For
a less stressful journey, my recommendation is to opt for overnight stopovers,
rather than night trains, if at all possible. This is for one important reason:
Overnight
stopovers allow you to “catch up” on any delays you might have accumulated
during the day.
If
you have planned an overnight stopover, a missed connection might mean that you
will reach your overnight accommodation later than planned. If you have planned
to continue your journey with a night train, missing it because of accumulated
delays, can be more of a problem.
On
the other hand, night trains make for shorter overall journey times and can be
a fun way to travel, so here are a few tips for making night train journeys a
little less stressful and a lot more enjoyable:
Plan
a very generous connection at the station from where your night train
departs that allows for at least one missed connection on your journey to that
station. If you arrive on time, you can always have an evening meal at or near
the station before boarding your night train. If you are delayed, grab some
food at the station and take it with you, or eat dinner on the night train (if
food is served on it).
Choose
a private sleeping compartment if you are travelling for work. This is like
a small hotel room with 1, 2 or 3 bunk beds, often with an en suite
toilet and shower. You can, of course, share a sleeping compartment. This can
be fun with a colleague or a friend, or even a complete stranger. However, I
don’t recommend sharing with someone you don’t know if you are travelling for
work, because you are less likely to arrive well-rested. The same holds for couchettes.
These are compartments with 4 or 6 beds. They are the rail travellers
equivalent of a hostel dormitory (fun if you’re on holiday – not great if
you’re travelling for work). And, as for seats: If you want to be miserable,
why not fly?
Book
early. Private sleeping
compartments sell out quickly.
Night
trains which you might find useful if you are travelling from Sweden for work
in another European country are operated by:
SJ
between Stockholm and Luleå (for Finland) or Östersund and Narvik (for Norway)
Finnish
Railways between Tornio and Helsinki
Norwegian
State Railways between Oslo and Bergen
Euronight
(SJ)* and Snälltåget between Stockholm or Malmö and Hamburg or Berlin
Nightjet
(Austrian Federal Railways) between Hamburg and Vienna, Basel or Zürich
Dacia
Express between Vienna and Bucharest
Caledonian
Sleeper between London and Scotland
* The future of this train remains uncertain. SJ will operate it until the end of August 2026.
Stockholm to Luleå, Östersund or Narvik
SJ operate night trains from Stockholm to, Luleå,
Östersund and Narvik, and Malmö, which can be used for part of a rail journey
to Finland, Norway and mainland Europe and the British Isles. Because Sweden is
so long (Malmö is equidistant from Riksgränsen and Rome!), night trains can be
a very good option. On their night trains, SJ offer the following types of
accommodation:
Seat
Berth
in a couchette
Bed
in a sleeping compartment
Private
sleeping compartment
For business travellers, I recommend a private
sleeping compartment. This is a comfortable way to travel, which maximises
your chances of arriving well-rested at your final destination. If you opt for
a bed in a sleeping compartment or couchette, you will be sharing with other
passengers.
In 1st class (if available), each sleeping
compartments has its own en suite toilet and shower. In 2nd
class, these facilities are shared and can be found at the ends of each wagon.
You buy sleeping compartments from SJin the same way as you buy other rail tickets from
them (see “Buying tickets”).
Interrail passengers can reserve sleeping compartments
from SJ in exactly the same way as for reserving seats:
When
entering your journey details and before clicking on “Search journey”, click on
“Traveller 1, Adult” (or your name if you have an account with SJ).
Check
“Travels with travel card”.
Scroll
down and select “Interrail or Eurail”.
The prices you now see are for Interrail passholders.
(Tip: Not all SJ night trains have a bistro wagon.
Check this before boarding so that you can take food with you if needed. There
should be cartons of drinking water in sleeping compartments.)
Tornio to Helsinki
Finish Railways operate night trains from Tornio to
Helsinki. This is the only option for rail journeys from Sweden to Finland. On
their night trains, Finish Railways offer the following types of accommodation:
Seat
3-person
“old car” cabin
2-person
“downstairs” cabin
2-person
“upstairs” cabin
For business travellers, I recommend a cabin.
Because Finish railways do not sell individual sleeping berths, you will have
private use of whichever cabin you choose. The main differences are, 3-person
“old car” cabins do not have air conditioning and toilet facilities are shared
at the end of the corridor, 2-person “downstairs” cabins have air conditioning
and toilet facilities are shared at the end of the corridor, and each 2-person
“upstairs” cabin has air conditioning as well as an en suite toilet and
shower.
You buy cabins from Finish Railwaysin the same way as you buy other rail tickets from
them (see “Buying tickets”).
Interrail
passengers can reserve cabins by calling Finish Railways on +358 923 192 902. With Interrail, cabins cost 50% of
the ticket price for the same train.
(Tip: Make sure to pre-order breakfast when you buy
your tickets.)
Oslo to Bergen
Norwegian Railways (now Vy) operate night trains from
Oslo to Bergen. On their night trains, Vy offer the following types of
accommodation:
Seat
Reclining
seat
Resting
compartment
Sleeper
For business travellers, I recommend a sleeper.
Vy do not sell individual berths, so this is a private sleeping compartment
with 2 bunkbeds. These are made up for you. Resting compartments are private
compartments with 6 beds. Seats (reclining or otherwise) are not a good idea
for business travellers wanting to reach their final destination well-rested (a
similar level of comfort to an overnight flight …).
You buy cabins from Entur in the same way as you buy other rail tickets from
them (see Buying tickets).
Interrail
passengers can reserve sleepers from Enturas follows:
After
entering your journey details, click on “1 adult …”.
