Myths.

Just handle yourself the way you would in any public place. You can always be robbed anywhere in the world at any given time. If it doesn’t bother you while you’re sitting at university, it shouldn’t bother you on a train.

I say, the only bad experiences I’ve had are infrequent lack of organization from the train crew themselves, like one night train I was on where Deutschebahn forgot to hook up another sleeper car and nobody knew wtf to do to remedy the situation. This was also on a “party train” apparently, i.e. one that was headed to a town where there was a music festival playing the next day…. nothing was stolen it was just a big pain in the ass having to deal with it.

I’ve heard weird stories from further east, but nothing that makes me not want to sleep on a train. If you’re worried (or just want to be “on the safe side”) just lay in your bunk with your body blocking your bag against the wall. The “gassing” stuff is a total myth, and no burgler in their right mind is going to reach over your sleeping body to rifle through your belongings, which likely consist mostly of smelly clothes!

I’ve never had a problem. I think most of the robberies happen when folks get drunk enough to be easily robbed. Don’t get rip roaring drunk with your new friends that you’ve just met on the train. Use a money belt and have everything tucked in. Use your pack for a pillow.

That said, I probably wouldn’t take an overnight train by myself.

The stories are all true. Don’t be scared! This happens all over the world.
There are no guarantees.
Here are a few suggestions.
If traveling by couchette; 4 – 6 per small cabin. 3 beds on each side.
You can upgrade to 4 per cabin.
Most people lock the door, crawl into bed and sleep till morning with no problem.
1. Be prepared and bring snacks and water to drink and brush your teeth.
Some night trains give you a water bottle and continental breakfast.
2. Try to reserve top bunks in advance and all female N/S couchette if available. OR Try to find a group of 6 people in your hostel that will share a couchette/cabin with you in a few days.
3. Pack your luggage at your hostel, so you do not have to open your bag on the train.
Place toilitries in top of daypack and do not leave it inside cabin when you go to toilette.
4. Do NOT spread your valuable items (camera, i-pod, phone, money, etc) on your bed in front of strangers. You are just begging them to steal from you. If nervous, wear camera on a leash under your shirt, put credit/atm cards, cash in your sock without anyone watching.
5. Board train when it opens. If you have top bunk, put suitcase on rack above by your feet and get ready for bed. If a cool group joins your cabin, have fun or use the reading light and update your journal.
6. Use the bathroom at your hostel, again at the station and as soon as you get in your couchette/cabin. Bring tissue paper/wipes. Train bathrooms are usually filthy and out of paper in the morning.
7. Do not drink the water from bathroom faucet. Hand washing only!
8. Hide i-pod in your top and try not to show headphones and wires.
9. Don’t pack valuables, expensive jewelry or show them off as you get seated.
10. Sleep in your comfortable day clothes, wear a money belt, cuddle with your day pack and you will be OK.
11. Wake your travel mate up when you go to the bathroom.
12. Lock the doors when you are in your cabin.
13. Each traveler should set alarm clock for 30 minutes prior to arrival so you are not rushed.
14. Watch the locals. Get in line at the door with your luggage, 5 minutes before scheduled arrival.
15. Never leave valuables in cabin if you mingle with passengers in hallway or other cabin.
16. Never get off train for a smoke or drinks when it stops at a station. It may depart without you and all your stuff and railpass is still on the train. I saw it happen twice!
17. In the morning, Check for valuables & shake out sheets in morning so you do not leave anything, especially Passport or Railpass on the train. (it happens all the time).
I have seen every scam, pickpocket, theft on trains there is.
I would not accept drinks from anyone on the train, esp. in your couchette.
If you take an overnight train and book just a regular seat. Get ready for a crappy ride. More theft happens in this part of the train. Be careful of hands (searching your pockets) coming from the seat behind you. Put your arms through your daypack and wear it on your chest. Never put daypack/valuables in overhead rack or under your seat!

does it cost money to book a couchette?

thanks for the advice though, i know it will be very useful!

Yes, you will have to reserve a seat or a berth on almost all overnight trains. It generally costs about 20 euros in a 6 berth couchette and 30 euros in a 4 berth couchette. Some trains have cheaper reclining seats. This site tells what various types of sleeping accommodations cost (in addition to a railpass) for the most popular overnight trains in Europe. http://ourworld.comp…

I’ve traveled about a 100.000 miles on night trains in Czech republic and Slovakia (which is not the Westy West od Europe) and NEVER GOT INTO ANY TROUBLE. Where do you collect all these urban legends?

