I fell asleep somewhere in the south of France and woke up with the Italian Alps outside my window. I’d taken overnight trains four or five times before (the Marrakesh Express was definitely the most… interesting of my sleep & ride experiences) but I’d never opened my eyes to such a vastly different landscape. It gave me butterflies.

If you’ve never taken an overnight train, here’s a good idea of what to expect. First, you’re going to have to hand over your passport. I know, it’s a bit nerve wracking. But I swear, the conductor is not going to abscond with it. You’ll get it back in the morning (no stamp, sadly) an hour or so before you arrive at your destination. Around 10pm, your friendly conductor will come in to turn down the beds, which, I have to point out, are actually quite comfortable. If you’re a light sleeper, check the mirrored cabinet - there’s a small toiletries kit, complete with ear plugs.

Note: None of this fun stuff applies to the Marrakesh Express. Bare bones, people.

If you’re traveling solo like I was, you’ll probably share a sleeping compartment with a complete stranger. This is my very favorite part of train travel - meeting and gabbing with new people. The couple who took the adjoining couchette en route from Barcelona to Turin ended up being from Plano, Texas - half a mile from where my mother lives. I found this to be way less exotic than the banker from Kazakhstan who shared my cabin from Paris to Barcelona, by the time we rolled into Barcelona, I felt like maybe I should hug her goodbye. Okay, I *did* hug her goodbye, but she was just as into it as I was!

If you have a Eurail pass, your passage in a sleeper car can be less than you’d pay for a hotel room, and is a really good answer to long voyages you don’t want to use precious daytime hours to take. Me, I do it for the toiletry kit.

Got an overnight train story? Have an overnight train question? Send it in!

Monday, January 21, 2008 | getting there