My partner and I tried that this year, the Berlin to Brussels route, with mixed results.
It definitely works, we got to our destination on time and we were mostly happy with the result. However:
* We booked a sleeping compartment, but then they emailed the night before the trip to say they didn't have sleeping compartments, so we got a private couchette instead. That's not a huge downgrade, but the communication was very poor and for a long time it wasn't clear what we were actually getting.
* The carriages they were using were mostly very old stock, we suspect ex-ÖBB/DB. They were loud! Also not hugely comfortable either. We didn't really sleep at all, and we're fairly used to sleeping in loud spaces. They mentioned that we should be aware that not all plug sockets and toilets were working properly - for us it was all fine, but I suspect some of the carriages just aren't working properly anymore.
* It was expensive. That's fine if you're trying something out for an adventurous holiday, or you're taking advantage of the interail ticket, but we're trying to get from our home in Europe to my parents and friends in the UK at least a couple of times a year, without being so reliant on plane travel. More options means more competition, which will hopefully reduce prices in the long term, but and I realise that there are good reasons why planes are so cheap in comparison, but it's still disappointing.
All that said, we're definitely expecting to use the train for at least one leg of most of our future trips, either European Sleeper or one of the other alternatives that are springing up. So overall, I guess I'd recommend the experience.
> They were loud! Also not hugely comfortable either. We didn't really sleep at all
We tried Munich-Rome once and it was not really good experience, especially because windows were dirty, beds are small and not comfortable. Narrow space, poor sound isolation.
It definitely works, we got to our destination on time and we were mostly happy with the result. However:
* We booked a sleeping compartment, but then they emailed the night before the trip to say they didn't have sleeping compartments, so we got a private couchette instead. That's not a huge downgrade, but the communication was very poor and for a long time it wasn't clear what we were actually getting. * The carriages they were using were mostly very old stock, we suspect ex-ÖBB/DB. They were loud! Also not hugely comfortable either. We didn't really sleep at all, and we're fairly used to sleeping in loud spaces. They mentioned that we should be aware that not all plug sockets and toilets were working properly - for us it was all fine, but I suspect some of the carriages just aren't working properly anymore. * It was expensive. That's fine if you're trying something out for an adventurous holiday, or you're taking advantage of the interail ticket, but we're trying to get from our home in Europe to my parents and friends in the UK at least a couple of times a year, without being so reliant on plane travel. More options means more competition, which will hopefully reduce prices in the long term, but and I realise that there are good reasons why planes are so cheap in comparison, but it's still disappointing.
All that said, we're definitely expecting to use the train for at least one leg of most of our future trips, either European Sleeper or one of the other alternatives that are springing up. So overall, I guess I'd recommend the experience.