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Cosy 2-berth sleeper in the Zurich-Prague sleeping-car. |
Zurich to Prague from €45
Every night, not one but two trains link Zurich and Prague. One consists of a direct Czech Railways sleeping-car attached to the Zurich-Vienna-Budapest night train. It gets uncoupled at Linz and attached to a Linz-Prague express, it also calls at Ceské Budejovice for the branch line to Ceský Krumlov. The other is the Canopus with a sleeping-car, couchette car and seats car, reintroduced in December 2022 and running through Germany via Basel, Karlsruhe and Dresden.
The sleeping-car on both trains is an excellent Czech Railways Comfortline car, with 1, 2 & 3 berth compartments with washbasin, and deluxe 1, 2 & 3 berth compartments with en suite shower & toilet. A light breakfast is included. A great way to go!
What's the couchette car like?
Trains from Prague to
other cities &
daytime trains Prague-Zurich
Trains from Zurich to
other cities &
daytime trains Zurich-Prague
Train times 2024
Always check times for your specific date of travel at www.cd.cz as times may vary due to trackwork.
* 20:40 or 21:40? This train leaves Zurich HB at 20:40 until 24 October 2024. From 25 October it reverts to its traditional departure time, 21:40.
Train EN50466/7 consists of one direct Czech Railways sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, some with en suite toilet & shower. There are no couchettes. The sleeper is attached to the Zurich-Vienna/Budapest Nightjet between Zurich & Linz, and to an Intercity train with bistro car between Linz & Prague.
Train EN40458/9 is the Canopus, it consists of a Czech Railways sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, some with en suite toilet & shower, a couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments and ordinary seats. It leaves Zurich combined with the sleeper to Berlin. It starts running from 11 December 2022.
Local train = local train run by GWTR, separate ticket required, €1.55, buy at the station or from the self-service machine on board the train. Westbound, a later 19:00 connection is theoretically possible from Ceský Krumlov, but I'd play safe and take the 17:00 as shown, and have dinner in Ceské Budejovice, formerly known by its Germanic name, Budweis. That's right, where the name of the beer comes from! You can check train times to/from Ceský Krumlov using idos.idnes.cz.
Sleeping-car (both trains)
The sleeping car on both trains is a Czech Railways Comfortline sleeping-car, built by Siemens in Germany in 2006-2007. It has 9 standard compartments with washbasin & 3 deluxe compartments with en suite toilet & shower, see the photos below. Inside the sleeping-car it's carpeted, air-conditioned, quiet and civilised. Each compartment can be sold as a 1, 2 or 3 bed room. There's crisp clean bedding, soap, towel, bottled water, and a power socket for mobiles & laptops below the head-end of the bed. Morning tea or coffee is included. The compartments have a card-key locks like a hotel and there's a toilet & shower at the end of the corridor for sleeper passengers in the standard compartments (take your key-card, you'll need it to open it). Sleeper berths are sold individually, 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.
Beds are 190cm x 75cm (approx 6'3" x 2'6"), but pillow or toes can project into a 2.5cm (1") gap either end between bed & wall, so no problem for anyone up to 6'5".
Comfortline sleeper layout. All compartments can be sold as a single, double or triple. Last digit of berth number 1 or 2 = lower berth, 3 or 4 = middle berth, 5 or 6 upper berth. Adjacent compartments with berths with the same first digit have an inter-connecting door which can be opened if your party occupies both compartments. Click the image for larger version.
Couchette car (Canopus only)
The Canopus has a couchette car leased from RDC as Czech Railways don't have enough 200km/h couchette cars of their own. The 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.
Bistro or restaurant car (both trains)
The sleeping-car attendant can serve snacks & drinks from a limited menu from his small galley and a light breakfast is included in the fare.
However, a Czech bistro car is attached to train EN50466/7 between Linz & Prague, and a Czech restaurant car is attached to train EN40458/9 Canopus between Leipzig & Prague. So on both trains, travelling eastbound towards Prague you can go to the bistro or restaurant car for a cooked breakfast, and when travelling westbound from Prague you can enjoy an inexpensive dinner with wine or excellent Czech draught beer.
