London to Cornwall sleeper train: guide to the Night Riviera
Looking for an eco-friendly way to get to Cornwall? The Night Riviera Sleeper runs from Paddington Station to the town of Penzance. Discover what it’s like to travel from the capital to the seaside on the London to Cornwall sleeper train. We’ll cover routes, cost and accommodation options.
In the age of aviation, there’s something almost romantic about taking a sleeper train to a destination. So, if you have a need to get to Cornwall, I strongly encourage you to catch the Night Riviera Sleeper.
The Night Riviera is one of two sleeper trains in the United Kingdom (the other being the Caledonian Sleeper, which travels between London and Scotland, which I will travel on ONE DAY).
It rolls between London’s Paddington Station and the town of Penzance in Cornwall, famous on account of its sea shanty singing pirates.
As a person who aims to travel responsibly, I love a good long train ride and opted to catch the sleeper from London to Cornwall for a few reasons.
Sleeper trains are not only a more glamorous way to travel; they’re better for the environment, producing less emissions than the same journey by car would. You also save on a night’s accommodation and don’t have to deal with traffic, or any twisty, tiny roads. Wins for all.
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Travelling on the Night Riviera: the London to Cornwall sleeper train
Where does the Night Riviera Sleeper stop?
The London to Cornwall sleeper train takes around eight hours to travel from the capital, to the most western point of this seaside county.
Along the way, it stops at the following stations (some for pick up and others for drop off only):
- Reading
- Taunton
- Exeter St Davids
- Newton Abbot
- Plymouth
- Liskeard
- Bodmin Parkway
- Lostwithiel
- Par
- St Austell
- Truro
- Redruth
- Camborne
- Hayle
- St Erth
- Penzance
How long does the Night Riviera Sleeper take?
During the daytime, the train journey from London to Penzance is around five hours. The sleeper runs a lot slower, so that you’re not dropped off at Cornwall’s stations in the middle of the night.
The overnight journey is around eight hours from London to Penzance and 7.5 hours from Penzance to London.
The Night Riviera Sleeper departs London Paddington at 11.45pm (11.50pm on Sundays) and rolls into Penzance at 7.50am (or 7.54am on Sundays) the next morning. The train doors open for boarding at 10.30pm and the bar is open and available from then, too.
If you’ve booked a cabin, you can use the GWR First Class Lounge on Platform 1 from 9pm. There’s tea, coffee, soft drinks and snacks available.
If you’re heading back to London from Cornwall, the sleeper train departs Penzance at 9.45pm (9.15pm on Sundays) and arrives into London at 5.04am, but you can stay on board until 6.45am, for a bit of an extra kip.
Both Penzance and Truro station have First Class lounges, which sleeper passengers can use before or after their journey. Like the Paddington lounge, they have complimentary hot and cold drinks, snacks and WiFi. They also have showers, with soap and towels provided. Everything you need, really.
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What are the class options for travel on the Night Riviera Sleeper?
The tickets for the Night Riviera are not exactly straightforward to book.
To purchase, jump on the GWR website. From there, you have to select a standard class single ticket and then if you want a cabin option, book that on top of it.
You don’t have to book a cabin – you can just opt for a seat to slumber in. However, if you’re not travelling on an extremely rigid budget, it’s worth considering the cabin add-on in order to be comfortable.
There are two types of cabins on offer; single or twin. Each cabin has two beds and if you go for a single, the top bunk will be folded up.
Within the cabins you’ll also find:
- A sink, to brush teeth or wash face in.
- Bottles of water and a room service bell.
- A tiny wardrobe, where you can hang up a coat.
There’s no bathroom in the cabins – rather, there’s a shared bathroom at the end of the carriage. No showers either, but you are able to use the showers at either London Paddington or Penzance, depending on where you’re disembarking.
How much is the Night Riviera Sleeper?
I travelled with a friend and we paid £165.80 for two standard tickets, with the add-on of a twin cabin coming to £188 between us. A single cabin will obviously cost less, but you’re wearing the cost as one person.
Regardless, if you factor in the saving of a night’s accommodation, it can be an economical addition to your journey.
