Updated 2025-06-27T14:47:27Z
- I booked a 30-hour overnight train ride in an Amtrak roomette in 2021.
- Two years later, I booked a private cabin on a European sleeper train for an 11-hour ride.
- Despite similar amenities, the experiences were notably different. And one had better value.
I travel by night in tiny, moving hotel rooms, so I can fall asleep in one city and wake up in another. I squeeze into cabins smaller than a king-sized bed and look out the window at passing landscapes while I brush my teeth. With the rumble of the rails beneath me, I've found that the most exciting way to travel long distances is by overnight train.
I've taken seven sleeper trains in the US and Europe, sometimes cheaply with shared accommodations and, in other cases, more expensive, private cabins.
The most comparable rides were the Amtrak roomette and a private cabin on OBB Austrian Federal Railway's Nightjet train.
Both rides offered an enclosed space with beds, in-room sinks, and wash basins, but the experiences were completely different in many ways.
Read on to find out which is worth the price — and why.
My overnight train rides began in October 2021 with a 30-hour trip from NYC to Miami in an Amtrak roomette.
For $500, I traveled 1,094 miles in an Amtrak roomette.
The roomette is the train's second-tier of accommodation — one step above coach seating and one step below an Amtrak bedroom, which is twice the size for roughly double the price, in my experience.
Two years later, I took an 11-hour sleeper train from Venice, Italy, to Vienna.
In November 2023, I booked a private cabin on a Nightjet train traveling through Europe for the first time.
For $200, the train took me 269 miles from Italy to Austria. The private cabin is the train's top-tier accommodation — two steps above a reclining seat and one step above a shared cabin with strangers — both of which I'd experienced before.
Although the ride was $300 cheaper than my Amtrak one, it's worth noting that my US ride took me much farther than the European one.
The Amtrak roomette was an enclosed space designed for both night and day travel.
The roughly 20-square-foot room had two seats situated across from each other and a pullout table with foldout leaves to save space. The cabin also had two wide windows, which brought in plenty of natural light throughout the day.
It was a pretty sweet workspace. I spent my time editing photos on my laptop and looking out the window at the passing scenery.
At night, stewards came by to transform my room for sleep. The two chairs pull out to make a bottom bunk, and a top bunk pulls down from the ceiling.
Meanwhile, the European cabin seemed to only be designed for night travel.
Since I was only on the train from about 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., it made sense to me that my Nightjet cabin didn't have all the fix-ins of the roomette.
The 30-square-foot enclosed space housed three beds — one on the bottom and two up top. It lacked a daytime setup of seats and a table, and the window was quite small. However, the room had more space to move around than the roomette, which I appreciated.
The European cabin also had an additional perk the roomette lacked — welcome gifts.
Once in my room, I was surprised to find a goody bag filled with complimentary sleep essentials since I hadn't experienced this perk on my Amtrak ride.
Inside were wafer treats, slippers, earplugs, a sleep mask, a washcloth, and a pen.
Both rooms had a vanity and sink. The roomette's felt squished into a tight space.
On one side of the roomette, there was a mirror with a small pull-out sink below.
There was no toilet in the room, so I used a shared bathroom at the end of the train car.
I appreciated being able to brush my teeth and wash my face from the comfort of my cabin, but I craved a larger sink.
Meanwhile, the European cabin had a spacious wash-up area.
In the Nightjet cabin, the sink and vanity were behind two doors. Inside, bright lights that made it easier to see my face in the mirror and storage compartments for my toiletries.
The added perk helped me keep my things organized rather than making a mess of my bag.
Like the roomette, this cabin didn't have a toilet, and I used a shared bathroom in the sleeping car.
The roomette beds were stiff, but the blankets were soft.
No train bunk measures up to a real bed. But while a little stiff, I found the Amtrak bunk comfortable enough to rest in. The blankets were thin but soft to the touch.
The European bunk was slightly more comfortable.
With a thick, smooth comforter and a bed with a little give to it, the Nightjet bunk was a bit more comfortable than the one in the roomette, and I slept slightly better.
In the morning, I got a balanced breakfast on the Amtrak train.
My ticket included breakfast on both trains. Due to the length of the ride, the Amtrak train also served complimentary lunch and dinner.
In the US, I had a big breakfast that prepared me for the day, including an egg sandwich, yogurt, oatmeal, a muffin, and a beverage.
My breakfast on the European train was less fulfilling.
Breakfast was complimentary on the Nightjet train, too. But it was smaller. I got yogurt, a beverage, and two hard rolls accompanied by butter, Nutella, and jam.
I appreciated the fuel up, but it didn't give me the energy I needed for the day. I ended up getting a second breakfast at the McDonald's in the train station once I arrived.
While the European ride was cheaper, I thought the US ride had better value.
I ultimately found that the US trip was a better deal than the European one. The Amtrak traveled much farther, included more meals, and had a room designed for day and night travel.
At the same time, I still think the cabin in Europe was worth the price. And I'll miss the spacious room, vanity, bunk, and welcome gifts Nightjet provided on my next Amtrak ride.
