 |
|
|
Cosy single-berth sleeper in the Munich-Budapest sleeping-car. Book online at www.thetrainline.com
|
Introducing the EuroNight sleeper train Kalman Imre...
Every night, a comfortable EuroNight sleeper train called the Kalman Imre links Munich & Budapest. The train has an air-conditioned Hungarian sleeping-car with 1, 2 or 3 berth compartments with washbasin and an air-conditioned Hungarian couchette car with a bunks in 4 & 6 berth compartments, ideal for families. City centre to city centre overnight, it saves time even compared to flying and saves a hotel bill too! The train is named after the composer Emmerich Kálmán.
COVID-19 update: This train is runningnormally More COVID-19 travel info.
What's the
couchette car like?
Video: Munich to Budapest
by sleeping-car
Munich Hbf station
information
Budapest Keleti station
information
Trains from
Munich to
other cities &
daytime trains Munich to Budapest
Trains from
Budapest to
other cities &
daytime trains Budapest-Munich,
Budapest-Zurich
Train times 2022...
Munich to Budapest is 721 km (448 miles) by train.
What's the train like?
Eastbound, the Munich-Budapest cars leave Munich as part of a combined sleeper train to Budapest, Venice & Zagreb. Westbound, the Budapest-Munich cars leave Budapest combined with sleepers & couchettes bound for Zurich.
 |
|
Sleeper train Kalman Imre, boarding on platform 12 at Munich Hbf. |
The sleeping-car...
The Munich-Budapest portion of this train has one Hungarian sleeping-car, built in the early 1990s by Spanish manufacturer CAF. Inside the sleeping-car it's air-conditioned, carpeted, quiet and civilised. Each sleeping-car has a side corridor off which open 11 sleeper compartments, each compartment can be sold as a 1, 2 or 3 bed room with upper, middle & lower berths folded out as required. There's a washbasin, crisp clean bedding, soap, towel, bottled water. Luggage goes in the big recess over the door to the corridor or on a rack over the window. Morning tea or coffee, croissant & fruit juice is included in the fare. The compartments have normal locks plus a security deadbolt which can only be locked & unlocked from inside and a security chain. Sleeper berths are sold individually, if you don't want to pay for a single-bed sleeper you can book one bed in a 2 or 3 berth and share with another passenger of the same gender. Compartments are single-sex unless your party occupies the whole compartment. An excellent way to travel. The cars are being refurbished with more cream panelling, less red & pink.
 |
|
 |
 |
|||
|
A corridor runs along one side of the car. Larger photo. |
Sleeper compartment set up as a single-berth. Larger photo. |
Same sleeper, converted to seats for morning use. Larger photo. |
Sink, with bottled water & toiletries provided. |
 |
 |
 |
||
|
Other side of the compartment... |
Lock, deadbolt & chain... |
A light breakfast is included in the fare... |
The couchette car...
The Munich to Budapest portion of this train also has a comfortable Hungarian couchette car. The couchette car has a side corridor off which open 9 compartments, each of which can be used as 4-berth or 6-berth. Clean sheets and a pillow are provided, the doors have a normal lock and security lock or chain. Toilets and washrooms at the end of the corridor. Couchette compartments are not segregated by gender, as you do not normally get fully undressed. These couchette cars were built in the early 1990s by Spanish manufacturer CAF, they are now being refurbished with a new blue & white exterior colour scheme. See generic couchette car numbering plan. Click the compartment images for larger photos. If you get any good photos of these cars in the new colour scheme, please get in touch!
 |
 |
 |
||
|
Hungarian couchette car in the new colour scheme. |
4-berth couchettes |
6-berth couchettes... |
Restaurant car: New since 2021...
New for the 2021 timetable (in theory, starting 13 December 2020, but in practice starting after local coronavirus restrictions are over), a Hungarian restaurant car will be attached between Salzburg & Budapest in both directions, to serve breakfast eastbound from 04:30 until arrival in Budapest, and to serve dinner westbound from soon after departure until after midnight. A variety of inexpensive hot and cold freshly-cooked meals is available. If you get any good photos of this restaurant car and the food, please let me know!
Travel tips...
-
Should you take the sleeper or a daytime train between Munich & Budapest?
You can travel between Munich & Budapest by railjet train leaving every two hours and taking about 6h50, or on the Kalman Imre overnight sleeper. The sleeper saves time and saves a hotel bill, it's also an interesting experience if you've not travelled by sleeper before. There is some pretty scenery between Munich and Salzburg, but most of the route including the Vienna-Budapest sector, is flat. So although a daytime train ride across Europe is always interesting, on this route you're not missing any spectacular scenery.
-
Sleeper, couchette or just a seat?
For solo travellers on a tight budget, a couchette is fine, you get a flat bunk in a safely lockable compartment and can sleep just as well as in a sleeper. Never travel in just a seat, it's a false economy, always book a couchette or sleeper on a night train for both comfort and security. It's worth paying a little more for a couchette in a 4-berth compartment as you get a lot more space per person than in a 6-berth.
For families, a 4 or 6 berth couchette compartment is the ideal choice, you're all together in one compartment and can have a blast - bring a bottle of wine for mum & dad. Paying more for two separate 2-berth compartments in the sleeping-car probably isn't worth it (unless you've older kids and mum & dad want a break!). If there are 5 of you, you can buy 6 tickets (add a phantom child to the booking!) for sole occupancy of a 6-berth couchette compartment.
