After the year 2021 without visiting my sister Florence in Zug in Switzerland, I finally returned to the Confoederatio Helvetica in March 2022. I stayed over a week. More than a family visit, I organised an excursion to French-speaking Switzerland, also known as Romandy to visit Maxime and the vineyards of Lavaux in the canton of Vaud, near Lausanne. I also booked a journey on the world-famous Glacier Express from Sankt Moritz to Brig. Furthermore, I looked for a nice way in and out. The ÖBB Nightjet night train from Amsterdam to Zurich and the voyage home via Lyon in France.
I’m always on the look-out for ‘new’ ways to go to Switzerland and it was Danny who came with the idea I should take the Nightjet from Amsterdam Central Station to Zürich HB. And sure, why not? Even after the Innsbruck – Aachen debacle, we still love night trains.
Itinerary
- Amsterdam Centraal Station.
- Utrecht.
- Arnhem.
- Oberhausen Hbf.
- Duisburg Hbf.
- Düsseldorf Hbf.
- Cologne (Köln Hbf).
- Bonn Hbf.
- Offenburg.
- Freiburg im Breisgau Hbf.
- Basel Bf.
- Basel SBB.
- Zurich (Zürich HB).
About
The NJ403 was scheduled for a 8.28 PM departure. It arrived at platform 10 just after 8 PM. So it gave me time to make this Instagram reel.
The train consists of Nightjet couchette cars and Nightjet sleeping cars. There are Deutsche Bahn seating cars and SBB-CFF-FFS seating cars. This train is a real Austro-Swiss-German collaboration.
There is no restaurant, bistro or bar car. But there is a menu. Staff can provide you with these items.
Cabin
My car was built in 1975 but has been refurbished. I booked a solo bed, so only one bed was made up. There is no shower but there is a sink.
As you can see, there is a quite large table and a seat. There is one power outlet hidden next to the seat and there is a lot of light. There’s a closet. The wastebin is under de seat.
Perhaps it’s dated but it’s clean and functional.
Amenities
The goodie bag provided includes a towel, slippers, an eye mask, a pen, salty (bird seeds?) and sweet (chocolate and berry) snacks. You get two bottles of water.
Breakfast
You order breakfast the night before on a form.
Experience
Contrary to the before mentioned Innsbruck – Aachen debacle, staff was friendly, jovial and helpful. I did get my complimentary prosecco. I had to ask, but I had it. I received a key to be able to lock my cabin when going to the toilet.
That toilet was clean, put there was a persistent smell.
Sleep
Perhaps the 160 euro question: how do you sleep? I slept okay. I woke up a few time, but then again, I always do when it’s a ‘new’ bed. The bed is comfortable and the pillows are firm. The duvet is warm and cosy. You do hear and feel the train moving, but I can shut that down mentally.
So?
Will I travel by night train again? Definitely. On this route? Perhaps not, because it is an expensive detour. But I enjoyed it. On to the next night train.
More on trains
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- Moonlight Express to offer night train services between Brussels, Liège and Berlin from April 2022.
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- ‘Hotel on rails’ Midnight Trains to link Paris to Edinburgh, Brussels, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Berlin, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid and Porto.
- The couchette and sleeping cars for the Brussels – Liège – Berlin Moonlight Express.
- Moonlight Express to include bar / restaurant coaches and sustainable quality food on Brussels – Liège – Berlin night train.
- 2021, European Year of Rail.
- Nightjet Vienna/Innsbruck to Brussels, or how we got thrown off the train in Aachen.
- NIGHTJET | Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB and Swiss Federal Railways SBB-CFF-FFS present 2024 Austro-Swiss night train plans for Europe.
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- BOOK REVIEW | ‘Night Trains, The Rise and Fall of the Sleeper’ by Andrew Martin.
- To use night trains in Portugal and Spain or not?.
- Night trains in Europe.
- Low-cost, long-haul trains to conquer Europe?.
- Fly now before it’s taxed and consider using the train instead.
- 2013 Scotland Rail Trip.
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- 2017 Eastern Europe, Balkan and Greece Rail Trip.
- 2018 Poland Trip.
- 2018 Rail Tour of France, Italy and Switzerland.
- 2020 Saxony, Bavaria and Tyrol Getaway.
