I would love to believe this is the case, but the two sleeper trains I've been on in my life were absolutely awful for actually getting any sleep (Munich->Paris, circa 2013, Cairo->Aswan in 2019), so given the choice would perhaps rather fly (even though I'm - ironically - a very nervous flyer). In both cases, I'd obviously take however many hours on a high speed train over either option.
I would love to believe this is the case, but the two sleeper trains I've been on in my life were absolutely awful for actually getting any sleep (Munich->Paris, circa 2013, Cairo->Aswan in 2019), so given the choice would perhaps rather fly (even though I'm - ironically - a very nervous flyer). In both cases, I'd obviously take however many hours on a high speed train over either option.
I had very good experiences on (what is now branded as) Nightjet Cologne-Vienna and Vienna-Venice in 2017, and a disaster similar to yours on Venice-Paris on the way back (the company that ran that train, Thello, has since gone bust).
There are definitely big variations in comfort both in terms of the rolling stock and the state of the track, though - even just dozing off in a seat on a daytime train, there are lines that jerk you around and wake you up every few minutes, and others where you can sleep well past your station.
I would love to believe this is the case, but the two sleeper trains I've been on in my life were absolutely awful for actually getting any sleep (Munich->Paris, circa 2013, Cairo->Aswan in 2019), so given the choice would perhaps rather fly (even though I'm - ironically - a very nervous flyer). In both cases, I'd obviously take however many hours on a high speed train over either option.
I had very good experiences on (what is now branded as) Nightjet Cologne-Vienna and Vienna-Venice in 2017, and a disaster similar to yours on Venice-Paris on the way back (the company that ran that train, Thello, has since gone bust).
There are definitely big variations in comfort both in terms of the rolling stock and the state of the track, though - even just dozing off in a seat on a daytime train, there are lines that jerk you around and wake you up every few minutes, and others where you can sleep well past your station.