But the carpeted sleeping-car has a quieter, more civilised atmosphere, you get a proper fully-made-up bed with duvet (in couchettes you get a blanket, sheet & pillow and arrange them yourself), there's a washbasin in the compartment, and a light breakfast is included. A sleeper is obviously the best option for solo travellers & couples not budget-restricted. Some families and many solo travellers prefer it - a bed in a shared 3-bed single-gender sleeper doesn't cost that much more than a bunk in a 4-berth couchette compartment.
-
Berth numbering...
This often confuses people! They get berths 21 & 25 and think that they aren't in the same 2-berth sleeper compartment. Of course they are! See the way sleeper & couchettes are numbered here.
-
Is the overnight train safe?
Yes. In the sleeping-car or couchette car it's comfortable and safe for families, solo females, for anyone. Compartments in the sleeping-car & couchette car have a normal lock (which can be opened from outside by leys used by railway staff) plus a security deadbolt and/or security chain which can only be locked and unlocked from inside. An attendant is on duty in the sleeping-car & couchette car throughout the journey, in the attendant's compartment at the end of the corridor.
-
Dinner before you board?
In Munich, I recommend the typically Bavarian Augustinerkeller, 9 minutes walk from the station, see the Munich Hbf station page.
In Budapest, the inexpensive Baross Restaurant is right next to the platform this sleeper usually uses, see the Budapest Keleti station page.
-
Finding & boarding your train...
As with virtually all European trains, there's no check-in. Just stroll into the station, find your train and get on, any time before it leaves. And yes, Munich & Budapest stations are safe at night with plenty of people around. The sleeper or couchette car attendant will normally greet you on the platform just outside the sleeping-car or couchette car entrance door and check your reservation. He'll come round and see you soon after departure to take your ticket or pass. See Zurich HB station information. See Munich station information. See Budapest Keleti station information.
Departing from Munich Hbf, the cars to Budapest leave combined with sleepers and couchettes to Zagreb & Venice. The Hungarian sleeper & couchettes to Budapest are at the rear of the train, closest to the buffer stops and station concourse. It'll probably be ready for boarding half an hour before departure.
Departing from Budapest Keleti, look for Munich & Zurich, the two portions of the Kalman Imre leave Budapest combined. It usually leaves from platform 6 or 7, and is usually ready for boarding half an hour before departure.
Tip: You can see the train formation at www.vagonweb.cz, which might help you find your car. Change cs to English upper left, then click Train formations. For the eastbound train from Munich, scroll down to Germany, click EN then look for EN463 Kalman Imre. For the westbound train, scroll down to Hungary then click EN and look for EN462 Kalman Imre. Click the camera icon under each car for photos.
-
Luggage...
You take your luggage with you into your sleeper compartment and simply stick it on the luggage racks above the window, over the door to the corridor, or on the floor. Nobody weighs it, measures it, or worries about how much you take. More information about luggage on European trains.
-
Power & WiFi...
There's a razor socket which can be used to charge a phone if you need to. There's no WiFi, but mobile data reception should work fine for most of the journey.
-
Food & drink on board...
There's no restaurant car*, so bring any provisions (and maybe a bottle of wine!) for the evening. In the morning, the sleeper fare includes tea or coffee plus a few breakfast items, served in your compartment. (* From 13 December 2020 this train is due to convey a restaurant car between Salzburg & Budapest in both directions, see the section above).
Route map...
|
|
Click for larger map Highlighted = Zurich/Munich-Budapest route. Green = scenic sections of line. Red = new high-speed line.
Reproduced from the excellent European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people. I recommend buying the European Rail Map for your travels and a copy of the European Rail Timetable, www.europeanrailtimetable.eu with shipping worldwide.
How much does it cost?
-
Munich to Budapest starts at €59 with a couchette in a 6-berth, €69 with a couchette in a 4-berth, €99 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper with washbasin or €129 in a single-bed sleeper with washbasin. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead for these cheapest prices.
-
Berths are sold individually, one person = 1 ticket = 1 bed. So you don't have to pay for sole occupancy if you're travelling solo on a budget, you can book one ticket and get one bed in a shared 2 or 3-bed sleeper with other civilised sleeper passengers of the same sex. But if you book 1 person in a single-berth sleeper or 2 people in a double or 3 people in a triple, you'll get sole occupancy of a whole compartment.
-
If you have a Eurail or Interrail pass you just need to pay the sleeper or couchette supplement, see prices on the Interrail/Eurail reservations page. Passholder reservations can be made online without any additional booking fee following the instructions here.
How to buy tickets
-
Buy tickets at www.thetrainline.com in €, Ł or $, overseas credit cards no problem. Look for the direct overnight train with 0 changes.
If you have any problems booking couchettes or sleepers on this train at www.thetrainline.com, you can also book in € at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at.
Booking for this sleeper train opens up to 6 months before departure, but less than this for dates immediately after the mid-December timetable change. More information about when European train bookings open.
If you book at www.thetrainline.com or www.oebb.at you simply print out your own ticket and can board the train.
If you have any problems (for example, you see no sleepers), also try the Hungarian Railways site at www.mavcsoport.hu - see my advice on using it first.