4 best night trains to and from Germany

Germany is excellently placed as a base to explore what Europe has to offer in every direction. Whether you’re craving kötbullar, perogi, gelato or just a certain je ne sais quoi, there’s a night train to get you there.

Taking night trains to and from Germany

In recent years, rail operators in Europe have significantly expanded both night train routes and their running frequency. Passengers are looking for environmentally-friendly ways to travel and a sense of romantic adventure - which getting up at 3am to go on a bright yellow and blue plane will never be able to offer.

Alongside Deutsche Bahn, Swedish rail operator Snälltåget, Austrian National Railways (ÖBB), European Sleeper, Croatian rail operator HŽ Putnički prijevoz (HŽPP), Hungarian Railway (MAV) and Polish Railway (PKP) all run night trains to and from Germany, sometimes in cooperation with each other.

Before we get into where these trains can take you, here are some general tips about travelling on the night train (Nachtzug) across Europe:

How much do night train tickets cost?

There are a few variables which will determine the cost of your night train ticket. Buying a ticket from one of the rail operators listed above can set you back anywhere between 40 and 400 euros one way. Prices are similar with each rail provider, but vary hugely based on the kind of ticket you want.

For example, depending on whether it is off-peak or peak season, you can expect to pay around 40 to 80 euros for a seat in a carriage from any of the companies listed above. But if you want to book a bed in a four or six-person couchette, you will pay around 130 euros, for a bed in a two-person couchette around 180 euros and for a bed in a private cabin 400 euros.

What’s the difference between a couchette and a sleeper?

So what kind of sleeping arrangement can you expect for 40 euros and what will you get if you fork out 400 euros?

• Seat cars: A seat in a regular train carriage or a six-person compartment.
• Couchette: A bed in a compartment with four to six people.
• Mini cabin: A private bed in its own “cocoon”, intended for lone travellers or couples.
• Private cabin: A bed in a compartment (can be booked for one, two or three people).

There are toilets in each coach, and some sleeping cars offer public, and in some cases private, bathroom and shower facilities.

Young people hanging out in their couchette beds on the new generation ÖBB Nightjet (Image credit: ÖBB / Harald Eisenberger).

How much luggage are you allowed on a night train?

Luggage is one of the major pros of travelling by night train: there is no weight or size limit for luggage and no liquid restrictions. However, luggage will need to be stored in a rack above or below your seat/bunk, so shouldn’t be too bulky. 

Is food provided on the night train?

Passengers in the seat cars can purchase food and drinks from train attendants or in the onboard cafe. On some night trains, passengers in seat cars can also book a breakfast meal for the morning.

In couchette cabins, a small breakfast (think coffee or tea, and a bread roll with butter and jam) is sometimes included in the ticket price. In the sleeper cars, you can order breakfast from the menu, and the cost is included in your ticket.

To summarise, food is unlikely to be included in your ticket price unless you have paid for one of the more expensive tickets and even then, it is not guaranteed. However, all passengers are allowed to take food onboard the night train. Time to make a picnic!

Do night trains have WiFi?

One of the few things which is semi-reliable about Deutsche Bahn is the internet. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many night train services operating in Germany. You may be able to get a connection, but don’t expect to be sending emails with no hassle or streaming films all night long.

The best night trains from Germany

Now that you have demystified the details of night train travel in Europe, where to go? Here are some of the best routes heading north, east, south and west from Germany:

Going north: Night trains from Germany to Denmark and Sweden

To the untrained eye, Denmark and Sweden are just places where - like Germany - everyone loves meat, potatoes and cabbage with no seasoning and the winters are too long. But they are so much more than that; they like prawns and blueberries and the summers are really long too.

If all of those things sound great, you can jump on the Snälltåget (literally, “the fast train”) connecting Germany, Denmark and Sweden. In Germany, the Snälltåget departs from Munich, Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg, and takes passengers through Copenhagen, Malmö and Lund and on to Gothenburg or Stockholm. If you’d like to see the Arctic Circle with your own eyes, you can stay on board all the way until Åre.

Depending on the time of year, how much of the route you are travelling and whether you opt for a simple seat in a carriage or a private cabin bed, you can expect to spend between 80 and 200 euros one way on the Snälltåget. 

Whether you book a seat or a private cabin, you can head to the onboard dining carriage (Krogen) in the morning. Sip your cup of black coffee and delight at your initiatory Kanelbulle as you chug across the Öresundsbron. If that image didn’t evoke wanderlust, the following ARD Reisen report can show you more of what the Snälltåget has to offer:

Going east: Night trains from Bavaria to Kraków and Warsaw

Next up is ÖBB’s Nightjet service from Munich to Kraków and Warsaw. Leaving daily from Munich Hauptbahnhof, the EN40406 Nightjet service also stops in Salzburg, Linz and Vienna. Leave Munich at 6pm and you’ll be an early bird catching the worm in Kraków at 5.19am or in Warsaw at 8.15am.

What is there to do once you get there? Kraków is home to one of Poland’s largest art galleries, the National Museum - among its 780.000 installations is Da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine. In summertime you can head out of the city to the Kapelanka lagoon, which offers turquoise waters you’ll struggle to find in Germany. 

If you take the train all the way to Warsaw, the city’s Uprising Museum details its 1944 battle for independence from Nazi Germany. In town, feast your eyes upon the Palace of Culture and Science, home to what was the world’s largest clock tower between 2000 and 2002, and of course, all things Frédéric Chopin.

The route of the EN40406 Nightjet from Munich to Poland. (Image credit: OpenStreetMap / OpenStreetMap contributors).

Going south: Night trains from Germany to Italy

Awake in Roma Termini, push past the hoard of coin-tossing tourists at the Trevi Fountain in your shoulderless evening dress and shout, “Marcello, come here!” Who can resist the call of la dolce vita? With the ÖBB Nightjet from Munich to Rome, you don’t have to.

Leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof every evening at 8.07pm, the NJ295 train takes passengers through Austria and south to Italy, stopping in Bologna at 5.42am, Florence at 6.50am and finally in Rome at 10.05am. What should you do once you arrive? When in Rome…

Unfortunately, the NJ295 doesn’t stop in Venice, but ÖBB’s NJ237 Nightjet does. The service leaves Munich East at 11.53pm and arrives in Venice at 8.34am.

This could be you in Rome, adiamo! (Image credit: Sergey Podlesnov / Shutterstock.com).

Going west: Night trains from Berlin to Brussels and Paris

In 2023, ÖBB relaunched its night train between Berlin and Paris after a nine-year hiatus. The route proved highly popular, running with an average occupancy rate of 70 percent and a peak occupancy rate of 90 percent during the summer.

From March 2026, night trains between Berlin and Paris will instead be run by the Dutch rail company European Sleeper. Services depart from Berlin Hauptbahnhof on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6.31pm, arrive in Brussels at 7.06am and in Paris for petit-déjeuner at 10.00am. Return journeys depart on Tuesdays, Thursday and Sunday at 5.45pm from Paris and 9.45pm from Brussels Midi/Zuid.

Time to book the night train?

Remember, these are just some of the night train services running to and from Germany and routes are only expected to expand in the coming years. From the sauna or the piazza, send us a postcard!