Czech (CD) coaches are also used on the Praha - Budapest services

Budapest to Praha / Prague / Prag by train

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Routes

Option 1: travelling by day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date generally (though tickets may not be available more than 6 weeks ahead)

The price on MAV will be in €s but the transaction will actually be in Hungarian florins - MAV will convert the currency during the transaction.

RESERVATIONS are optional for this journey and these trains don't tend to be particularly busy - though seats aren't absolutely guaranteed, particularly in 2nd class.

However, seats will actually be assigned when booking tickets online on MAV.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
MAV from €19

MAV Guide

MAV is the national railway operator in Hungary and its newly relaunched website is still at the 'beta' stage, but it can be used to make bookings.
The MAV website also sells tickets for the direct international trains from Hungary and it's booking path for overnight trains is particularly easy to follow.

cd.cz from 552 CZK

cd.cz Guide

CD is the national rail operator in Czechia and its very smart online booking service sells tickets for all express train services which it operates within Czechia, as well international journeys by EC, Railjet, SuperCity and overnight trains.
Some express trains, both within and to/from Czechia are operated by LeoExpress and Regiojet and these cannot be booked with CD.

CD also sells international tickets involving changes of train outside of Czechia for end-to-end journeys:

  • to Belgium
  • destinations in Germany not served by direct trains
  • to Paris
  • to Arhus, Copenhagen and Odense in Denmark
  • to destinations in Italy served by the overnight trains from Austria
  • to Luxembourg
  • to destinations in the The Netherlands, including Amsterdam, which are on the route of the direct trains from Berlin
  • to destinations in Romania, including Bucuresti served by the direct day and night trains from Budapest.

In addition to tickets, seat reservations, reservations for bicycles, plus reservations for couchettes and sleeping cabins, can also be booked online with CD, with no booking fees.

On this journey

Journey Features

River views

Good to Know

Note that this train service now departs from Budapest-Nyugati station and NOT Budapest-Keleti station.

Final Destination: Praha or Hamburg or Berlin

All trains also call at: Vác, Bratislava and Brno

Option 2: travelling overnight

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes*

Online bookings open: 2 months ahead of the travel date

*It's worth making the effort to book ahead if you want a bed in a sleeping cabin, but you'll save less than €10 compared to booking at the station if you want to travel in a seat or couchette.

A plus of booking online is that you will have ensured your place on the train. Your first choice of accommodation MAY be sold out if you don't book in advance.

The train conveys:

- Compartment Seats 
- Couchettes ; 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Standard sleeping cars with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins

Click the train button above for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains, but these reservations cannot be booked online on MAV

Reservations can be arranged and paid for at the InternationalTravel desk at Budapest Keleti station - ideally do this when you first arrive in Budapest on the preceding train on your itinerary.

Or book the reservations online with Eurail or InterRail - this is the only means ensuring your reservations before you embark on your itinerary, but you will have to pay a booking fee.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
OBB *

OBB Guide

OBB is the national rail operator and its booking service offers journeys by express trains within Austria, as well as international journeys which don't involve making a connection outside of Austria.

It pays off to book online, as the discounted 'Sparscheine' tickets are only ever made available on the website, and when making international journeys to and from Austria, these Sparscheine tickets tend to be cheaper.
OBB can offer particularly good value for money when travelling with children on international rail journeys, but something to watch out for when travelling between Austria and Germany on daytime trains, is that reservations are an optional extra; but if you book 1st class tickets with the Germany railways website DB, the reservations are complimentary.

OBB often takes a unique approach to its booking path, but a key thing to keep in mind is that the first price you will see for any journey is that of a Second Class seat.
The costs of upgrading to first class, a reservation, or a sleeping cabin etc, is then added to this price.

MAV *

MAV Guide

MAV is the national railway operator in Hungary and its newly relaunched website is still at the 'beta' stage, but it can be used to make bookings.
The MAV website also sells tickets for the direct international trains from Hungary and it's booking path for overnight trains is particularly easy to follow.

On this journey

Journey Features

Night

Good to Know

This train is usually scheduled to depart from Budapest Nyugati at 19:40 and arrives in Praha at 08:42.
The journey duration is much longer than travelling by day because this overnight train is scheduled to spend more than five hours in Breclav station.

Te first of the daytime trains from Budapest to Prague/Praha isn't due into the Czech capital until just after noon.

Final Destination: Berlin or Praha

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