Taking the Caledonian Sleeper Train from London to Edinburgh

This October I went to bed in London and woke up bright and early in Edinburgh. It has always been a dream of mine to ride a sleeper train, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use the Caledonian Sleeper. I had 12 sunny hours in London before I could board the train at 10:30pm, and I recorded it all for you!

The Caledonian Sleeper has three levels - a seat, a classic room, and a suite (bunk or double bed). I chose the classic room and it was perfect for me. If I were traveling with another person though, it would have been tight. I could barely get myself and my backpack through the door!

You can start boarding at 10:30pm for our 11:45pm departure. I got on immediately, and tried to get ready for bed as quickly as possible. The Classic room has a sink and mirror in the cabin, but I did have to share the bathroom with the rest of the car so I quickly got all of that out of the way before more people boarded.

I will say, the walls are paper thin. Luckily my neighbors seemed to realize that quickly - either that or we were both exhausted and all went to sleep at the same time - but be aware that you will hear the conversations of those next to you as if you were in the same room.

After a face mask and watching the last bit of London slide away, I settled in for a night’s sleep. The bed was the perfect size for me (i’m 163cm) and something about the width of it made me feel so secure and cozy. The train definitely rocked a bit more than I expected but my body got used to it and I fell into a deep sleep until my alarm went off around 6am.

I ordered the breakfast which they deliver about an hour before we reach our destination. I got a yogurt, one pancake, a fruit cup, some jam, and a coffee. Unless you’re starving you can just wait to grab these things at the Edinburgh train station but drinking a hot coffee as our train passed through the Scottish countryside at sunrise was a memory I’ll treasure.

We arrived at Edinburgh Waverly around 7:45am and were greeted by blue skies and a sparkling sun.

I wish the trip had been just a few hours longer, but this was a great first sleeper train experience. If you’d like to learn more about it, you can find more information on the Caledonian Sleeper’s website here.

I’m working on a post about my time in Edinburgh but for now all I can say is, no surprises, I had the most amazing time. Scotland is always a good idea!