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Rocking While You Roll: Sleeping on Trains and Ferries
Derek Stables - March, 2007
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Here's a copy of Derek's tips on saving time and money by sleeping on trains and ferries while you travel overninght, presented at the March, 2007 meeting of the Travel Club:
A. SLEEPING ON OVERNIGHT TRAINS
Benefits: save time and some money
Personal recommendations (8 - 15 hr journeys):
Europe: Madrid - paris
Budapest - krakow
St. Petersburg - riga (latvia)
Stockholm - oslo
Asia: Istanbul - Ankara (turkey)
Ankara - Izmir (Turkey)
Singapore - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Recommendations by others:
Europe: Most western/central European journeys of 7 - 15 hrs
St. Petersburg - Moscow, Helsinki, Tallinn, Vilnius
India: Various long distance trains
Australia: Various long distance trains (the "Indian-Pacific," the "Ghan," etc.)
Africa: Cairo - Luxor or Aswan
Questionable or not recommended:
China: ???????
Too long: Hanoi - Saigon ( > 30 hrs)
Johannesburg or Pretoria - Cape Town (26-27 hrs)
Timetables & reservations:
• Europe: <www.bahn.de> best single site for west European timetables (in English).
<www.railfaneurope.net/frameset.html> has links to other timetables.
• Fares & reservations for night trains best obtained by phone (tel nos.
shown on websites; allow for time change) or wait until after arrival.
• Only use Rail Europe <www.raileurope.com> for urgent reservations
(prices inflated), but do use Rail Europe (or t. agent) for rail passes.
• Other: Links to websites & phone nos. shown on 2nd website above.
Otherwise, Consult guidebook, or government tourist info office.
B. SLEEPING ON OVERNIGHT FERRIES
Benefits: Save time and some money.
Personal recommendations (8 - 15 hr. journeys):
• Naples - Palermo (Sicily), 10 - 11 hrs
<www.snav.it> (only in Italian!). Phone Naples 001-39-081-5520763 (+9 hrs)
• Civitavecchia (Rome) - Palermo in about 12 - 13 hrs. also with SNAV
• Helsinki-Stockholm, 14 - 15 hrs
<www. silja.com/en> Phone Helsinki 001-358-9-18041 (+10 hrs from PST)
<www.vikingline.fi> Phone Helsinki 001-358-9-12351 “ “
Other overnight ferries:
Many routes and companies:
<www.aferry.to> is a very comprehensive site, with links that may allow online
bookings, but I recommend using the links to check your options. and then
visiting your selected ferry company websites for more complete information,
which can usually be translated into English. Also, the site's prices are inflated.
Strongly consider phoning any unfamiliar company to check cabin options etc.
and probably book by phone or Fax.
Probably avoid ferries in Indonesia and Bangladesh!
DEREK STABLES, MVTC, 3/8/07
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