Thirty hours on the night train from Lisbon to the Pyrenees
Couchettes, a dining car that ran out of everything but wine, and why slow trains are still the best way to cross Europe.
We left Santa Apolónia at 21:24 with two paper tickets, a bag of pastéis de nata and absolutely no idea that the next thirty hours would be the highlight of our autumn.
Booking the route
There is no single ticket for this journey. We booked three legs separately, left generous connection times and paid €148 each in total, including a couchette for the longest stretch.
What to bring
- A light sleeping bag liner
- Snacks for at least one missed meal
- Earplugs and an eye mask
- Downloaded films and an offline map
Somewhere past Salamanca the whole carriage fell quiet to watch the sunrise. Nobody took a photo.