Caledonian Sleeper Review: What to Expect on the UK’s Premier Overnight Train

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My recent UK Harry Potter trip was my big gung-ho “let’s just do it all and have an adventure” trip. And we certainly tried our damndest. So when the trip was coming to a close, I stumbled on the Caledonian Sleeper train as a final adventure to get us from Edinburgh to London where we were flying home from.

I’d never been on a sleeper train before so this felt like the ultimate adventure. Not to mention, it saved us on a hotel night or two, days of driving and paying for a rental car, and even came with a meal! It felt like the perfect end cap on our trip.

Of course, nothing is all rainbows and sunshine, so in this Caledonian Sleeper review, I’m sharing my full experience in a club twin room, what it’s like to sleep on a train, what to expect for your journey, and if I think it’s worth the cost!

What is the Caledonian Sleeper?

This electric train is one of only two sleeper train services in the UK. It travels from London to Edinburgh and beyond where the train itself consists of 16 cars!

Why a sleeper train?

There are so many perks to choosing a sleeper train. First, you don’t have to worry about driving to your destination and because the train travels overnight, you can instead sleep and wake up in your destination. This saves you time and money on a hotel night and alternative transportation.

What are the routes?

There are 5 main routes where each has stops along the way in smaller cities. They are:

• London <-> Glasgow
• London <-> Edinburgh
• London <-> Aberdeen
• London <-> Inverness
• London <-> Fort William

Some of the stops along the way may include destinations like Watford Junction, Dundee, Preston, and many more!

What accommodation types are there?

There are four main options: a double en-suite, club twin, classic room, and seated coach.

The double en-suite features a double bed and en-suite bathroom that includes a toilet, shower, and sink. The club twin is similar except instead of a double bed, it features twin bunk beds.

The classic room has twin bunk beds and a sink, but there is no private bathroom and instead there is a bathroom in the coach hall.

Finally, the seated coach is just like any other train but with nicer seating including adjustable head and foot rests. 

Only the double en-suite and club twin rooms have breakfast included. 

How much does it cost?

The price of rooms depends on how many guests will be staying in each room and what route you’re taking.

For 2 people, I’d budget approximately £450 for a double en-suite, £370 for a club twin, £315 for a classic room, and £100 for a seat.

Remember that the double and club rooms come with breakfast included! 

Why I chose a Club Twin

My husband and I traveled from Edinburgh to London in a Club Twin room. First, we chose it because of the en-suite bathroom. After weeks of traveling, I just did not want to have to worry about sharing a bathroom and I wanted a shower.

The other reason was that double en-suites sell out most quickly and were already unavailable for our dates by the time we were ready to book. I think overall, we would have preferred this style of room. I’ll explain why as we go.

My experience in a Club Twin

First Impressions

When we first boarded the train, I was immediately like “oh crap this is tight” because we had full suitcases and backpacks – did I mention we had been traveling for weeks before this?

The hallways are certainly tight and I had to turn sideways to walk (read : shuffle) down them. Getting our belongings to our room was a feat to say the least.

The Space in Our Room

Through an act of god we managed to get both our suitcases, backpacks, and selves inside our room and shut the door. Sure I was huddled in the bathroom and the backpacks were on top of the beds, but hey. Small victories.

The interior was small.

Now I don’t want you reading this rolling your eyes like “Alanna, ummm what did you expect? Obviously a train is going to be tight on space” and yes I hear you. I’m no idiot (my PhD says so 😅), but after extensively checking the luggage size requirements, I was expecting this to work a bit more than it did.

I had heard that there was space to fit your luggage under the beds. And yes, that was true…in theory. However, there was one problem…there was a ladder bolted to the middle of the beds so someone could get to the top bunk. This thing hit the floor and was positioned smack dab in the center of the open space under the bed to put luggage in. That meant that actually getting luggage under there was a challenge.

We were only able to manage one suitcase under. Instead, we put the other under the sink as best we could with a backpack on top and the other backpack in front of the door – fire hazard who??

If you have oversized luggage, you can have them store it in an alternate space outside of your room.

As for the space with another person, the Club Twin was cramped. Only one of us could be up and doing something at once and the other person was in the bathroom or on their bed. And the top bunk was very close to the ceiling – so much so that you couldn’t sit up without hitting your head. Crouching over was very necessary up there.

Still, the space is thoughtfully designed to try to make it as comfortable as possible with clever hooks, mirrors to visually extend the space, and shelves where possible.

Bathrooms

The most pleasant and welcome surprise was the bathroom. This thing was a little feat of engineering and I commend those responsible.

The toilet was a self-contained unit with a lid that closed and made that area waterproof. That was important because this is also where the shower was. With a drain on the floor, you just hit the button on the wall which turned on the shower.

And it was a nice shower! The pressure and heat were both fantastic. Obviously the space is tight, so watch your elbows. Towels and Arran Sense of Scotland bath products are provided.

I do wish there was a fan or a better way to dry the area since you may still need the toilet space after showering and dousing the walls in water.

Unfortunately, I can’t comment on the communal bathrooms as I didn’t use them. I’m sure they do the job!

Amenities

While it takes a bit of adjustment to be like “yeah I’m about to sleep on a literal train,” Caledonian Sleeper has you covered so you don’t have to worry about the little things. Upon arrival in your room, you’ll notice a sleep kit that includes an eye mask and ear plugs. They also give you Mackie’s chocolate, a local farm and chocolate producer in Aberdeenshire.

