutes was completely fine with me, though I would plan any forward train connections with at least 45-60 minutes just in case. 

Conclusion

Night trains in Europe have been coming back in recent years, with more and more people demanding overnight travel between city centres. The Mini Cabin service on the OBB NightJet is an efficient option to travel between Austria and other cities across Europe. Although the train is much slower than flying, you can save hours of commuting and going through the hassle of security screenings at the airport. 

The long travel time gave me a decent amount of sleep, waking up refreshed a couple hours before arriving. The night train provides modern amenities, including NFC locks and decent WiFi and mobile entertainment. Although we arrived slightly late, it was hardly unreasonable. Overall, I would definitely consider taking the Mini Cabin onboard NightJet again across Europe.