Back to my arrival in Vienna – I didn’t sleep because I had reserved a reclining seat on the overnight train from Berlin.
I could have booked a bunk bed in a shared cabin on the 12-hour trip, but I thought I could save money by booking the cheapest accommodation on the OBB Nightjet train: a seat in a cabin with 5 other people for $40. I figured traveling overnight would save time.
With limited leg room, a backpack as a pillow, and a windbreaker as a blanket, I kept rummaging around in my head until morning.
After leaving the train station, I randomly went to three nearby hotels and found one with vacancies. But in order to check in at 7am and check out later than 11am, I had to book a room for two nights.
Ultimately, reserving a seat for an overnight ride cost about $200 more than a train ticket. A full day of napping left me little time to explore the city.
“The quality of your trip depends not only on the cabin but also on the route,” OBB Nightjet wrote in a statement to Business Insider. “For overnight travel, we recommend traveling in a sleeper or sleeper cabin. There is plenty of room to stretch out. For shorter journeys, a sit-down cabin is recommended.”
Next time, I’ll take the train line’s advice and book a bunk bed for an overnight ride.