Business Insider reporters traveled in staterooms on night trains in the United States and Europe. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I booked a 30-hour overnight train ride on Amtrak’s Room.net in 2021.
Two years later, I booked a private cabin on a European sleeper train and rode for 11 hours.
Despite similar amenities, the experience was markedly different. And the other one was more valuable.
I took six night trains in the US and Europe. Sometimes we stayed in shared accommodation, which was cheap, and sometimes we stayed in private rooms, which were more expensive.
We found that the most similar vehicles in each country were the private cabins of Amtrak’s Roomnet and OBB Austrian Federal Railways’ Nightjet trains.
Although both rides offered an enclosed space with a bed, indoor sink, and wash basin, the experience was completely different in many ways.
Read on to find out which one is better value for money and why.
My night train journey began with a 30-hour journey from New York to Miami on Amtrak’s Roomnet in October 2021.
The author gets off the train in Miami after a 30-hour ride. Joey Hadden/Insider
For $500, I traveled 1,094 miles in my own small hotel room.
Roomnet is the second level of accommodation on the train, one level above the bus seats and one level below the Amtrak sleeping area. In my experience, it’s twice the size and roughly twice the price.
My most recent sleeper train experience was an 11-hour ride from Venice, Italy to Vienna.
The author gets off the night jet train in Venice. Joey Hadden/Insider
Two years later, I booked a private cabin on a Nightjet train traveling through Europe for the first time.
For $200, I was able to travel 430 miles by train from Italy to Austria. The private cabin is the top of the line accommodation on the train, two steps above him in a reclining seat and one step above him in a shared cabin with a stranger, both of which I have experienced before.
The ride was $300 cheaper than Amtrak, but it’s worth noting that the ride in the U.S. went much further than the ride in Europe.
Amtrak’s roomette was an enclosed space designed for both day and night travel.
Inside Amtrak’s Roomnet. Joey Hadden/Insider
The approximately 20 square foot room had two seats placed across from each other and a pull-out table with folding leaves to save space. The cabin had two wide windows that let in plenty of natural light throughout the day.
It was a pretty great workspace in my opinion. I spent some time editing photos on my laptop and watching the scenery outside the window.
At night, the manager came and converted my room for sleeping. Two chairs are pulled out to create a lower berth, and an upper berth is lowered from the ceiling.
European cabins, on the other hand, seemed to be designed solely for night travel.
Take a peek inside the cabins of Europe’s night jet trains Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I was only on the train from about 10pm to 7am, so it was no surprise that the NightJet cabin didn’t have all the roomnet amenities.
The 30-square-foot enclosed space had three beds, one on the bottom and two on top. There were no seats or tables set up during the day, and the windows were quite small. However, the room had more space to move around than the room net, which I appreciated.
The European cabin also had an extra perk that the roomette didn’t have: a welcome gift.
Upon entering the room, I was surprised to find a goodie bag filled with complimentary sleep essentials, as I had never experienced this perk on an Amtrak ride.
Inside were wafer sweets, slippers, and earplugs, as well as a sleep mask, a washcloth, and a pen.
Both rooms had a vanity and sink. The room net felt like it was squeezed into a small space.
Amtrak train vanity and sink. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
There was a mirror on one side of the room. A small sink was pulled out underneath.
There was no toilet in the room, so we used the communal toilet at the rear of the vehicle.
While I appreciated being able to brush my teeth and wash my face from the comfort of my cabin, I would have liked a larger sink area.
European cabins, on the other hand, had spacious washing areas.
There was a space behind the bathroom vanity to store toiletries. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
In the NightJet cabin, the sink and vanity were located behind two doors. The room had bright lighting to make it easier to see my face in the mirror, and a storage compartment for toiletries.
The added perks helped me keep my things organized instead of having a cluttered bag.
Like the roomette, this hut also did not have a toilet, so we used the shared toilet in the sleeping car.
The roomnet bed was hard, but the blanket was soft.
The author wakes up in Amtrak’s Loomnet. Joey Hadden/Insider
In my experience, train berths are no match for real beds. However, we found the Amtrak berths to be comfortable enough to rest in, although they were a bit hard. The blanket was thin but soft to the touch.
The European bunks were slightly more comfortable.
The author’s sleeper on the night train. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
I found the Nightjet bunk beds, with their thick, smooth comforters and slightly indented beds, to be a little more comfortable than the Roomnet bunk beds. And now I can sleep a little better.
In the morning, I had a well-balanced breakfast on the Amtrak train.
Complimentary breakfast on board Amtrak trains. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
On both trains, my ticket included breakfast in the morning. It’s worth noting that Amtrak trains also provided complimentary lunch and dinner due to the length of the ride.
In America, I ate a hearty breakfast of egg sandwiches, yogurt, oatmeal, muffins, and drinks to feel prepared for the day.
Breakfast on European trains was not very fulfilling.
Complimentary breakfast on board the Nightjet train. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Breakfast was free even on the night jet train. But it was smaller. I got a yogurt, a drink, and two hard rolls with butter, Nutella, and jam.
I appreciated the refueling, but it didn’t give me the energy I needed for the day. In the end, after arriving, I had my second breakfast at McDonald’s at the station.
Although the European ride was cheaper, I thought the US ride was better value.
The author arrives in Miami after riding Amtrak’s Loomnet. Joey Hadden/Business Insider
In the end, I found that traveling to the US was more economical than traveling to Europe. Amtrak traveled much longer distances, included more meals, and had rooms designed for day and night travel.
At the same time, I still think the European cabin was good value for money. And you’ll miss the spacious room, vanity, berth, and welcome gift that Nightjet provided you the next time you board Amtrak.