Packer, a great list. All the safety measures I usually do is that I stuff my money and personal documents, along with my mobile device and other electronics, into my pants, then I fold them under my pillow and sleep with my head on all my valuables. Plus I always lock all the locks that are installed in the compartment.

Drinking with locals may be also socializing, not just preparing for a theft. Really most Europeans use night trains with the intention to get from A to B, not with the intention to steal as much as possible from the unsuspecting overseas victims. If your roommates themselves drink the same thing they are offering you, you may have some, too, just drink less than them.

I wholeheartedly agree, however if you’re traveling solo you have to deal with the possibility that one of your bunkmates will be the 1 in 250,000 people who would try to rob you. Urban legends arise as an explanation for “How could somebody have gotten my stuff when 6 of us were in here? They must have used knock-out gas.” The more logical explanations are that one of the 6 is the robber or working with the robber, all 6 were passed out and didn’t notice someone rifling through belongings or you were actually pickpocketed in the bar car. Sometimes it’s easier to believe the illogical.

i was reading the night train horror stories posted on the site and they made me pretty scared, i’ll tell you that. i was like trying to think of clever ways to hide my money so they wouldn’t get stolen. no longer do i believe in the urban myths of theft on trains, now hopefully the thieves don’t get to me!!

It is good that you are preparing for your trip. Thousands of tourist do not and they are the people that get ripped off.
Check travel warnings at ww.travel.state.gov for each city you will visit just to be informed. This is a MUST-READ for all travelers. Don’t be scared – BE INFORMED!
When in hostel bars or walking tours, ask other travelers if they were ripped off.
I looked up Paris since you will visit there and they have the same warnings like I and others have written about.
They all state – NEVER LEAVE BAGS or VALUABLES UNATENDED AT ANY TIME! It only takes seconds for crooks to act. Petty theft is also written about in ALL guide books.

Be aware of crooks running the old shell game. Last year they popped up on the street leading up to Sacre Coeur in Paris with a little cardboard stand/table. Stand way back and watch them work. They will pick a young niave female and offer to give her 50 euros of their money to place a bet. She picks the shell or token that has either a ball under the shell or a color dot on bottom of disc. She wins a few times and that sucks in other naive people. The operator has two friends that also stand back and now and than will join in and bet big money to show how easy it is to win sucking in more people that get ripped off. NOBODY WINS but the crooks. Stay clear and if they grab your hand to join in, say no very loud and move away quickly. They can get violent. We watched a local elderly lady try to stop a young aisian tourist from getting ripped off and the man yelled and shoved the elderly lady.

You will also come across guys at the bottom of the hill to Sacre Coeur and other tourist spots that try and grab your finger and want to make and attach a bright colored friendship bracelet on you. They have you hold the string and braid it in front of you and after tying it on they than agressively try to extort large amounts of money from you. They are immigrants trying to earn a living off naive and scared tourists. This made them alot of money before the Euro came in since it was difficult for first time tourist to try and calculate the exchange rate while being pushed to pay them in a hurry.

Really? I’ve done it tons of times and have never had a problem. I think as long as you’re prepared, you’re fine. And yeah, don’t get pass-out drunk either. But that applies to basically any situation outside of your own house anywhere on the planet

A good place to hide money for girls is the pockets in bras (where you can remove padding from). I have no real worries about taking night trains as I’m sure you’re as safe (or more) there as you would be wandering the streets looking at tourist-y stuff. Just look out for pickpockets, hold on to all your stuff, hug your bag as you sleep like you would a pillow, and sleep comfortably. Packer has a great list of things you should do (many of which you should follow in situations with strangers, not just on night trains). Another thing you should think about doing is, if you have a backpack, lock up the zippers so someone can’t just unzip and rifle through easily, and keep all your really important items such as passport, camera, rail pass, money on your person in the money belt/inside pocket/sock/bra. Also, I’ve heard of people taking a bike lock (one of those chain things with the rubber around it) and looping it through the backpack to lock it onto the rack.