Good news Scandophiles and Swedes alike, a new night train service between Stockholm and Hamburg will be extended to Berlin in March.
After Sweden’s national rail company SJ launched its new night train connection between Stockholm and Hamburg back in September, the long-distance train service is now set to be extended to Berlin.
From March 31, passengers will be able to board the train at Berlin’s main station at 6.37pm. The service will then call at Hamburg at 10.01pm and arrive in the Swedish capital at 9.55am, just in time for an 11am Fika, the Swedish everyday tradition of coffee and cakes.
Once you’re all Fika’d out and have reached your capacity of Scandi minimalism, you can return to Berlin’s unkempt chaos by jumping on the 5.34pm service from Stockholm Centralstation. You’ll be in Hamburg by 6.01am the next day and back in the German capital by 9.00am.
Tickets for the new line are expected to go on sale in February, and though another Stockholm-Berlin service is already run by the Swedish company Snälltåget, the new link will allow you to arrive in Stockholm bright and early, instead of at 2.10pm, as the existing service does.
As with most night trains, if you’re wanting to keep a tight budget, buying a simple seat in a compartment of six will be possible. If you’re happy to spend a little extra money, you can get yourself a bed in a bunk of six.
If you’re looking to push the boat out, a two-bed private bunk with a wash basin or a deluxe cabin with double bed and ensuite shower will also be available.
As train travel becomes an increasingly-beloved mode of transport in Germany, the Stockholm night train is just one of many to be extending and developing its overnight journeys. A new route between Berlin and Brussels, making connections to London easier from the German capital, was also recently announced.
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