Eastbound on EN50467 the bistro car is normally attached right next to the Zurich-Prague sleeping-car. Westbound on EN50466, the Prague-Zurich sleeping-car is normally at the front of the train with the bistro car at the rear, but there are only 3 or so cars in between.
On train EN40458/9 Canopus the restaurant car is normally 4 seats cars away from the sleeping-car & couchette car.
Travel tips
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Which train to take?
The sleeping-car is exactly the same on both routes, and as a bistro or restaurant car is available at the eastern end on both routes, it doesn't really matter which train you choose between Zurich and Prague, they're both good. It comes down to which train's timings suits your plans best, and price - EN50467 (via Linz) is usually significantly cheaper then the train via Karlsruhe. But of course if you want a cheaper couchette rather than a proper sleeper, these are only available on the Canopus via Germany.
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Deluxe or regular sleeper?
It's nice having your own en suite shower & toilet, but remember there are only 3 deluxe sleeper compartments on the entire train. Deluxe sleepers are virtually identical to standard sleepers in every respect, same beds, same decor, same everything, they just have a compact shower/toilet unit instead of a washstand. And there's a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers (take your sleeper compartment's card-key to open it). So don't obsess about having a deluxe, standard sleepers are almost as good!
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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 & couchettes are numbered.
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Is the overnight train safe?
Yes. In the sleeper it's comfortable and safe for families, solo females, for anyone. Look at the sleeper corridor above and see how quiet and civilised it is. Compartments in the Comfortline sleeping-car have a hotel-style card-key lock so the standard carriage keys used by railway staff can't open them from outside, only the sleeper attendant's master key-card can open them. In addition, also like a hotel, there's a security deadbolt which can only be locked and unlocked from inside. An attendant is on duty in the sleeping-car throughout the journey, he has a small galley at the end of the corridor.
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Finding 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 & Prague stations are both safe at night, with plenty of people around. The sleeper attendant will normally greet you on the platform at the door to the sleeping-car and check your reservation. He'll come round and see you soon after departure to take your ticket or pass. Zurich HB station guide. Prague Hlavni station guide.
Departing from Zurich HB, the sleeping-car to Prague on train EN50467 is attached to the rear of the combined Zurich-Vienna Nightjet train & Zurich-Budapest EuroNight train, so look for Vienna & Budapest on the departure boards as it might not say Prague. You want the blue Czech sleeping-car at the rear of the train, closest to the buffer stops, car number 374. It'll probably be ready for boarding half an hour before departure. Train EN40459 leaves Zurich combined with the Nightjet to Berlin.
Departing from Prague Hlavni, remember that there are two trains to Zurich! If you are booked to Karlsruhe, Basel or Zurich on the Canopus, it will be shown on the departure boards as destination ZURICH HB. If you are booked in the direct sleeping-car via Linz on EN50466, it will be shown on the departure boards as destination LINZHBF/ZURICHHB and you'll find the sleeping-car (car number 374) at the front of the Prague-Linz train behind the locomotive, at the south end of the relevant platform (meaning to your right as you walk through the underpass beneath all the platforms from the station concourse). Train EN50466 starts its journey at Prague Holesovice station, it only arrives at Prague Hlavni a few minutes before departure. Train EN40458 Canopus starts its journey at Prague Hlavni (with Prague at Holesovice as first stop) so should be ready for boarding maybe half an hour before departure.
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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 & WiFi
These Czech sleeping-cars now offer free WiFi. Comfortline sleeper compartments have a power socket for laptops & mobiles, standard European 230v 2-pin type. It's located beneath the pillow end of the bed. Mobile data reception should work fine for most of the journey.
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Food & drink
The sleeper attendant can serve a limited selection of food & drink in your compartment from a room service menu which you'll find in your compartment. This includes one or two microwaved hot dishes, as well as tea, coffee, snacks, wine & beer, all at affordable Czech prices.
In the morning, the sleeper fare includes tea or coffee plus a simple breakfast box with rolls or bread, butter, jam & orange juice.
