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A cosy 2-berth sleeper in the Zurich-Budapest sleeping-car. Book online at www.thetrainline.com
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Introducing the EuroNight sleeper train Kalman Imre
Every night, a Hungarian Railways EuroNight sleeper train called the Kalman Imre links Zurich & Budapest. The train has a comfortable air-conditioned Hungarian sleeping-car with 1, 2 or 3 berth compartments with washbasin and two air-conditioned Hungarian couchette cars with 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.
What's the
couchette car like?
Trains from Zurich to
other cities &
daytime trains Zurich
to Budapest
Trains from
Budapest to
other cities &
daytime trains Budapest-Munich,
Budapest-Zurich
Train times 2024
if you're travelling to or from Vienna. ÖBB (Austrian Railways) provide sleeping-cars & couchettes between Zurich & Vienna as one of their Nightjet trains, with exactly the same departure/arrival time in Zurich, but a later (more civilised) arrival in Vienna eastbound and an earlier (not as late-night) departure from Vienna westbound. If you are travelling from Zurich to Vienna or Vienna to Zurich I recommend using this Austrian Nightjet train as there's a better breakfast in sleepers, a light breakfast in couchettes as well, and there are deluxe sleepers with en suite toilet & shower as well as standard ones with washbasin.
* 20:40 or 21:40? This train leaves Zurich HB at 20:40 until 24 October 2024. From 25 October it will revert to its traditional departure time, 21:40.
Zurich to Budapest by train is 1,043 km (648 miles).
What's the sleeping-car like?
The Zurich-Budapest portion of this train has one Hungarian sleeping-car. Inside the sleeping-car it's air-conditioned, carpeted, quiet and civilised. The sleeping-car has a side corridor off which open 10 sleeper compartments. Each compartment can be sold as a 1, 2 or 3 bed room with upper, middle & lower berths folded out as required. Luggage goes in the big recess over the door to the corridor. The compartments have normal locks plus a security deadbolt which can only be locked & unlocked from inside. There's crisp clean bedding, a washbasin, soap, towel, bottled water, fruit juice.
When you board, you'll find a complimentary fruit juice in your compartment and (if you have a single-berth sleeper) an individual bottle of Hungarian sparkling wine. Morning tea or coffee and a light breakfast are included in the fare, you're given a menu in the evening and can choose 7 items from the list. You can pay extra items if you want additional items. See generic sleeper numbering plan.
This route is scheduled to use one of Hungarian Railways CAF sleeping-cars as shown below, occasionally they use one built by DWA instead, as shown here.
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. Watch the video.
What's the couchette car like?
The Kalman Imre has two comfortable couchette cars between Zurich & Budapest. Each couchette car has a side corridor and 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, there are several European-type 2-pin 240v power outlets in each compartment. Toilets and washrooms at the end of the corridor. Couchette compartments are not segregated by gender, as you do not normally get fully undressed, but women can book a berth in a women-only compartment. See generic couchette car numbering plan. Click the interior photos for larger photos.
Travel tips
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Should you take the sleeper or a daytime train?
You can travel between Zurich & Budapest by daytime railjet train taking 10h40, or on this overnight sleeper. The sleeper saves a lot of time and saves a hotel bill too, it's also an interesting experience if you've not travelled by sleeper before. The only downside is that you'll sleep through the lovely scenery of the Arlberg Pass between Zurich & Innsbruck, see the Arlberg Railway page for photos & video. Innsbruck-Salzburg is also pretty, but Salzburg-Vienna-Budapest is relatively flat, so although the Arlberg Pass is indeed lovely, if I was going all the way to Budapest that's a long daytime journey and I'd probably choose the sleeper.
But you can still see scenery from the sleeper! Westbound from Budapest to Zurich you'll see beautiful mountain & lakeside scenery over breakfast as the sleeper train skirts the Walensee & Zürichsee lakes from the Austrian border to Zurich, on the right hand side of the train. In high summer when the evenings are light you might see some of that Swiss mountain and lakeside scenery going eastbound, too, on the left hand side.
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Seat, couchette or sleeper?
For solo travellers on a 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, always book a couchette or sleeper on a night train for both comfort and security. It's worth paying a little extra 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 for sole occupancy of a 6-berth couchette compartment, simply add a phantom child to the booking.
But the carpeted sleeping-car does have a quieter, more civilised atmosphere, and it's 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. In the sleeper, 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.
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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 how sleepers are numbered. See how couchettes are numbered.
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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.
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Dinner before you board?
In Zurich, I suggest some eateries on the Zurich HB station page, including schnitzel, fries and a beer at the Brasserie Federal in the station hall. There is a MacDonald's and Burger King across the road from Budapest Keleti and I show some suggested restaurants on the Budapest Keleti page.
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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, Zurich & Budapest stations are all 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. Zurich HB station guide. Budapest Keleti station guide.
Departing from Zurich HB, the cars to Budapest are attached to the Zurich-Vienna Nightjet train, so look for Vienna & Budapest on the departure boards. It'll probably be ready for boarding half an hour before departure.
Departing from Budapest Keleti, look for Stuttgart & Zurich, as the Kalman Imre consists of a portion for Stuttgart and a portion for Zurich which run combines as far as Salzburg. The train usually leaves from platform 6 or 7, probably ready for boarding half an hour before departure.
Tip: If you're interested, 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, scroll down to Switzerland, click NJ then look for NJ467 to Vienna. For the westbound train, look under Hungary then EN and look for EN462 Kalman Imre. Click the camera icon under each car for photos.
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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 about luggage on European trains.
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Power sockets & WiFi
There are several 240v European-type power outlets for laptops & mobiles near the washbasin in each sleeper compartment and near the window in each couchette compartment. The sleeping-car & couchette cars have WiFi. Mobile data reception will work fine for most of the journey.
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Food & drink on board
Feel free to bring 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.
Route map
How much does it cost?
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Zurich to Budapest (or vice versa) starts at €59 with a couchette in a 6-berth compartment, €69 with a couchette in 4-berth, €99 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €129 in a single-bed sleeper. Fares are dynamic like air fares, so book ahead for these cheapest prices.
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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.
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If you have a Eurail or Interrail pass you pay the sleeper or couchette supplement, see prices on the Interrail/Eurail reservations page.
How to buy tickets
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Book online 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 (for travel either direction).
Booking for this sleeper opens up to 6 months before departure, but less this for dates immediately after the mid-December timetable change. More 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 book at www.mavcsoport.hu you can usually print your ticket or show it in the MAV app.
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Interrail & Eurail passholders can make reservations online with no booking fee following the instructions here.
Watch the video