Night trains

Reasons for travelling by night train

Inexpensive: A journey in a seating carriage is available from as little as CHF 39, and private sleeper compartments from Switzerland are available for CHF 100 per person.

Environmentally friendly: Thinking about taking the night train on holiday? The climate would be grateful! A train journey produces around 10 times less CO2 than the same journey by plane. As you can see, travelling by train is something to be proud of!

Time-efficient: Hop on the night train after dinner and arrive in the city well-rested the next morning. No other means of travelling is as relaxing as the night train. The journey feels like it only takes an hour: 30 minutes to fall asleep and 30 minutes to wake up and get out of bed.

Private compartments and breakfast in bed

An overnight train is built to sleep in. There are usually three classes of compartments: seating carriages, couchette carriages and sleeping carriages.

The seating carriages are suitable for people on a tight budget, but still offer a surprising amount of comfort. In the separate six-seater compartments, the lights can be switched off for the night, and the seats can be pushed together to form a couchette. This means you can get to your destination in a reasonably relaxed manner for little money.

There are couchette cabins for four to six people in the couchette car. Fresh duvet covers, pillows and woollen blankets are provided before departure. The compartments can be locked, there are women’s compartments available. In the morning, you are woken up with a small breakfast in bed.

Sleeping carriages are like small hotels on rails. Proper beds, welcome drinks and, if desired, even a shower and toilet in the compartment offer everything you need for the night. In the morning, the train attendants serve a large breakfast directly in bed, and after a relaxing night, nothing stands in the way of a successful day that starts right in the city centre.

Mini cabins are sleeping cabins for a single person. Fresh duvet covers, pillows and woollen blankets are provided before departure. The cabins can be locked and there are lockers for luggage and shoes directly outside. If you are travelling as a couple, there are small connecting windows through which you can say goodnight to each other.

Travelling by night train in groups

You can also book group journeys by night train with SimpleTrain. Due to limited seats/couchettes, it is worth booking in advance. The booking deadline is six months.

Overnight train journey with a bycicle

Certain night trains (e.g. Zurich–Hamburg or Zurich–Vienna) offer space for bicycles.

Travelling by car on the night train

Even your car or motorbike can come along! Motorail trains run every evening from Feldkirch on the Swiss border to Vienna, Villach and Graz. From Lörrach near Basel, there are trains to Hamburg several times a week. The perfect combination of local flexibility and a comfortable and environmentally friendly journey.