Expensive is very relative. I'm taking the ÖBB NightJet in April from Utrecht Centraal to Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof, taking a private cabin with two beds (my partner and me). It costs almost €400 for the two of us, one-way, but a sleeper train does a number of things that significantly benefit your journey:
* You arrive early in the morning, (somewhat) well-rested, and have the whole day ahead of you for further travel or activities — essentially this means you save on accommodation (hotels in Austria and Italy cost upward of €80 a night per room, €120 and up if you want something actually nice).
* Breakfast included (nothing fancy, but hey).
* Travel in a sleeper train doesn't fatigue you like the equivalent day time trip of almost 9 hours would.
* Day time travel by train costs at least €140, per person, in any case. The extra €50 or so is more than worth it.
* Flying is not only environmentally burdensome, it is also (for this trip) a lot more expensive, and airports in Europe suffered from a lot of problems last year with missing luggage and queues in excess of 4 hours — want to bet that this year these issues will all be solved?
And of course: cheaper is possible, even in the same train. Still young and on a budget? Grab a bunk bed in shared cabin or a sleeper chair. The latter is a non-starter for me with my 200cm, but then again I am gainfully employed and can afford to book a private cabin.
One additional benefit for couples in private sleeper cabins:
* You arrive early in the morning, (somewhat) well-rested, and have the whole day ahead of you for further travel or activities — essentially this means you save on accommodation (hotels in Austria and Italy cost upward of €80 a night per room, €120 and up if you want something actually nice).
* Breakfast included (nothing fancy, but hey).
* Travel in a sleeper train doesn't fatigue you like the equivalent day time trip of almost 9 hours would.
* Day time travel by train costs at least €140, per person, in any case. The extra €50 or so is more than worth it.
* Flying is not only environmentally burdensome, it is also (for this trip) a lot more expensive, and airports in Europe suffered from a lot of problems last year with missing luggage and queues in excess of 4 hours — want to bet that this year these issues will all be solved?
And of course: cheaper is possible, even in the same train. Still young and on a budget? Grab a bunk bed in shared cabin or a sleeper chair. The latter is a non-starter for me with my 200cm, but then again I am gainfully employed and can afford to book a private cabin.
One additional benefit for couples in private sleeper cabins:
* Sex on a train. Can recommend.