Trains are the most environmentally friendly way of travelling with many advantages over flying. On our night trains most of the journey is spent sleeping, so passengers arrive well rested in the morning in the centre of major cities in Western, Central and Eastern Europe. Our year-round or seasonal trains offer direct connections to Stuttgart, Berlin, Zürich, Prague, Cracow, Warsaw, Brașov, Bucharest, the Adriatic Sea and many other cities around Europe. In addition with only one change you can easily reach destinations such as Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, the Italian or Romanian coast.
Routes and destinations
There are 14 direct overnight routes from Budapest to many destinations on the continent, operated jointly by MÁV Passenger Transport Company and other European railways with different operators. Detailed train routes, operation days and operators are available below:
Route |
Major cities served |
Train name and number |
Service provider |
Available services |
---|---|---|---|---|
Budapest – Zürich |
Győr, Vienna, Innsbruck, Feldkirch |
Kálmán Imre EuroNight (40462/40467) |
Seating car, couchette car, sleeping car |
|
Budapest – Stuttgart |
Győr, Vienna, Munich, Augsburg |
Kálmán Imre EuroNight (50462/50237) |
Seating car, couchette car, sleeping car |
|
Budapest – Berlin |
Štúrovo, Nové Zámky, Bratislava, Prague, Dresden |
Metropol EuroNight (40476/40457) |
Seating car, couchette car, sleeping car |
|
Budapest – Prague |
Štúrovo, Nové Zámky, Bratislava |
Metropol EuroNight (476/577) |
Couchette car, sleeping car |
|
Budapest – Warsaw |
Štúrovo, Nové Zámky, Bratislava, Cracow |
Metropol EuroNight (476/407) |
Seating car, couchette car (seasonal), sleeping car |
Besides the direct trains listed above, nighjet night services are available from Vienna operated by the Austrian Railways (ÖBB) to various destinations such as Venice, Rome, Milan, Paris, Cologne, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Between Budapest and Vienna hourly train services are available with rjx and EC trains.
More information and booking: https://www.nightjet.com/en/
Route |
Major cities served |
Train number and name |
Service provider |
Available services |
---|---|---|---|---|
Budapest – Brașov |
Szolnok, Debrecen, Gheorgheni, Miercurea Ciuc, Sfântu Gheorghe |
Corona InterCity (407/406) |
Seating car, couchette car, sleeping car, restaurant car (non-airconditioned train) |
|
Budapest – Bucharest |
Szolnok, Békéscsaba, Sibiu, Brașov |
Ister InterCity (473/472) |
Seating car, couchette car, sleeping car |
|
Vienna – Budapest –Kyiv |
Győr, Budapest, Szolnok, Debrecen, Záhony, Chop, Mukachevo, Lviv |
Hortobágy EuroCity (149/749) |
Sleeping car |
|
Budapest – Kyiv |
Szolnok, Debrecen, Záhony, Chop, Mukachevo, Lviv |
Transcarpathia fast train (10/9) |
Sleeping car |
|
Vienna – Budapest – Bucharest |
Győr, Budapest, Arad, Alba Iulia, Sighișoara, Brașov |
Dacia fast train (347/346) |
Seating car, couchette car, sleeping car |
|
Vienna – Budapest – Cluj-Napoca |
Győr, Budapest, Arad, Deva |
Dacia-Corvin fast train (4347/404) |
Couchette car |
|
Budapest – Bucharest |
Szolnok, Békéscsaba, Craiova |
Muntenia InterCity (79/78) |
Seating car, couchette car |
These trains run daily throughout the year.
Route |
Served major cities en-route |
Train number and name in Hungary |
Running period |
Service provider |
Available services |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Budapest – Split |
Székesfehérvár, Siófok, Nagykanizsa, Knin |
Adria InterCity (1204/1205) |
19th June – 13th September, 2-4 times a week |
Seating car, couchette car, sleeping car, restaurant car |
|
Budapest – Koper/Capodistria |
Székesfehérvár, Veszprém, Zalaegerszeg, Ljubljana, Postojna |
Retro Istria express train (1246/1247) |
27th June – 31st August, daily |
seating car, couchette car, sleeping car (non-airconditioned train) |
|
Budapest – Rijeka |
Székesfehérvár, Veszprém, Zalaegerszeg, Ljubljana, Postojna, Opatija |
Retro Istria express train (1246/1280) |
27th June – 31st August, daily |
seating car, couchette car, sleeping car (non-airconditioned train) |
Services on board
Generally three travel categories are available on night trains, passengers can choose between sleeping cars, couchettes and 2nd class seat cars. As presented above not all destinations are served by all three coach types.
Sleeping car
Couchette car
Seating car
Booking tickets
For overnight trains tickets are available at varying prices depending on the time of purchase, train route, distance travelled and comfort category chosen. A seat is typically ranging between €20-100, a couchette can be booked around €40-150, while places in sleeping cars can be expected around €50-400.
Discounted tickets are typically non-refundable and non-refundable; check the ticket conditions during the ticket purchase process. Some ticket types are refundable with favourable conditions.
Some tickets for trains to Poland (Budapest-Warsaw) and Ukraine (Vienna-Budapest-Kiev) can only be purchased at international ticket offices.
Discounts
- Children under 6 years of age travel free of charge on overnight trains provided they do not occupy a separate seat or bed.
- Children between 6 and 15 years of age can buy a discounted children's ticket.
- If six or more passengers travel together, in most cases they are eligible forgroup discount and on some services primary and secondary school classes including guides can travel at a special discount in a seat and couchette car. For group travel, please contact our sales team.
- Discounts entitling you to domestic travel (e.g. student card, country pass, >65) cannot be used on our international overnight trains, not even partially.
- Interrail pass holders need to buy a reservation on the overnight trains which can also be done at jegy.mav.hu by selecting the "Bérlet (pl. Interrail)" discount.
Useful tips for using night travel
- Train times are subject to change due to track maintainance and exceptional reasons. A few days before your journey please check the online timetable, railway company websites or at railway stations and customer services to see if your departure or arrival times have changed.
- Most trains have a power socket but it's also a good idea to bring a powerbank for your journey.
- For those who sleep poorly it is also a good idea to bring earplugs and eye covers.
- There is limited space for luggage (suitcases) in the compartments, so it is advisable to travel with as small a bag (rucksack) as possible.
- Bicycles are generally not allowed on overnight trains (except Retro Istria express).
- On overnight trains pets (e.g. cats, dogs, birds) can be transported free of charge in a locked carrier in the seat car. Dogs may be carried in a seat car without a carrier on a leash and muzzle with booking a dog ticket, and further special ticketing conditions may apply. Animals as a general rule may not be carried in the couchette and sleeping cars, but it’s advisable to check the relevant carrier’s regulations.