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TRAIN TRAVEL

Where in Europe can you get to by night train from Switzerland?

Night trains are back in favour in Europe but where can you get to overnight if you live in Switzerland? Here's a run through of your best options if you're looking for an adventure.

Published: 25 March 2022 16:10 CET
Updated: 18 April 2023 09:03 CEST
If you are thinking of getting away, why not try a night train from Switzerland? Photo by Chris Henry on Unsplash
If you are thinking of getting away, why not try a night train from Switzerland? Photo by Chris Henry on Unsplash

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) now hosts 11 overnight routes, including the most recently added destination – Amsterdam. And if you want to book them you’ll need to book well in advance a new report revealed.

The daily Nightjet service from Zurich to Amsterdam via Basel has been up and running since December 2021. The journey takes 11 hours and 15 minutes, leaving Zurich at 10pm and arriving in Amsterdam at 9.15am with no changes. 

On the way back, the train leaves Amsterdam at 8.30pm and arrives in Basel SBB at 6.30am, travelling on to arrive in Zurich at the slightly more civilised hour of 8.05am. 

Meanwhile, the much-anticipated new routes to Barcelona and Rome won’t be operational until 2024 at the earliest. The Barcelona route from Zurich will go via Bern, Lausanne and Geneva. 

The SBB night train destinations are offered in collaboration with the Austrian rail company ÖBB and other partner companies. Hamburg, Berlin, Hannover, Vienna, Graz, Prague, Budapest, Ljubljana and Zagreb have been on the timetable for a few years. Most of these journeys take 10 to 12 hours. 

Sleeping options

Sonya Schwaller from Fribourg recently travelled on the Zurich to Vienna night train, sleeping in a six-person compartment. She and her husband were on their way to take part in a triathlon in Bratislava. They joined the train just over the Swiss-Austrian border in Feldkirch so that they could load their car on board too.  

The Schwallers took the cheaper ‘couchette’ (Liegewagen) option, which has four or six bunks and shared toilets outside in the carriage. It was their third trip by night train so they knew what to expect. 

This map is from SBB . You can see it in ore details here: https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/trains-trips/night-train.html

“The pillows weren’t great but we got a good blanket. Each bunk has a light so you can still read when others are asleep. It’s very quiet – nobody moving around. I slept well and I enjoyed it. They brought us coffee, bread rolls and jam in the morning.”

There is also a ‘ladies-only compartment’ in the couchette class for women travelling alone, which you have to select when booking. The most comfortable way to travel is the ‘sleeper cabin’ (Schlafwagen). There are standard and deluxe options available in this category with single, double and triple-bed compartments. 

Standard sleeper compartments come with a small handbasin, while the deluxe compartments have their own shower and toilet and towels. The budget option would be to travel in reclining seats in the ‘seating carriage’ (Sitzwagen).  

Booking

Regular prices range from CHF 116 one way to Prague and CHF219 to Amsterdam for a bunk in a three-person sleeper compartment. Considerably cheaper tickets (Sparbillet / Billet dégriffé / Supersaver) can be found when booking well in advance. 

Not all international connections can be booked through the SBB app or the Webshop. The same applies to finding the best prices.

For the moment, SBB recommends that clients purchase international tickets at staffed travel centres or by phone (SBB Contact Center 0848 44 66 88 (CHF 0.08/Min). It’s possible to book an appointment in advance online. For more info on booking international tickets, see the SBB FAQ. 

Some of the most popular routes like Zurich-Vienna and Zurich-Berlin are in demand in the busiest travel months of May to September. Early booking is recommended. 

A turnaround

In December 2022 a new night train route opened linking Zurich and Prague that runs through Germany and stops in Basel, Karlsruhe and Dresden.

European railway companies see great potential in night trains and have their eye on expansion. “We are currently noticing a renaissance and strongly growing demand,” an SBB spokesman told The Local. 

It’s quite a turnaround. “A few years ago, night trains were deemed to be an obsolete model. We are convinced that the demand will increase more and that night trains will also be successful in the long term in the context of sustainable travel,” he said.

In April 2023 some MPs called for more government funding of night trains, while others are more cautious.

Before investing money, “we must first ensure that this demand is long-term and not just temporary,” one deputy said.

A look inside the SBB sleeping cabin on a night train. Image: SBB

A look inside the SBB sleeping cabin on a night train. Image: SBB

Climate bonus

The climate benefit has become a major selling point of train travel – and night trains are even more environmentally friendly because they travel at slower speeds. On the SBB website and app, the Ecocalculator at the end of the itinerary allows you to see the CO2 savings for your trip. 

A train journey can use at least 30 times less CO2 than plane travel over the same distance, and 20 times less than car travel. 

There are other advantages over road travel, such as avoiding traffic jams and being able to lie down and close your eyes. There is no trouble with carrying liquids or other banned items. And there is no waiting time or airport transfer when you travel from city centre to city centre. 

Long-distance train travel can be family friendly with children of the right age and temperament. It is possible to book out a four-person or six-person compartment for a group travelling together. 

Sleeping in a moving vehicle may not be everyone’s idea of fun but there are ways to make it work. Comfortable clothes are a must, and potentially ear plugs or an eye mask if you’re a light sleeper.

It’s best to travel light and to have the essential things easily accessible at the top of your bag. And don’t forget to pack some tolerance for your travelling companions. 

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The government is working on the assumption that the system will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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