It’s what old Hollywood films are made of…almost.

First of all, I want to go on record as having said how much I enjoy train travel in Europe. It’s cost-effective, it’s comfortable, and much more liberating than being stuck in your seat on an airplane. You could argue that even with the utilization of a high-speed train, it’s still not as fast as flying, but the main difference is that you can still create memorable experiences while on a train.

No matter what, you’re gonna have to pay to sleep somewhere.

Yes, a sleeper train might sound a little pricey at first glance, but if you then consider that you would have to pay for a night at a hotel or Airbnb, I think you’ll find that whatever that cost might be, coupled with the cost of a traditional train ticket the following day, it will ultimately add up to be the same or less money.

Further, a traditional train journey, during the day, means that you’re spending the day traveling, rather than on the ground exploring an area. What if you could kill two birds with one stone, meaning that you could sleep in a bed, and wake-up where you want to be? Sleeper trains for the win!

We booked the Trenhotel provided via the Renfe service, found HERE.

A train trip includes more than your cabin or seat.

After our journey got underway, and our lengthy cabin tour (shown above), we migrated through some of the other cars on the train, until we made our way to the dining car. I don’t know why I didn’t take any pictures, but we proceeded to spend an evening that the four of us argue about to this day.

In the dining car, we set up camp in a four-person booth and proceeded to bust out a couple decks of playing cards. I thought it would be a great idea to implement a rule, where whoever won the hand we were playing, would also be saddled with buying a snack for losers of the hand, that way even if you lost, you still won a snack and therefore everyone wins. Alas, despite having a wonderful evening of snacking and playing games, the ensuing arguments about my snack purchasing rule, have been a legacy that plagues me to this day.

All is well and good until the snacks run out.

We woke up in Barcelona

We were already in Barcelona when we woke the next morning, and with all the traveling already out of the way, we were free to spend the entire day exploring the city! Well rested, and without the typical anxieties associated with jumping from city to city within a day, taking a sleeper train is something I’ll definitely do again.

Questions or Comments?