[iqp]

I was on a night train of ÖBB (Austrian rail) from Vienna to Berlin last summer, and unfortunately it was not very pleasant. When we got on the train, one of the staff told us to keep our belongings safely stowed within the interior of the compartment, far from the windows and door. Also, he advised us to keep the compartment door locked at all times. The train stopped in Prague for hours, during which time the station announcements kept me awake (they are really loud!). Then, when travelling through Poland, the train hooted every couple minutes when it approached a railway crossing. I ended up getting maybe 2 hours of sleep on the whole trip and my body was aching the next day. Never again!

[d1823]

"Then, when travelling through Poland, the train hooted every couple minutes, because apparently railway crossings in that country don't have automatic boom gates, so the trains just hoot to warn cars."

Some don't, some do, but law requires the passing train to hoot when it's coming near the railway crossing regardless. I'm polish, so that's that. Sorry you didn't get enough sleep, though.

[iqp]

I understand, no disrespect meant to Poland - I've edited my answer to not sound disrespectful. My grandfather on my mother's side was Polish. It was just an awful trip. I guess I had built up this romantic idea in my head about night trains, but the reality is that the they are extremely noisy, so you should at least pack some earplugs. Also, the security warnings by the train staff made me nervous.