Description
Nightjet is the night-train brand of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), with trains from Vienna, Munich, Zurich and other cities to more than 25 European destinations, among them Hamburg, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome and Venice. It is an alternative to short-haul flights: passengers sleep on board and arrive in a city centre in the morning.
ÖBB launched it in December 2016, when Deutsche Bahn gave up its own night trains, and in 2024 its night trains carried 1.5 million passengers. Railways in Croatia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic run partner trains under the Nightjet label. There are three classes: seats, couchettes with bedding and breakfast, and sleeper compartments. Since December 2023, new Siemens trains with lockable single “mini cabins” have entered service on routes such as Vienna–Hamburg, Vienna–Rome, Vienna–Amsterdam and Zurich–Hamburg; in 2025 ÖBB cut its order to 24 trains in all.
Prices change with demand. For Hamburg–Vienna the ADAC lists starting prices of €34.90 for a seat, €54.90 for a couchette and €89.90 for a sleeper (checked November 2026), and they rise once the cheap quotas are sold. Tickets can be booked up to 360 days ahead. The trains to Paris stopped in December 2025, after the French state ended its subsidy, and Berlin–Brussels stopped in March 2025. Several routes to Italy are suspended for weeks or months in 2027 because of track works.
Strengths
- One night on board replaces a flight and the airport transfers, from one city centre to another.
- Seats from about €35 and couchettes from about €55 on routes such as Hamburg–Vienna, when booked early.
- The new trains have lockable single mini cabins for people travelling alone who don’t want to share a compartment.
Weaknesses
- The cheap quotas sell out fast, and a sleeper booked late can cost more than a flight.
- Delays, cancellations and couchette cars replaced by seated coaches were reported, especially in 2023 and 2024.
- The network shrinks as well as grows: Paris and Berlin–Brussels were dropped in 2025.
Who it is for
Travellers in Europe going between cities on the network who would otherwise fly, and who can book weeks ahead and live with the risk of delays.
Sources
- Nightjet: home, destinations, comfort categories, checked November 2026
- Wikipedia: Nightjet (de), Wikipedia: Nightjet (en)
- ADAC: Im Nachtzug durch Europa, die besten Routen 2026