The 'Train Bleu' Intercité de Nuit couchette train from Paris, seen at Nice.  Note the palm tree! Buy tickets online... www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents) www.voyages-sncf.com (anyone) www.raileurope.com (US residents) www.raileurope-world.com (residents of Canada, Australia, NZ, Asia, Africa, South America) www.loco2.com (anyone).

Introducing Intercités de Nuit, from €35...

It can be the most time-effective way to travel, effectively faster than flying or a daytime TGV.  Sleep your way from Paris to the south of France in a couchette, from Paris to Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Monaco, Toulouse, Biarritz or Perpignan from just €35 (£33).  Formerly branded 'Lunéa', French overnight trains are now 'Intercités de Nuit', and they also link Paris with the French Alps and the Spanish border.

What are couchettes?

Couchettes are simple flat padded bunks each supplied with a fresh clean pillow, individual reading light and special lightweight sleeping-bag - a great idea, replacing the traditional blanket.  Each passenger is supplied with a small bottle of mineral water, earplugs (if you really feel you need them) and tissues.

2nd class 6-berth couchettes, 1st class 4-berth couchettes...

2nd class couchettes have 6 bunks in each compartment, upper, middle & lower on each side of the compartment.  Obviously, if you have any mobility problems ask for a lower berth, but the cosy top bunks up in the roof space give you more privacy and are my personal preference.  Having said that, although cars are air-conditioned with adjustable temperature control, bottom & middle bunks can be cooler than top bunks on a hot summer night.  Couchette berth numbering plan.  Virtual tour of 2nd class couchette compartment.

1st class couchettes have 4 berths per compartment, upper and lower on each side of the compartment.  They feel much more spacious than 2nd class couchettes, as there are 4 people instead of 6 in in a similar size room.  Great for travelling as a family or with friends.  Couchette berth numbering plan.  Virtual tour of 1st class couchette compartment.

In both classes:  Men and women are mixed in couchettes as you don't normally fully undress, but women travelling alone can ask for a berth in a ladies-only compartment if they like.  If you've children, you can ask the train staff for an additional child safety rail for their bunk.  Compartment doors have a security lock which cannot be opened from outside even with a staff key, and plenty of staff are on duty if you need them.  There are washrooms & toilets at the end of the corridor.  Sleeping-cars with 1 & 2 bed compartments were withdrawn from all French domestic overnight trains in December 2007, but if you want privacy you can book a 4-berth or 6-berth couchette compartment for exclusive private use, see below for the 'espace privatif' offer.

Le Train Bleu:  A refurbished couchette car on the Paris to Nice night train, arrived in Nice...		2nd class 6-berth couchettes showing sleeping bags...		1st class 4-berth couchettes (after sleeping bags removed)...

Recent improvements...

French couchette cars are being modernised with bright interiors, new carpeting and soft fabric bunks, as shown in the photos above (the original interiors are shown in the photos below).  Only passengers with tickets and reservations are allowed onto the platform, and there are minimal stops between midnight and 06:00 to ensure a smooth and secure journey through the night.  The 'Train Bleu' from Paris to Cannes, Nice & Monte Carlo has now been completely refurbished with the new interiors, other routes are following.

Espace privatif: Private use of a whole compartment...

If you want privacy, you can reserve a whole couchette compartment for your own exclusive private use.  If there's 1, 2 or 3 of you, you pay whatever the cheapest available fare is for 1st class couchette tickets for each of you, plus one supplement of €70 for single occupancy, €50 if there's 2 of you or €40 if there's 3 of you.  Similarly, 4 or 5 people can have private use of a 2nd class 6-berth couchette compartment for a supplement of €45.  This Espace privatif arrangement can now be booked online at www.voyages-sncf.com, although not at any of the Rail Europe websites. To book sole or dual occupancy online, remember you'll need to have 1st class selected.

Alternatively you can book by phone in the UK with Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848, but a word of warning:  Some Rail Europe staff haven't heard about this 'Espace privatif' facility as not many people ask for it, so be polite but firm, and if they claim it can't be done ask for supervisor.  It's explained (in French) at http://org-lunea.voyages-sncf.com/lunea/lespace_privatif.

Reclining seats...

Most Intercités de Nuit overnight trains also have 2nd class reclining seats, and you'll also find overnight TGV trains on some routes with non-reclining seats.  However, a couchette allows you to sleep properly lying down in a securely locked compartment, so is the recommended option and well worth the small extra cost.  Travelling overnight in a seat is not recommended except in emergency.

Luggage, bikes, food & drink...

You take your luggage into the compartment with you.  There's space for bags under the bottom bunks, on the rack above the window, and in the big recess over the compartment door projecting over the ceiling of the corridor.  Bikes can be taken for a small charge, these travel in a 'voiture service' in the centre of the train.  There's no cafe or bar car on board, but there's usually a couple of drink and snack vending machines in the 'voiture service', along with the train manager's office and information point.  Feel free to take your own food or drink (perhaps a bottle of wine!) onto the train with you.

Couchette berth numbering plan

In 1st class 4-berth couchettes, only the lower and top berth numbers are used.

Fares & how to buy tickets...

• Booking usually opens 92 days ahead, fares vary so book as soon as you can for the cheapest rates.  Cheap 'prems' fares start at €35 (£33) one-way in a 2nd class couchette,  €60 (£57) for travel in a 1st class couchette.  Berths are sold individually.

• The cheapest way to buy tickets is online at www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents), www.voyages-sncf.com (anyone), www.loco2.com (anyone).

• Overseas visitors can also buy TGV tickets at at www.raileurope.com (US residents) or www.raileurope-world.com (residents of Australia, NZ, Canada, Asia, Africa & South America), but be warned, the cheaper prices are sometimes 'missing' from these sites, it's often cheaper to buy from www.voyages-sncf.com or www.loco2.com.

Unrefurbished 'Corail' couchette cars arrived in the French Alps...		2nd class 6-berth couchettes, original unrefurbished...		1st class 4-berth couchettes, original unrefurbished...

Close-up of the pillow and sleeping bag provided in the couchettes, better than the old sheet & blanket...		Reclining seats on an Intercité de Nuit.  Sitting up all night in a seat is a false economy - always book a couchette.

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