Family Days out with The Bonds
Meet Rosaleen Bond and her three junior journalists
Taking the night train from Perpignan to Paris is one of the easiest ways to travel across France with kids while saving on a hotel night. Here’s our honest experience of travelling overnight in an SNCF couchette cabin, including prices, booking tips and what sleep is really like.
Night Train From Perpignan to Paris
It’s a strange kind of adventure taking the night train from Perpignan to Paris from Gare de Perpignan at night. Like many train stations, it feels a bit unpredictable. Not unsafe, just like anything could happen.
We got there early on the train from Villefranche Vernet-Les-Bains. In theory it’s a good idea, but in practice it just means more time standing around trying to stop the kids getting dirty. However, the anticipation and excitement from the kids was hard to contain.
The platform had a feel of camaraderie as we all waited. Bags everywhere, people checking boards, passengers with dogs. All hoping we were in the right place. The kids were hovering somewhere between bored and wired, which is a very specific energy.
One of the biggest surprises about taking the night train from Perpignan to Paris was the pricing. The first time we took it, we paid €29 each for a couchette. Looking at prices in July, there are tickets available for €38 for a couchette during the school holidays. The cheapest tickets can go quickly.
There’s also constant travel maths you do as a family. The cost of a hotel in Paris versus the price of the night train is generally worth it. Yes, the sleeper cabin costs more, but technically it saves a hotel night. You arrive in Paris early, supposedly after a night’s sleep. Whether that actually happens is another story.
Booking is easy on the SNCF website a few months ahead. We have sometimes seen trains on Trainline trains further ahead that didn’t show up on the SNCF site. The options are a seat, a second class couchette and a first class couchette. We have only tried the middle option. These are cabins with six beds. The first class cabin has fewer people.
When you book you can state a preference for the top, middle or lower bunk so you know ahead what berth you have. You get a thin blanket, sheet, pillow, bottle of water and a small night kit. In the bag is an eye mask, finger toothbrush, ear buds and tissues. The beds don’t come made up, so you have to do that yourself. Each bed has its own light and charging point as well.
The first thing you notice on a night train is the noise. Not loud exactly, but constant. A mix of rattling, humming, creaking and occasional dramatic sounds. Every time you think you’re getting used to it, something clunks differently beneath you and reminds you that you are sleeping inside a large metal object hurtling through France in the dark.
In your head, night train sleep feels cinematic. In reality, someone is zip-opening a bag every twelve minutes, one child is too hot, another is somehow sideways and you’re trying not to fall out of a bunk designed for someone more flexible than you.
Still, there’s something weirdly fun about it. Children love the bunks, the secret compartment energy and snacks at inappropriate hours. It feels like an adventure rather than just transport.
By morning, everyone looks slightly unhinged but oddly pleased with themselves. There is something very cool about waking up in Paris.
Previously, we took the return train back on the Saturday night. It gives a long day to explore Paris. This time we continued on interrailing round Europe.
Mum Tips
If there are three or more travelling I would recommend booking the top middle and bottom of one side rather bunks opposite. This makes it easier for the kids to get up and down without disturbing others. The conductor can tell you if there is anyone else booked into your cabin so it’s worth asking. Don’t expect perfect sleep and lean into the experience instead.
Kids Tips
The night kit is great you get lots of bits in it. Bring cosy socks or small slippers to go to the toilet. Each bunk has it’s light and plug so you can read before you go to sleep. The top bunks are high but great fun.