Hi, ÖBB Nightjets are only 2nd class trains. Even for the Deluxe Sleeper Cabins with en suit shower. You need only a reservation to use it, and the price of the resservation depends from the "luxury" of the cabin. From only a seat for 14€ to ....

Thank you for your very quick reply.  Do you know how much the Deluxe Sleepers with ensuites are by any chance? 

Many thanks

Sue

If you plan to take Eurostar to mainland Europe around Christmas time I would suggest that you make the reservation ASAP.

There is a limited number of pass holder seats on the Eurostar and on popular departures and during high season those sell out weeks, and sometimes months in advance.

The best place to see the availability of passholder seats and make reservations on the Eurostar is 

https://www.b-europe.com/EN/Booking/Pass#TravelWish

Press "later trains" and eventually you will find the next available connection. 

If you have a mobile pass you need to generate a Pass Cover Number in order to make the reservation at b-europe. You do that here in the PCN generator:

https://community.eurail.com/news-and-announcements-39/pass-cover-number-generator-is-live-5653

The prices vary by route but in the region of €150 with pass. Standard cabins are €20-40 less and have washbasin but no toilet/shower, there is o course access to communal facilities in each carriage.

All information is here, please read up on the offerings and routes.

https://www.nightjet.com/en/#/home

You should be aware that the sleepers and couchette carriages are normally locked so they can’t be accessed from the seating cars. This is to keep the showers for the exclusive use of the premium passengers. If you can afford a deluxe sleeper stay in an hotel use the sleeper only when absolutely necessary in my opinion. My wife and I were on the Wien to Bucharest sleeper yesterday but that was to save time 

ALL cars have at their ends a tiny ´washroom/toilet´ with a usually quite limited water supply-and in very frosty nights this may even be empty, as it may become ice. In the historic past this water and your outlet into the WC just fell on the tracks, but that is no more-and this tank may hence also become full and then the whole thing un-usable. Real showers in trains are a rarity and only in very ´luxurious´, thus high-supplmt spaces. For the same money you can get yourself in a 4* HTL.

It differs but in a fair lot of big stations the paid toilets may also have shower cubicles-for pay (think of about 5-6€).

But just compare: a dorm-bed in a hoStel which offers far more, mostly also cooking/kitchen and a real bed etc. will cost 10-20€/night, lowest prices in East, highest in FR,CH  and Scandinavia 

2nd on NJ gives you access to seats (mostly old-style compartmt for 6-seats can often be drawn out and even flattened if its not full ,or couchette: a bunk bed, 4 or 6 in a comptmt, turns into seats daytime, much more cramped as most hoStelbeds. Supplmt are about 14 and 25 for these.

IMHO night trains are to be avoided for many reasons, some of which have already been posted.

1. I like room to “swing a cat” in my bedroom, Even the luxury sleeper cabins are bunks for 2 and a masterclass in miniaturisation. Think of a micro caravan.
2. Catering is abysmal - even when a breakfast is included it will only be a croissant and coffee.
3. You miss the beauty of the scenery.
4. They often only travel the equivalent of a 3 or 4 hour train journey.
5. They stop and start all night
6. They leave late at night
7. They wake you up early
8. And unless you pay 4* hotel prices for privacy you have to share, especially in couchettes.
9. Do you really want to travel through the night on a seat?
10. They are not “The Orient Express”.

Enjoy the city, Check in to hotel/hostel, shower and change, go out for evening for meal and drink, good nights sleep, cosy breakfast, stroll to station, daytime train to next stop.

ÖBB Nightjet offers much more than that if you book a sleeper.

That very much depends on the route. Brussels - Vienna by day is certainly much longer than that.

This is one of the things with generalisations - there are always exceptions to the rule.

I am sure there will be exceptions to most of the 10 points but I stand by my opinion that night trains are not for me.

OOI what would be a reasonable score out of 10 against my generalisations to make it worthwhile?

For point number 4 though, I'd say that those night trains that only cover the equivalent of a 3 or 4 hour train journey have largely disappeared, and are the exception.

I do use night trains sometimes but only to cover long distances that I don't want to do by day for some reason. Usually because I don't have enough time.

I have no doubt that overnight trains are a valuable option in many circumstances, just not for the needs of people who want a 4* experience and have the budget, especially when not travelling as a single (2 supplements and the bunk bed experience)

4 other factors for the list when you are travelling in shared accomodation -

lack of privacy/other travellers habits, especially if, like me, they need a 2 am walk down the corridor.

Compromised security

Shared toilet at the end of a corridor (even in a sleeper cabin)

Sleeping in your day clothes or pyjamas?

Here is just one article about night trains in Europe. I would say this is a balanced article on the reality of night trains.

https://showmethejourney.com/travel-info-and-tips/our-guide-to-taking-european-night-trains/