New in European train travel is the "hotel train."
Sleepers and couchettes, of course, have always been an option on overnight trains but aboard the double-decker CityNightLine trains, deluxe, two-bed compartments come with wardrobe, table and chair, and a private bath with shower.
Beneath "deluxe" are two categories: "comfort" and "economy:"
Comfort compartments are smaller and have two washing facilities but no private shower or toilet.
| CityNightLine Prices (per night, per person/one way) | |||
| Category | Point-to-Point | Rail Pass holders | |
| Adult | Child with own bed | ||
| Deluxe Single | $316 | $235 | $163 |
| Deluxe Double | $220 | $215 | $117 |
| Comfort Single | $242 | $213 | $129 |
| Comfort Double | $192 | $173 | $103 |
| Economy Double | $150 | $135 | $60 |
| Economy Quad | $93 | $39 | $53 |
| Reclining Seat | $74 | $67 | $14 |
| CityNightLine Timetable | ||
| CNL 359 | Berliner | CNL 358 |
| dep: 1950 | Zürich HB | arr: 0934 |
| arr: 0440 | Leipzig | dep: 0020 |
| arr: 0610 | Dresden | dep: 2250 |
| arr: 0835 | Berlin | dep: 2035 |
| CNL 470 | Komet | CNL 471 |
| dep: 2045 | Zürich HB | arr: 0835 |
| arr: 0930 | Hamburg | dep: 2010 |
| CNL 223 | Donau Kurier | CNL 222 |
| dep: 1943 | Dortmund | arr: 1039 |
| arr: 0745 | Vienna | dep: 2130 |
Economy category is even smaller with one wash basin and either two or four bunk beds.
For those who don't need a private compartment, hotel trains offer reclining seats.
They have dining cars, of course, and also offer room service.
Currently, there are three CityNightLine "hotel train" routes: between Berlin and Zürich; Zürich and Hamburg; and between Vienna and Dortmund, Germany. (See the adjacent box for schedules.)
Europasses, Eurailpasses and German Rail Passes are accepted on these trains but reservations are mandatory and pass holders must pay a supplement for the sleeping accommodations. See the box above for pricing for both point-to-point tickets and rail pass holders. All prices include breakfast.
There are also a few "hotel train" routes within Germany called InterCityNight. Service on these is similar to the CityNightLine trains though the accommodations offered are sleepers and couchettes, neither of which offers private toilet or shower. Prices, naturally, are cheaper. A pair of pass holders taking the Berlin/Frankfurt and Berlin/Munich routes, for example, will pay $53 per person in a sleeper and $26 in the more primitive couchette (sleep in your clothes). A reclining seat is $12. Prices on the Hamburg to Munich route are slightly higher.
Point-to-point tickets on the Berlin/Munich and Berlin/Frankfurt routes are $129 per person double in a sleeper and $102 in a couchette.
The InterCityNight trains offer a restaurant and a bistro car. If you are going, say, from Berlin to Frankfurt on the night train which departs at one minute past 10pm, you can board early and have dinner before departure.