Like I mentioned before you also have towels, all your bedding, and Arran Sense of Scotland bath products.

Plus, your room has climate control so you can turn the temperature to your liking.

Because we were in the Club Twin, I can only tell you about the set up for our room type specifically, but I guarantee each other room type is provided for just as much when it comes to the nightstand space and charging.

For us, the bottom bunk had an outlet and little shelf whereas the top bunk only had the shelf. Each bed did have a reading light.

Each room also had a call button, which allowed you to contact the staff should you need anything like ordering food or drink, requesting more towels, or anything else!

Finally, there was WiFi on board and it was decent! It allowed us to check into our flight and do whatever we normally do to relax at the end of the day…aka scroll TikTok.

Club Car and Dining

Because we were in a Club Twin, our breakfast was included. The way that it worked was that we had a form in our room with all the breakfast options. We filled it out as soon as we got to the room and hung it on our door including what we wanted to eat and drink, and at what time.

There were plenty of options including some that you could have delivered to your room as room service. Instead, we picked Traditional Scottish Breakfast, which was exclusively served in the Club Car.

It was super easy! We just showed up to the car at our designated time and we had a table reserved for us with our form placed as the reservation marker.

They brought us our breakfast and we got to enjoy. Easy!

And it was a delicious breakfast, too! I especially enjoyed the beans and egg and potato bake.

Should you be traveling on a longer journey or want food aside from breakfast, they also have a full menu that you can order from using the call button in your room or at your seat.

If you don’t have breakfast included in your accommodation booking, typical food costs were £5 for a breakfast roll, £14 for a main course dinner, £1 for snacks, and £3 for soft drinks. Alcohol ranged from £4 and up.

What the Journey is Really Like and Sleeping on Board

I’ll start by saying it’s not as romantic as it may seem. Not that it’s a bad time (far from it), but no matter how wonderful the service and amenities are, you’re still on a loud moving train that stops occasionally and screeches accordingly.

From Edinburgh to London (my route), there were three stops. The train left Edinburgh at 11:40 pm and stopped at 12:20 am, 1:45 am, and 6:40 am before stopping in London at ~ 7:00 am.

Granted I’m a very light sleeper, but you bet I was awake every single time the train stopped.

I did really love the rocking and rolling feeling of the train and constant background noise – that part did help me sleep. If you are prone to motion sickness, I do recommend prepping accordingly.

The mattresses are high quality and they boast the same supplied to the British Royal Family’s Balmoral Estate. And they are comfortable – just a bit thin. If you have any health issues where firm mattresses are a no-go, these might not be great for you.

Overall, the trip from Edinburgh to London (7 hours 30 minutes) is pretty short to get a full night’s sleep when you factor in the time it takes to get settled on board and wake up early enough for your breakfast, packing up, and departure.

What I wish I knew ahead of time

Caledonian Sleeper did a pretty great job at explaining the ins and outs of arrival and the general process for dining.

However, there were just a couple pieces of info I wished were communicated. So, allow me to communicate them to you.

First, the water in your sink, toilet, and shower won’t work when the train stops at the end of the journey. Ask me how I know 😐.

Second, I really wish I had known how impossible it was to store anything under the bed because of the immovable ladder. For that reason alone, I would have preferred the double en-suite. Although my wallet could deal with it for one night.

Third, and maybe this was just a me thing, but nowhere on my ticket or on their website could I confirm what train station the Edinburgh route was. It’s Edinburgh Waverly.

As someone totally new to the area, I had no idea what the main train station was called or if there were multiple, so this was a tad mystifying.

Finally, because you really can only get around 5 hours of sleep because of the departure and arrival process including meals, I would recommend doing the Caledonian Sleeper journey when you have a day of mellow activities following it.

We did ours on our return journey and went straight to Heathrow to fly home. It became a hyper-long, jet-lag mess that just conglomerated into this horrible 24+ hour day running on 5 hours of sleep. Anyway, learn from us please.

Caledonian Sleeper Lounges

A final thing to touch on before I wrap this up is the Caledonian Sleeper Lounges. Prior to your departure and upon arrival, some train stations have lounges that you can access for free if you book a double en-suite or club twin room.

Some are Caledonian Sleeper specific lounges like in London and Fort William, but others are independent railway lounges that Caledonian Sleeper guests can access, like the LNER lounge in Edinburgh Waverly.

Each lounge has drinks and snacks for guests and some even have showers. This allows you to wait for your boarding time (often an hour ahead of departure time) in comfort rather than on a platform bench.

Note that not all guests can access the lounges, only those who booked certain tickets. You’ll receive communication from Caledonian Sleeper with your options should they apply.

Overall Thoughts

Who the Caledonian Sleeper is best for

The Caledonian Sleeper is best for those looking to get to their destination quickly and efficiently. And who don’t have a ton of stuff.

It’s best for people looking for an adventure and a story (that’s always me). And it’s great for heavy sleepers.

Is it worth the money?

I truly think the Caledonian Sleeper Train is worth the money, since it’s saving you a hotel night and alternative transportation cost, can include a meal, and saves you hours of travel time otherwise.

Sleeping and getting to your destination is a powerful combo.

If you can splurge on a room with an en-suite bathroom, it’s really worth the upgrade.

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Have you or would you take a sleeper train? Tell me in the comments!

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