Remove
“1 Adult” and add 1 “Interrail/Eurail seat reservation”.
Select
1st or 2nd class and enter your Interrail pass number.
Click
on “Confirm selected”.
Click
on “Search”.
The
prices you now see are for Interrail passholders.
(Tip: There is a café car.)
Stockholm and Malmö to Hamburg and Berlin
SJ and Snälltåget operate night trains from Stockholm
and Malmö to Hamburg and Berlin.
Snälltåget offer the following types of accommodation:
Seat
Berth in shared mixed compartment
Private compartment
The “compartments” are couchettes with 6 berths.
Private compartments are very expensive (even with Interrail) and a berth in a
shared compartment is unlikely to be all that restful.
For these reasons, SJ’s Euronight might be a better
option. On this train, SJ offers
the following types of accommodation:
Seat
Berth
in a couchette
Bed
in a sleeping compartment (2nd class)
Private
sleeping compartment (2nd class)
Private
sleeping compartment (1st class)
For business travellers, I recommend a private
sleeping compartment.
In 1st class (if available), each sleeping
compartments has its own en suite toilet and shower. In 2nd
class, these facilities are shared and can be found at the ends of each wagon.
You buy sleeping compartments from SJ in the same way as you buy other rail tickets from
them (see Buying tickets).
Interrail passengers can reserve sleeping compartments
on the Euronight in exactly the same way as for SJ’s other night trains (see
above).
One problem with SJ’s Euronight is it has too few wagons
for the number of passengers wanting to use it. This means that you need to
book far in advance if you want a private sleeping compartment. Also, I have
had problems with missing wagons and fairly substantial delays. For these
reasons, I recommend traveling by day trains from Sweden to Hamburg, and if you
do need to use a night train to shorten your overall journey time, I recommend
opting for one of Austrian Federal Railway’s Nightjets for onward travel from
Hamburg.
A second problem with SJ’s Euronight is that it will be discontinued at the end of August 2026. It's future is uncertain.
(Tip: There is a bistro wagon as far as Malmö. A “breakfast
box” is included with a private sleeping compartment.)
Hamburg to Vienna, Basel and Zürich
Austrian Federal Railways operate night trains
(Nightjets) from Hamburg to Vienna, Basel and Zürich, as well as on many other
routes across mainland Europe. They offer the following types of accommodation:
Seat
Couchettes
for 4-6 persons
Sleeper
cabins for 1-3 persons
Couchettes and sleeper cabins can be booked for single
occupancy. Sleeper cabins have en suite toilets and an optional shower. Beds
are made up for you. Bedlinen is provided in couchettes and toilet facilities
are in the corridor.
For business traveller, I recommend a single
occupancy sleeper cabin.
Enter
your journey details and click on “Find connection”.
(You can add an Interrail pass as a “discount” but it
does not affect the price for couchettes or sleeper cabins.)
Select
your preferred journey, click on “Show offers” and choose from seat, couchette
or sleeper cabin, before clicking on “Continue to night train details”.
For
sleeper cabins, choose from “single”, “double” or “triple”, with or without a
shower, and mixed or “ladies only” if you are only booking a bed in a double or
triple cabin. For couchettes, choose from a couch in a compartment or a private
compartment, and mixed or ladies only if you booking a couch in a compartment.
Click
on “Continue to passengers”, enter your details, click on “Continue to summary”
and pay for your booking.
(Important:
Flexible tickets are only flexible until you print them, so wait to do this
until you are sure that you will travel.)
(Tip: Breakfast is included with couchette or sleeper
accommodation.)
Vienna to Bucharest
Romanian Railways operate a night trains (Dacia
Express) from Vienna to Bucharest. They offer the following types of
accommodation:
Seat
Couchettes
for 4-6 persons
Sleeper
cabins for 1-3 persons
Sleeper cabins can be booked for single, double or
triple occupancy. Couchettes cannot. Toilet facilities are in the corridor (for
most cains). Beds are made up for you in sleeper cabins.
For business traveller, I recommend a single
occupancy sleeper cabin.
Enter
your journey details and click on “Find”.
(If you have an Interrail pass, click on “change” to replace “1 adult – without
discounts” with “1 adult – 1 applicable discount” by scrolling down to
“Interrail / Eurail Globalpass” on the “Add discount” menu (Click on “Show
more” until you find it.)
Select
the night train by clicking on it, and choose from seat, couchette or sleeper
cabin.
Choose
“non-flex”, “semi-flex” or “flex” (Interrail passengers should choose “flex”)
and click “Continue to reservation”.
Click
“Continue”, enter your details and pay for your booking.
(Tip: On the outward journey, a restaurant car is
available in the evening and a simpler “bar car” the next morning. The “bar
car” is also available for the first part of the return journey.)
London to Scotland
Caledonian Sleeper operates night trains from London
to Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William). They
offer the following types of accommodation:
Seat
“Classic”
sleeper cabin
“Club
en suite” sleeper cabin
“Double
en-suite” sleeper cabin
For business travellers, I recommend a sleeper
cabin. Caledonian Sleeper do not sell individual berths, so this is a private
sleeping compartment with either 2 bunkbeds (“Classic” and “Club en-suite”) or
1 double bed (“Double en-suite”). Beds are made up for you. As the name
suggests “en-suite” cabins have an en-suite toilet and shower. For “Classic”
sleeper cabins, toilet facilities are in the corridor. Both “en-suite” options
include priority access to the “Club Car” where you can buy meals and drinks at
any time of night. Other passengers can order food from the “Club Car” to their
cabins or seats.
