Cosy 2-berth sleeper in the Zurich-Prague sleeping-car...

Zurich to Prague from €45

Every night, a comfortable Czech Railways sleeping-car links Zurich with Prague, also calling at Ceske Budejovice for the local train to/from Cesky Krumlov.  The sleeping-car is safe, comfortable, has 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!  The sleeping-car is attached to the Zurich-Vienna sleeper between Zurich & Linz, and to an InterCity train with bistro car between Linz & Prague.

COVID-19 update:  This train was temporarily suspended, resumed from 29 June 2020, but has been suspended again in September due to Swiss quarantine for Czech arrivals.  More COVID-19 travel info.

  Train times

  What's the sleeping-car like?

  Bistro car

  Travel tips

  Route map

  How much does it cost?

  How to buy tickets

  Zurich HB station information

  Prague Hlavni station information

  Trains from Prague to other cities & daytime trains Prague-Zurich

  Trains from Zurich to other cities & daytime trains Zurich-Prague

Train times 2020...

Always check times for your specific date of travel at www.cd.cz as times may vary due to trackwork.

The train consist 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.

GWTR = 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 Cesky Krumlov, but I'd play safe and take the 17:00 as shown, and have dinner in Ceske 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 Cesky Krumlov using idos.idnes.cz.

What is the sleeping-car like?

Every night a direct sleeping-car of the Czech Railways links Zurich with Prague.  It's a Comfortline sleeping-car, built by Siemens in Germany in 2004-2005, with 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.  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".

The sleeping-car from Zurich, arrived at Prague.  Just one sleeping-car goes to Prague, attached to a sleeper from Zurich to Vienna & Budapest, then attached to a Linz-Prague express.  Photo courtesy of Ivor Morgan.

Standard sleeper set up as a 2-berth, with blind down & washstand open.  Each room can be used with 1, 2 or 3 beds.  Larger photo.		The same sleeper with berths folded away & seats folded out, washstand closed.  Very similar to a deluxe, but without the shower & toilet.  Larger photo.		Deluxe sleepers are virtually identical to standard ones but with a compact shower & toilet instead of washstand.  Larger photo.		Just like a hotel, the corridor in a Comfortline sleeping-car.  There's a shower at end of the corridor for standard sleeper passengers.

Standard sleeper set up as a 3-berth.  Larger photo.		Standard sleeper set up as a single-berth.  Larger photo.		Toiletries & water are supplied.  A light boxed breakfast with tea or coffee is included. Courtesy Ivor Morgan & @AufGleis13

Below:  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.

Bistro car...

The sleeping-car attendant can serve snacks & drinks from a limited menu out of his small galley, and a light breakfast is included in the fare.  But when travelling eastbound towards Prague you might prefer to go to the bistro car for a more extensive cooked breakfast, and when travelling westbound out of Prague you might like an inexpensive dinner in the bistro with an excellent Czech beer or two.  The sleeping-car is attached to a Czech intercity train between Linz & Prague (in both directions) which has a bistro car serving tea, coffee, wine, draught beer, and cooked dishes.  Eastbound towards Prague the bistro car is normally attached next to the Zurich-Prague sleeping-car.  Westbound out of Prague, the Prague-Zurich sleeping-car is normally at the front of the train, the bistro car at the rear, but there are only 3 cars or so between them.  Check that the bistro car is indeed attached as you board the train, it's not unknown for an ordinary 1st class car to substitute if the bistro goes technical, but normally the bistro is there, and it's a treat!  Bistro photos courtesy of Dominik Brühwiler & Discoverbyrail.com.

The bistro-car.  Courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry...

Bistro car between Linz & Prague.  2nd class passengers may use the 1st class seats nearest the counter if they are having a meal...		An inexpensive dinner westbound out of Prague, with draught beer served in cooled glass tankards...

A cooked breakfast eastbound on the way to Prague...		The bistro has a proper coffee machine & draught beer on tap.

Travel tips...

• Deluxe or regular sleeper?

  OK, so 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.  So don't obsess about having a deluxe, standard sleepers are almost as good!

• 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 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.

• 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 & 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.  See Zurich HB station information.  See Prague Hlavni station information.

  Departing from Zurich HB, the sleeping-car to Prague is attached to 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 very front of the train behind the locomotive, furthest from the buffer stops, car number 374.  It'll probably be ready for boarding half an hour before departure.

  Departing from Prague Hlavni, the sleeping-car is attached to a Prague-Linz express, so look on the departure screens for the train going to Linz, don't expect it to say Zurich.  You'll find the Prague-Zurich sleeping-car (car number 374) at the front of the 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).  The train starts its journey at Prague Holesovice station, it only arrives at Prague Hlavni a few minutes before departure.

  If you're interested, you can see what the train formation is like 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 for the eastbound train, click Nightjet then look for the Zurich to Vienna EN467 to which this sleeper is attached.  For the westbound train, look under Czechia and Ex - the train is Ex337 when it leaves Prague.  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 should now be free WiFi in these Czech sleeping-cars.  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.

• 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.  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.

  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.

• 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.

• See general tips & advice for European train travel. 

• 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?

• Zurich to Prague (or Zurich to Ceske 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 are dynamic 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 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.  However, passholder reservations cannot be made online, only by phone or at the station.

How to buy tickets

• Book online at Czech Railways www.cd.cz.  Change the Czech flag to the UK flag for English.

  Booking usually opens 90 days before departure, although this can shrink to less than 90 days for dates immediately after the mid-June & mid-December timetable changes.  More information about when European train bookings open.

  Leave 2nd class selected whatever accommodation type you want, and select 21:00 as your departure time.  In the search results, look for the direct train marked No transfers corresponding to the times quoted in the timetable above.

  Click the green price button against that train, on the next page click continue, then click modify against Sleeper berth and change it to a sleeper - automatically or deluxe sleeper - automatically, then click the pencil symbol to edit the type of sleeper from 3-berth to double or single.

  It'll tell you your berth numbers before you confirm & pay - see the paragraph about non-sequential berth numbering in the Travel tips section above!

  You print out your own ticket and can board the train, simples!

  Note that 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 Cesky Krumlov, book the sleeper between Zurich & Ceske Budejovice, then buy the €1.55 local ticket between Ceske Budejovice & Cesky Krumlov separately, either at the station (in Ceske 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.

  If you find this direct sleeper isn't running on your date...  There are occasional nights when this sleeper doesn't run due to engineering work.  If you find this direct Zurich-Prague sleeper is fully-booked or not running for any reason on your date, book the Nightjet sleeper from Zurich to Linz or Vienna instead (it's the same train, leaving Zurich at 21:40) using Austrian Railways www.oebb.at then add a Linz-Prague or Vienna-Prague ticket from €14 at www.cd.cz.  I'd allow at least 1 hour between trains in Linz or Vienna.  There are various possible combinations depending on whether you want early arrival or longer sleep.

The sleeping-car from Prague to Zurich, boarding at Prague Hlavni platform 6.  It's at the front of the train, behind the locomotive.  The rest of the train goes to Linz.

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