What's it like on board the Artesia sleeper trains Palatino & Stendhal?
All passengers on the Artesia sleeper trains from Paris to Italy get their own sleeping berth in either a proper sleeping-car or more economical couchette car, there are no ordinary seats. The berths convert to seating for evening and morning use. The trains are entirely non-smoking, and there's a restaurant-buffet car for waiter-service meals, drinks & snacks. Incidentally, these trains travel a huge distance at up to 100 mph, and usually arrive an hour or more late, so allow for this in your schedule. Travelling northbound, if you miss your Eurostar as a result of a delay to the sleeper train, don't worry, international conditions of carriage ('CIV') mean that you're entitled to be re-booked on the next available Eurostar at no additional charge. For information about taking bikes, dogs, pets & luggage, and left luggage facilities in Paris & Italy, B&B a Perugia Ottimi bedandbreakfast nel centro della città di perugia vicino l'università e i luoghi storici. see the general information page.
Sleeping-cars: 1, 2 & 3 bed sleeper compartments...
| Virtual tour inside the Palatino & Stendhal's sleepers, couchettes & restaurant car |
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| Berth numbering plan for these sleepers & couchettes |
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| Short U-Tube video ...showing a sleeper compartment on these trains. Short PR video... |
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Travelling in a sleeper is the most comfortable option, with fully-made-up beds in small private compartments. A bedroom at night, the beds fold away for evening & morning use, converting the compartment to a private sitting room with sofa & coffee table. Each compartment has a washbasin, soap & towels are provided, and there are toilets at the end of the corridor. There's plenty of room for your luggage on the rack above the window and in the big recess above the door projecting out over the corridor ceiling. Sleeper passengers receive a complimentary bottle of mineral water in the evening and tea or coffee, fruit juice & croissant in the morning. Sleepers are ideal for couples wanting privacy or business travellers who can afford sole occupancy, but beds are sold individually so passengers travelling alone may book one bed in a 2-bed or 3-bed compartment and share with other civilised sleeper passengers of the same sex. Sharing like this has been quite normal for over 100 years, and once you're in bed you cannot see the people above or below you, giving you the comfort of a proper sleeper rather than just a couchette, without the expense of single occupancy. Each sleeping-car has its own attendant, who will take your passport and tickets soon after the train leaves Paris, and return them to you next morning, so you are not disturbed by ticket checks or passport control at the Swiss or Italian frontiers during the night. The compartment door has a security lock which cannot be opened from outside even with a staff key, and the refurbished sleeping-cars now have Closed Circuit TV in the corridor for security, so you'll be both safe and snug. Sleeper compartments have 220v shaver socket which although marked 'shavers only' can be used to recharge mobile phones or even laptops with a European-type 2-pin adaptor. If your budget allows, travelling in a sleeping-car is much more comfortable than a couchette and well worth the extra cost. Note that all sleeper compartments are identical, with upper, middle and lower beds, allowing the compartment to be used as a 1, 2 or 3 bed room with the required number of beds folded out, even though booking systems classify single and double compartments as 1st class, 3-bed compartments as 2nd class. Note that the 'Excelsior' deluxe sleepers with private toilet & shower were discontinued in Dec 2005.
First class lounges at stations for sleeper passengers: In Paris, sleeping-car passengers may use the 'Salon Artesia' first class lounge upstairs at Paris Gare de Bercy, open 17:30-20:30 daily. This has comfortable armchairs, complimentary coffee, tea and soft drinks, spotlessly clean toilets, magazines and newspapers. At Italian stations such as Florence, Rome, Verona, Venice, Milan, Bologna & Padua, sleeper passengers may use the 'Club Eurostar' first class lounges, with newspapers, magazines, internet access & complimentary non-alcoholic drinks. This facility for Artesia sleeper passengers to use Club Eurostar lounges is clearly stated under 'services in station' on the Artesia website, www.artesia.eu, but some lounge staff don't seem to know this, it might help to take a printout of the website to show them!
Enjoying a meal in the restaurant car as the sun sets over the French countryside and the train speeds into the night is one of the pleasures of train travel to Italy. The 3-course 'menu del giorno' costs 32 euros, a half bottle of wine 9 euros, a half bottle of rather nice 'spumante' sparkling wine 10 euros. Don't expect anything gourmet as Artesia's food doesn't now get the best reviews, but I've always found it reasonable, better than you get on a plane. There are sample menus and price lists on the Artesia website (click 'Travelling with Artesia' then 'Food service'). MasterCard, Visa, Amex and Diners Club credit cards are normally accepted, but taking cash is a good idea as their credit card machine can sometimes break down. You can't pre-book tables for dinner in advance, if you're in a sleeper a steward usually comes through the sleeping-cars soon after departure taking dinner reservations, but if no steward appears or if you're in a couchette, just go along to the restaurant car as soon as possible to find a spare seat. There are two dinner sittings, at 20:00 & 22:00 on the Palatino, although the 8pm sitting is very popular and sells out fast, so be prepared to accept a reservation for the 10pm. Alternatively, nothing stops you bringing your own picnic and bottle of wine onto the train and enjoying it in your sleeper or couchette compartment! In fact, it's a good idea to bring some supplies of your own to enjoy on the train, just in case you can't get a seat in the restaurant or get peckish waiting for the 10pm sitting. Breakfast in the restaurant car costs 8 euros, no reservation necessary, just go along when you're ready. Enjoy the contrast in scenery over diner in France compared with breakfast in Italy! Dining on the Artesia sleeper trains - short PR video.
Couchette cars: 4 & 6 berth couchette compartments...
| Virtual tour inside the Palatino & Stendhal's sleepers, couchettes & restaurant car |
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| Berth numbering plan for these sleepers & couchettes |
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| Short U-Tube video ...showing a family in one of these couchette compartments... |
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Couchettes are the economy option, and they provide basic flat padded bunks at night for 4 or 6 people, arranged as upper, middle and lower bunks on each side of the compartment. Each bunk has its own reading light and is supplied with a sheet, blanket and pillow which you arrange yourself. In the evening and morning, the lower & middle bunks fold away, converting the compartment into a comfortable seating area with armrests and small table. A complimentary bottle of mineral water is provided for each passenger. The compartments are air-conditioned with adjustable temperature control. The sexes are normally mixed in couchettes as you do not normally fully undress, but women travelling alone can reserve places in a 4-berth ladies-only compartment if they wish. There's plenty of room for luggage under the seats, on the luggage rack and in the big recess above the door projecting out over the corridor ceiling. An attendant is on duty for every pair of couchette cars, who will take your passport and tickets soon after the train leaves Paris and return them to you next morning, so you are not disturbed by ticket checks or passport control at the Swiss or Italian frontiers during the night. The compartment door has a security lock which cannot be opened from outside even with a staff key, so you'll be safe and snug.
Top tips: It's well worth paying the extra to travel in a 4-person compartment as this gives you much more space than 6-person occupancy, allowing you to spread out and enjoy your evening on the train. Middle bunks are probably the best choice, as they are cooler than the top bunks and easier to access, but slightly wider than the rather narrow bottom bunks. If you don't want to use the restaurant car, why not bring along your own picnic and bottle of wine, it's allowed! Note that the French booking system classifies 6-person compartments as 2nd class, 4-person compartments as 1st class, even though all couchette compartments are identical and all in fact have 6 bunks, it's only the number of people occupying a compartment that's different. A 3-bed sleeper is a step up in comfort from a 4-berth couchette, even though the 3-berth sleeper is technically classified 2nd class, the 4-berth as 1st class. So now you know!