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Op 31 augustus 2026 reden we voor onze 2e huwelijksreis met de NIGHTJET van Amsterdam naar ZURICH.We wilden net als 61 jaar geleden weer met de NACHT/SLAAPTREIN naar ons vakantie verblijf in Serfaus (Oostenrijk).Daarom kozen we ook nu voor de trein,mede door de mooie misleidende YOUTUBE filmpjes.Maar groot was onze teleurstelling toen we op het perron in Amsterdam de trein betraden.Het waren nog oude wagons en ze waren NIET schoon(wasbak stonk naar urine) en was vies.Toegangsdeuren over stuurboord en bakboord waren kapot en buiten gebruik (het summum van onveiliheid.)Het uit bed valpreventienet was kapot en door de steward op z’n janboerefluitjes vastgemaakt.(We zagen op de terugreis 10 dagen later hoe het wel moest).We hebben daarom alleen maar het benedenbed gebruikt door kop en staart te liggen(een geluk daarbij is dat we beide niet zo groot zijn.)Dat het een oude wagon was hadden we ook ondervonden doordat onze cabine vlak boven de wielen was.Ik heb als exmarineman op een roofdierenfregat boven de schroeven geslapen en het kabaal van de wielen van deze trein evenaarden die ervaring.Jammer NSINTERNATIONAAL en ÖBB hoe durven jullie voor die prijs personen met zo’n onveilige wagon te laten reizen.De RAILJET van Zurich naar Landeck-Zams en 10 dagen later retour was uitstekend(Mooie schone en comfortabele trein).Plaatsbespreken is een PRO,dat hebben we op de terugreis gedaan.De terugreis met de NIGHTJET op 10 september 2026 van Zurich naar Amsterdam was ondanks het ook een oude wagon was een verademing,alles was schoon en niet kapot.De cabine was keurig nachtklaar gemaakt.Toen zagen we ook hoe het uit bed valpreventienet bevestigd had moeten worden.We hebben beide slaapplaatsen gebruikt.Het personeel(stewards) waren vriendelijk en hulpvaardig,niets was hen teveel hun treft geen blaam.
Hoogachtend
Ineke(82) en John(86)
Wat een verhaal. Nachtreizen staan inderdaad ver van op punt, helaas.
Am 31. August 2026 fuhren wir zu unserer zweiten Hochzeitsreise mit dem NIGHTJET von Amsterdam nach ZÜRICH. Wir wollten – genau wie vor 61 Jahren – wieder mit dem NACHT-/SCHLAFZUG zu unserem Ferienaufenthalt in Serfaus (Österreich) reisen. Deshalb entschieden wir uns auch diesmal für die Bahn, unter anderem wegen der schönen, aber irreführenden YOUTUBE Videos.
Doch groß war unsere Enttäuschung, als wir am Bahnsteig in Amsterdam den Zug betraten. Es waren noch alte Wagen, und sie waren NICHT sauber (das Waschbecken roch nach Urin) und war schmutzig. Die Einstiegstüren an Steuerbord und Backbord waren kaputt und außer Betrieb – ein Gipfel der Unsicherheit. Das Sturzschutznetz am Bett war defekt und wurde vom Steward nur notdürftig befestigt. (Auf der Rückreise zehn Tage später sahen wir, wie es eigentlich hätte gemacht werden müssen.)
Wir haben deshalb nur das untere Bett benutzt und Kopf und Fußende gewechselt – zum Glück sind wir beide nicht so groß. Dass es ein alter Wagen war, merkten wir auch daran, dass unsere Kabine direkt über den Rädern lag. Ich habe als ehemaliger Marinesoldat auf einer Fregatte über den Schrauben geschlafen, und der Lärm der Räder dieses Zuges kam dieser Erfahrung gleich.
Schade, NS INTERNATIONAL und ÖBB – wie können Sie es wagen, zu diesem Preis Menschen in einem so unsicheren Wagen reisen zu lassen?
Der RAILJET von Zürich nach Landeck Zams und zehn Tage später zurück war ausgezeichnet – ein schöner, sauberer und komfortabler Zug. Sitzplatzreservierung ist ein PLUS; das haben wir auf der Rückreise gemacht.
Die Rückfahrt mit dem NIGHTJET am 10. September 2026 von Zürich nach Amsterdam war – obwohl es ebenfalls ein alter Wagen war – eine Wohltat. Alles war sauber und nicht kaputt. Die Kabine war ordentlich für die Nacht vorbereitet. Da sahen wir auch, wie das Sturzschutznetz richtig hätte befestigt werden müssen. Wir haben beide Schlafplätze benutzt. Das Personal (Stewards) war freundlich und hilfsbereit; ihnen trifft keinerlei Schuld.
Hochachtungsvoll Ineke (82) und John (86)
Unfortunately, night train travel isn’t what it should be… yet.
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