I’ve spent a fair few nights on sleeper buses around the world at this point, and honestly? The experience is wildly different depending on where you are. I’ve taken overnight buses in Turkey, Western Europe, Thailand, Vietnam, all over South America, Mexico, and even the UK, and each region has its own quirks, comfort rating, and chaos level.
Some buses are genuinely brilliant, like in Vietnam, where they have lie-flat seats that could rival a hostel bed. Others… well, let’s just say I’ve spent more than one night wide awake, either utterly uncomfortable, keeping one eye open, or trying to ignore the fact that the driver was smoking at the wheel.
If you’re planning to take a sleeper bus during your upcoming travels, this guide will tell you exactly what to expect based on my real experiences.
Sleeper Buses in South America
South America is where I’ve clocked up the most overnight bus journeys, travelling through Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and more. The standard buses are pretty comfortable; they’re nothing fancy, but they’re also perfectly fine for a night’s sleep if you’re not too fussy about your sleeping arrangements.
The real game-changer that I discovered South America? Upgrading your seat for as little as $10-20. Doing this bags you what can only be described as a giant, almost fully reclinable armchair. It feels how I imagine it would feel to fly business class (not that I ever have, mind you). I had some genuinely really good sleeps on those upgraded seats, even on 24-hour long journeys across Argentina.
Peru deserves a special mention because their standard seats are the best quality, plus they give you little snack bags and bottles of water on the buses. I’m fairly certain this is to prevent altitude sickness (no driver wants their passengers vomiting on a 10-hour bus ride), but either way, it’s a touch that I especially appreciated winding through the mountains from Arequipa to Cusco.
The only real chaos I experienced in South America was in Colombia. Twice, my overnight bus arrived several hours before it was supposed to, leaving me stranded in the middle of the night, alone with my backpack.
The first time, I was travelling with a friend I’d met sailing through the San Blas Islands, and we were dropped off in Salento at 3am. Luckily, we managed to get into her hostel where a lovely old guy with a dog answered the door, gave us blankets, and let us crash on the couch until morning.
The second time, I was by myself, arriving in Medellin. Luckily I had already been to Medellin a few weeks early and I kind of knew the owner of the accommodation I’d booked, although she had a strange temperament and I was slightly scared of her. I tried to sleep in the bus station, but I didn’t feel safe, so I ended up ringing said grumpy hostel owner at 3am and she let me in. I napped in a hammock on the roof until the next day. Not exactly how I’d planned to spend my evening, but it worked out in the end.
Mexico’s overnight buses are fairly similar to what you’ll find in South America. The seats are standard and maybe slightly bigger than in Europe, but nothing particularly special. They’re comfortable enough for a night’s journey, though I wouldn’t say they’re luxurious.
Sleeper Buses in Mexico
Mexico’s overnight buses are fairly similar to what you’ll find in South America. The seats are standard and maybe slightly bigger than in Europe, but nothing particularly special. They’re comfortable enough for a night’s journey, though I wouldn’t say they’re luxurious. The biggest difference between the overnight bus in Mexico vs in South America is there usually isn’t any option to upgrade your seat. Mexico, funnily enough, is where I took my very first overnight bus, from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca City. It’s no longer necessary to take the 10-hour overnight bus that winds through the mountains, because they have since built a highway that allows you to make the journey in 3.5 hours. And, well, doesn’t that make me feel old!
Sleeper Buses in Vietnam
Right, here’s the winner. Vietnam has the best overnight buses I’ve ever been on, hands down, and anyone who’s been will tell you the same.
Vietnamese sleeper buses have lie-flat seats. Not “recline a bit like a plane seat” seats, but actual lie-flat beds where you can lie down fully and have a decent night’s sleep (paramount to me as a stomach-sleeper). There are different comfort levels depending on which type of bus you book, but even the standard ones are brilliant compared to most countries.
The only downside? Vietnamese bus drivers have a reputation for being a bit rude, and I’ve heard one too many stories about them refusing to stop for toilet breaks. Most of mine were fine, but I heard plenty of horror stories from other travellers who weren’t so lucky.