You are of course free to bring your own supplies with you, including snacks for a midnight feast and perhaps a bottle of wine - there's a supermarket at Zurich & Prague stations where you can stock up, for location see the Zurich HB station guide or the Prague Hlavni station guide.
On train EN50466/7 A bistro car is attached between Linz & Prague in both directions, ideal for a cooked breakfast when travelling east towards Prague, or for a dinner with Czech beer or wine when travelling east out of Prague, see the bistro car information above.
There is no bistro or restaurant car between Zurich & Linz in either direction, so when leaving Zurich, have dinner before you board, see the Zurich HB page for some suggested restaurants in and around the station.
On train EN40458/9 a restaurant car is attached between Leipzig and Prague, serving breakfast eastbound and dinner westbound. It is marshalled around 4 cars away from the sleeping-car & couchette car. There is no catering car between Zurich and Leipzig, so eat before you board.
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Scenery
Yes, scenery, even from a sleeper train! Eastbound on a moonlit night you may see mountains and the Zürichsee and Walensee lakes soon after departure from Zurich, and you'll wake to pleasant Bohemian forest & farmland. Westbound, the sun will set over that Bohemian farmland & forest, and you'll wake to Swiss mountains and lakes outside your bedroom window in the morning sun. As well as crossing Austria, you'll also pass through Lichtenstein during the night. It's just a shame you'll be asleep as the train passes mountain scenery of the Arlberg Pass.
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Suggested hotels in Prague old town or near the station. If your budget will stretch, consider the lovely Hotel Carlo IV, 3 minutes stroll from the station, 10 minutes walk from all the city sights. Thanks to Czech prices, it's not as expensive as such a hotel would be further west!
Route map
How much does it cost?
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Zurich to Prague (or Zurich to Ceské Budejovice) starts at €45 each way with a bed in a 3-bed sleeper, €59 each way with a bed in a cosy 2-bed sleeper, €112 with a bed in a single-bed sleeper. Berths in deluxe sleepers with shower & toilet cost a bit more. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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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 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 just need to pay the sleeper or couchette supplement, see prices on the Interrail/Eurail reservations page. However, passholder reservations cannot be made online, only by phone or at the station.
How to buy tickets
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Option 1, book with Czech Railways at www.cd.cz. Change the Czech flag to the UK flag for English.
Booking usually opens 60 days before departure, although this can shrink to less than 60 days for dates immediately after the mid-December timetable change. More about when European train bookings open.
Find the direct EN (EuroNight) train in the search results shown as No transfers and click on Price in the next step.
Hopefully you'll now see a cheap 2nd class First Minute fare, if so click Continue.
Now change Sleeper - automatically to Sleeper deluxe - automatically if you want a deluxe sleeper (deluxe = with toilet & shower). Then click the edit pencil symbol to change the type of sleeper from 3-berth to double or single. You are booking individual berths, not compartments, one person = one ticket = one bed, so if you book 2 people in a 2-berth you get the whole compartment, if you book 2 people in a 3-berth the third bed may be sold to another passenger of the same gender.
It'll tell you your berth numbers before you confirm & pay - see the paragraph about berth numbering in the Travel tips section above.
If you book this way you get a ticket with reservation included, which you print out and which is all you need to board the train.
Only one passenger name is needed to support a print-your-own ticket, even if that ticket is for two or more people.
If you want a deluxe sleeper. Remember that there are only 3 deluxe sleeper compartments in the sleeping-car and these can sell out. So if you can't get a deluxe sleeper, just book a regular sleeper with washbasin as these are virtually identical to the deluxe ones but with a washstand instead of a shower/toilet cubicle.
If you're going to or from Ceský Krumlov, book the sleeper between Zurich & Ceské Budejovice, then buy the €1.55 local ticket between Ceske Budejovice & Ceský Krumlov separately, either at the station (in Ceské Budejovice there's a distinctive green & orange GWTR ticket kiosk in the ticket hall) or on board the train from the self-service machines which take contactless bank cards.
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Option 2, book with Austrian Railways at www.oebb.at. The Austrian Railways site may work better to book the Canopus via Germany.
