Thursday, July 4 – Munich – Paris!

Taking the night train to Paris!

This is the official propaganda for The City Night Train:

“The City Night Line overnight train allows you to make the most of your time during your European holiday. You’ll save daylight for sightseeing by traveling overnight, as well as the cost of a hotel room. And you’ll arrive in the city center, not some far away airport requiring more time and money to reach town.

Of course, a service like this is only worthwhile if it’s comfortable. And rest assured, you’ll sleep in complete comfort on this train that links Switzerland and Italy or Germany (including domestic German overnight trains) and many of the surrounding countries as well. Wind your way from Munich to Amsterdam, Berlin to Zurich, or from Munich to Rome…

The first class sleeper cabins on the City Night Line are all about optimization. Optimizing the time you have at your selected destination by traveling there at night. Optimizing money by skipping another hotel night. But perhaps more than anything, optimizing you. How good you feel when you arrive and how ready you are to go exploring. The sleeping compartments feature everything you need for a great night’s rest. It starts with a welcome drink in this non-smoking car. Why not refresh yourself in the privacy of your compartment’s own bathroom and shower (Deluxe Sleeper) with its waiting towel warmer before sinking into bed with a down-filled duvet? You can fall asleep watching the sweeping vistas out the panoramic window, or close the venetian blinds to shut the world out. There’s a mirrored closet to help you dress in the morning, but absolutely everything else was made to reflect the way we know you want to travel…

The City Night Line is for travelers whose cravings include getting the most out of a trip. That’s why we’ve made being able to get a great meal on board a priority. Plus, every Deluxe Class guest receives a complimentary welcome drink; of beer, white, red or sparkling wine, as well as orange juice and mineral water. You’ll find most City Night Line trains are equipped with a restaurant car that houses a bar. This full-service restaurant is open until midnight. Another car houses a well-stocked self-service buffet that’s open until 2:00 am. Both are popular with a range of food available for purchase, but an advanced reservation is recommended for the restaurant. Lastly, your breakfast is included and delivered to your compartment…

On board the City Night Line, you’ll find an extraordinary level of service. In a Deluxe cabin that includes personalized wake-up service from a dedicated cabin assistant, secure compartment doors with smartcard locks, corridors monitored by closed circuit tv, Internal telephone for crew assistance and non-smoking cars. Bicycle transport is available for an additional fee…

At the station you’ll find a welcome crew on the platform. Check-in will happen within your train compartment, with travel documents and passports collected and returned in the morning….” (http://www.raileurope.com).

Needless to say, our train was not what was described above. It was a bit old and dirty, there was no one waiting to help us, there was NO complimentary welcome drink, and when I asked the male steward said he had some red wine and sneered when I asked about the campaign or anything else. There was no dining car and no restaurant/buffet car. There was a crappy little snack room, but when we went to look at it, it was closed.

The 1st class compartment was tiny, about 5 feet across if that. It was like being in a closet. The bed was nice, but trying to sleep was a bit hard with someone pulling an emergency alarm during the night and the train stopping every few miles. I slept in the top bunk and did not sleep well. J slept in the bottom bunk and slept just fine. There was a box breakfast with tea or coffee, so that was nice. Unfortunately due to the swaying of the 10+ hour train trip (we left Munich at 10:50pm and arrived in Paris at 9:24am), hours later I still felt like I was swaying.