I booked shared and private sleeper cabins on overnight trains in Europe. Only one was worth the price.

Business Insider's reporter spent $84 for a shared cabin and $200 for a private cabin on Nightjet sleeper trains in Europe.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

• I traveled by overnight train during two European backpacking trips.
• For my first trip, I booked a bunk in a sleeper cabin shared with three strangers for $84.

I explored by day and traveled by night during my two backpacking trips through Europe.

In 2022 and 2023, I traversed the continent on sleeper trains operated by OBB Nightjet, an Austrian rail line that operates in more than 25 European cities.

Nightjet has three tiers of sleeping accommodations, from reclining seats to bunks in shared and private cabins.

During my first European train trip, I booked an $84 ride from Vienna to Venice in a shared cabin with six bunks. A year later, I booked a private cabin from Venice to Vienna with the same train line for $200.

Both trips were roughly 12 hours long, but the accommodations provided completely different experiences in terms of comfort and amenities. And there's only one I'd take again.