You can generally book your ticket twelve weeks in advance – I’ve found with trains in the UK, the earlier you can jump on a ticket, the better deal you’ll get. And if you can travel midweek, you may be able to score an even better price.
A Railcard could save you a third of the fare. You could be eligible for the 16-25, 26-30, Senior Railcard, Disabled Person Railcard or Two Together, for two adults travelling together.
Can you get food and drink onboard?
Booking a cabin automatically upgrades you to first class. You can grab complimentary snacks and tea and coffee in the bar and you are served breakfast in the morning.
There are no proper meals on offer – I highly recommend eating dinner before you board the train, or bringing something delicious onboard with you.
Soft drinks, wine, beer and spirits are available in the bar all night. A word of warning – it’s very easy to settle in after boarding with your friend, blink and be three wines deep, toddling off to bed at 2am.
I’d heard tales of hot bacon rolls and other delicious things for brekky, but was quite disappointed with our options. We were offered either a vegan croissant (one thing that should never be vegan because butter) or porridge, with tea or coffee. You’re asked what time you’d like it to be served when you board. I went with the latest available option, which was 6.30am.
Where do do you store your luggage?
Seated passengers can store their luggage at the end of the carriage and on overhead racks, as per any other train.
Within the sleeper cabins, there’s room for luggage under the bottom bunk. Bigger suitcases can be stored in the guard’s cabin, free of charge.
There’s not really a lot of wriggle room, especially if there are two of you. Have your toiletries bag and pjs handy, for easy access.
What’s travelling on the sleeper actually like?
I arrived at London Paddington Station at around 9pm, after having a hearty dinner. We headed to the GWR First Class lounge, where we checked in and waited to board.
We immediately made ourselves cups of tea and grabbed some snacks, as a collection of other train travellers filtered in.
At 10.30pm, we boarded the train. Our cabin steward introduced themselves, gave us our cabin key, booked in our breakfast order and offered us the use of a shower at Penzance, which we declined.
We quickly toured our cabin, after squeezing down the hallway. Then, leaving our things there, we made our way to the onboard lounge.
The train wasn’t leaving for another hour or so and the lounge was a nice place to while away some time. Eventually, we decided it would probably be intelligent to get at least a little bit of sleep in, so we toddled off to our cabin.
After a quick sink-based toilette, it was into bed. The beds, while skinny, were incredibly comfortable; something I wasn’t expecting. I read on my Kindle for a little while, then popped in my ear plugs and prepared to drift off to the land of nod.
Important question: is it easy to sleep on a sleeper train?
Well, not entirely. I’ve slept with ease on overnight boats, but the rocking motion of the train somehow doesn’t entirely lend itself to a smooth sleep. Plus by the early hours of the morning there was a lot of stop-starting, as the train began pulling into the stations of Cornwall.
We had our breakfast delivered at 6.30am, slept for a little while longer, then disembarked once the train pulled into Penzance at 7.50am. We immediately went off in search of a more fulfilling breakfast, which we found at The Quirky Bird.
Where to stay in Penzance
I stayed at the very cute and very pink Victoria Inn and thoroughly recommend it. The price was fair and the rooms clean and comfortable.
As it’s a gastropub, you can have a very excellent dinner there and they include a full English breakfast in the morning. The inn is only a short stroll from a beach and the South Coast Path.
One downside is it’s a bit of a drive (or bus ride) from the town centre – totally fine if you have your own set of wheels, less fine if you don’t. Give yourself plenty of time to get back into town for any onward journeys.
If you want a comfortable room that’s not going to break the bank in the centre of town, there’s a Premier Inn right next to the train station. Couldn’t be easier.
Should you catch the London to Cornwall sleeper train?
If you’ve got the funds and you’re up for a bit of an adventure, I highly recommend catching the Night Riviera Sleeper. I’m not sure how one would fare in a seat all night, but the cabin is certainly comfortable enough and a lot of fun.
It’s a shame you don’t get what I’m certain are gorgeous views of Cornish towns and villages, but it’s still an economical and eco-friendly way to travel.
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