Seat, couchette or sleeper, how many berths, which berth (upper, middle or lower), the coach number if you remember it, and whether you shared with people you did not know. Please leave out other people's names.
What time it was, whether the building and waiting room were open, where people sat, how warm or cold it was, what you could hear. For example: it was 22:40, the waiting room had just closed, so we sat on our cases on the platform next to a shuttered kiosk.
Under the lower berth, in the space over the door, at your feet. The size of your bag helps a lot. For example: my 70 cm hard case did not fit under the berth, so it stood upright between the beds all night.
How the train moved, noise, temperature, light, whether you slept and what helped. For example: in the upper berth the air was hot and dry; the train stood still somewhere around 2 a.m. and the silence woke me.
The light at the window, the landscape, breakfast arriving, the time. For example: snow outside, the smell of coffee from the corridor, a lake I did not recognise at ten past six.
The time on your ticket, the time you got off, and the reason if you were told one. For example: due at 07:58, arrived at 09:20 after a signal fault that the conductor announced at 06:30.
Start just before it happened: where you were, what time it was, what you saw. Then what you did and how it ended. For example: at 4 a.m. the heating stopped; the attendant brought extra blankets and we arrived two hours late. Please leave out names and anything about your health.
Concrete tips: which berth to book, what to bring, where to buy breakfast, which exit to use. For example: book the lower berth, bring a litre of water, and buy breakfast before boarding because the station shop opens late.
More questions (all optional)Before the journey What made you choose the night train for this trip? For example: we wanted to wake up in the mountains instead of spending a day at airports, or it was the only way to arrive before a morning meeting.
Tell us how you booked the ticket. Where you booked, how many weeks ahead, what you paid and for what, and anything that confused you. For example: booked on the operator's own site eight weeks ahead, two berths in a four-berth couchette; the Interrail reservation cost extra and was hard to find.
What did you bring for the night that you were glad to have? For example: earplugs, a sleeping mask, slippers for the corridor, a bottle of water, coins for the station toilet, a picnic because there was no food on board.
At the station What did you use at the station before boarding? Lockers, left luggage, toilet, shower, somewhere to buy food or coffee, wifi. The price and how you paid help other travellers most. For example: the toilet cost 1 euro, card only; the large lockers took coins only; the only open shop closed at 23:00.
How did you find the right platform and your coach? Platform number, whether the coach order was shown, how far you walked, lifts or stairs. For example: the sleeper coaches stood at the far end of the platform, about five minutes' walk, and the lift was out of order, so we carried our bags up the stairs.
What do you remember of the moment you stepped on board? The first thing you saw, smelled or heard, who met you, how the compartment looked. For example: a warm smell of coffee and old upholstery, the attendant ticking names off a list by torchlight.
On board What was in the compartment when you first got in? Sockets (how many and where), a lock on the door, a washbasin, towels, water, reading lights, a ladder. For example: one socket per berth by the pillow, a chain lock plus a key that the attendant kept.
What did you eat and drink on the journey, and where did it come from? Restaurant car, trolley, breakfast box, your own picnic, a shop on the platform. What it cost and when the service stopped. For example: the bistro closed at 22:00; breakfast was a roll, jam and coffee in a paper box on the berth.
How did you wash and freshen up during the trip? Toilet in the compartment or at the end of the coach, a shower or none, queues in the morning, how clean it was. For example: there was a shower only in the deluxe coach, so we used the washbasin; the toilet ran out of water around 5 a.m.
What was the atmosphere on board in the evening? Quiet or lively, families or groups, conversations in the corridor, the view from the window. Please describe people without names or details that could identify them. For example: two students played cards in the corridor until the attendant asked for quiet at eleven.
What did the staff on board do during your journey? Checking tickets, making the beds, bringing breakfast, answering questions, in which languages. Describe what happened rather than who did it. For example: the attendant made up our beds at 21:30 and knocked half an hour before arrival.
If you travelled with a bike, a pet or a small child, how did that work out? Where the bike went, whether the pet needed its own compartment, how the child slept, what you paid extra. For example: the bike hung on a hook in the last coach and was booked online for a fee; our dog meant booking the whole compartment.
The night What did you hear, see or feel when the train stopped in the night? Announcements, coaches being coupled, footsteps on the platform, a view through the blind. For example: around 3 a.m. there was a bang as coaches were shunted, and I watched workers in orange vests through the gap in the curtain.
What happened at border crossings, or where the train was split? Passport or ticket checks, at what time, whether they woke you, whether part of the train was uncoupled. For example: police checked passports at the border at 01:15; the attendant had collected them in the evening, so we were not woken.
How did you look after your belongings during the night? Locking the door, where you kept your phone and passport, whether you felt you needed to. Describe what you did and saw, not guesses about other people. For example: chain on the door, passport in a pouch under my pillow; I never felt uneasy.
Arrival What was the station like when you arrived? Open or closed, where you could wait, toilets, lockers, coffee, how you got onward. For example: the waiting room was open, the lockers took coins only, and the bus left from the street outside the main entrance.
If you changed to another train or bus, how much time did you really need? From which platform to which, walking time with your luggage, whether the connection waited. For example: 12 minutes from one end of the station to the other with two suitcases, using the lift both times.
The unexpected When something went wrong, how was it handled? What you were told, when and in which language, whether you got water, a hotel, a bus or a refund later. For example: no announcement for an hour, then everyone was moved to buses; the refund came six weeks after I applied.
Tell us about a moment when someone or something made the journey better. A small kindness, a view, a tip from another traveller. For example: the attendant swapped our berths so that my daughter and I could share a compartment.
What was the hardest part of the trip, and how did you deal with it? For example: we missed the last connection and spent three hours in a closed station waiting for the first bus. Please leave out anything about your health and other people's names.
Afterwards How was the journey different from what you had expected? For example: I expected to sleep badly and slept nine hours; I thought there would be a restaurant car and there was only a vending machine.
What do you think you will still remember from this journey in ten years? One image, sound or moment is enough.
Please do not name or describe other passengers or staff in a way that identifies them. See our privacy page .