I also had one mad experience in Vietnam where the owner accommodation had promised to take us to the bus station at 2am, but he fell asleep / overslept. What I think happened (although I can’t be sure), is that we missed the bus we were supposed to be on and they put us on a different one without telling us. We had to make a connection in the middle of the night, which sounded like a recipe for disaster, but it actually couldn’t have gone better. Both buses pulled into the service station at the same time, we hopped off to use the loo whilst they moved our bags from one bus to the other, got back on, and carried on our way.
Sleeper Buses in Western Europe and the UK
If you’re used to South American or Asian sleeper buses, European overnight buses will feel like a bit of a downgrade.
In Western Europe and the UK, sleeper buses are just regular coaches that happen to travel through the night. The seats recline, sure, but they’re still pretty uncomfortable to sleep on. It’s more of an “uncomfortable nap” situation than a “good night’s sleep” one.
I’ve taken a few overnight buses in the UK and across Western Europe, and they’re perfectly fine if you’re on a budget, but don’t expect luxury. Bring a good neck pillow, some earplugs, and maybe accept that you’ll arrive at your destination feeling a bit knackered.
Sleeper Buses in Thailand
Thailand falls somewhere in the middle when it comes to comfort on the overnight bus. The buses have standard seats, nothing particularly amazing, but they do the job and they reclined more than you’d expect on your average bus.
In Thailand, they stopped and bought us each a McDonald’s burger on the trip from Ayutthaya to Chiang Rai, which was a lovely but totally random surprise. Then on the journey from Chiang Mai to Bangkok (these are the only two overnight busses I took), they gave us some kind of bready snacks and a bottle of water. One of the breads had crab sticks inside it, which was a good catch from me because I am allergic to shellfish, so I couldn’t eat it!
Overall, the overnight buses in Thailand were cheap and they got me where I need to go, so I’m not complaining.
Sleeper Buses in Turkey
Oh, Turkey. Where do I even start?
Turkish overnight buses were cheap, I’ll give them that. From the insane inflation that Turkey has experienced over the last few years, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a twelve hour overnight bus from Istanbul to Cappadocia (and back again, am I crazy?) was just 20€. You can also pay 2€ extra to get a single seat (the seats are slightly wider, so they’re three across instead of four), which was great; I was very grateful not to have anyone on a seat next to me. But that’s where the positives end.
On both of my overnight bus journeys in Turkey, the bus driver was playing music and smoking at the wheel. Yes, smoking, inside the bus. They also randomly turned the lights on at various intervals, sometimes for hours at a time, in the middle of the night. How is anyone supposed to sleep in those conditions?
And then there’s the small matter of my bus breaking down in the middle of the highway on our way back to Istanbul.
At around 6am, not long before we were due to arrive, the bus broke down. And when I say “the middle”, I mean literally the middle lane of the highway, just off a junction. I was the only foreigner on the bus and nobody spoke English, so I had to pick up on what was happening from people’s tone of voice and hand gestures. Eventually, two minivans came to rescue us, but instead of taking us to the main bus station in Istanbul, they dropped us at the closest one (on the outskirts) and left us there.
I was on my way to the airport, strapped for physical cash and phone battery, and had no idea where I was. Luckily a kind local helped me out and I tipped him the last 2€ worth of my Turkish lira.
In general, though, I don’t recommend long-distance buses in Turkey. Lesson learned.
Verdict…
So, what’s the verdict on sleeper buses around the world?
If you’re travelling on a budget, overnight buses are a brilliant way to save money on accommodation whilst getting from A to B, but the experience varies massively depending on where you are and you have to be prepared to improvise.
Vietnam has the best sleeper buses, without question. I’d live on those things. (As long as the driver was stopping for bathroom breaks.) South America is solid, especially if you can upgrade your seat. Europe and the UK are functional but not particularly comfortable. Thailand and Mexico are decent. And Turkey? Well, it’s cheap, but be prepared for some chaos along the way.
My ultimate advice? Bring earplugs, a neck pillow, and a sense of humour. Sometimes buses break down, drivers refuse to stop, and you end up stranded at 3am hammering on a hostel door. But honestly? That’s all part of the adventure.
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