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Zürich / Zurich to Praha / Prague / Prag by train
How to take the rail journey from Zurich to Prague/Praha
The overnight services from Zurich to Prague/Praha are the only direct trains from Switzerland to Czechia.
Travelling by day on trains from Zurich to Prague/Praha involves making connections in Linz OR Munchen/Munich, but on both routes the connections on to Czechia involve fairly lengthy journeys on regional trains, which lack the ambience and facilities typically found on express trains.
But what's new is that from December 11th and into 2023 there will be a choice of two overnight train services when travelling from Switzerland's largest city to the capital of Czechia.
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Routes
Option1: taking the route via Dresden
Journey Summary
13hr 39min
Nightly
Travel Information
This train is typically scheduled to depart from Zurich HB at 19:59 and arrive in Praha hl.n. station, the main station in the Czech capital, at 09:38
Final Destination: Praha
This train also calls at: Decin and at Holesovice station in Praha.
1 x train per night
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 120 days ahead of the travel date
The train conveys:
- Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
- Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berth
- Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
- Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
Click the train details below for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains,
You can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence this step-by-step guide.
Making the rail pass reservation online a minimum of a couple of weeks ahead of the travel date, is particularly recommended if you will be traveling between June and September.
If you wait until arriving in Zurich to reserve, your first choice of accommodation may have sold out.
Also if you have a rail pass and book the reservation at a Swiss station you will have to pay a comparatively expensive booking fees,
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| cd.cz | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
On departure from Zurich this train heading to Praha will be joined to another train heading to Berlin, so if you see a train heading to Berlin at 19:59* on the departure screens, the info will also apply to this train.
*= the departure time
Unlike the alternative service from Zurich to Praha, this train conveys couchettes in addition to all of the sleeping cabin options, which are typically available on a Nightjet.
This train also conveys seated accommodation which is in effect an Intercity train that is attached to this train.
How can an overnight train journey also be scenic?
Well this train will be typically scheduled to depart from Dresden shortly after 07:00 and between there and the outskirts of Praha/Prague the railway is on the west bank of the beautiful River Elbe.
So for the final two hours of the journey, from the left there will be wonderful views over the river valley.
Option 2: taking the route via Linz
Journey Summary
11hr 30min
Nightly
Travel Information
This train is typically scheduled to depart from Zurich HB at 21:40 and arrive in Praha hl.n. station at 10:39
Final Destination: Praha
This train also calls at: Ceske Budejovice and Tabor
1 x train per night
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Tickets for this journey can be ordered 'online' on SBB
The accommodation options arre
- Sleeping cars with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
- Deluxe Sleeping cars with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins (shower in cabin)
There are also NO couchettes available on this journey from Zurich to Praha/Prague
Click the train details above for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding this train.
The reservations can be arranged and paid for at the SBB Travel desk in Zurich HB station - ideally do this when you first arrive at Zurich HB station on the preceding train on your itinerary.
Though you will have to pay a booking fee at the station; so using the Eurail/InterRail reservation services is a cheaper option.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SBB | * |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
At Zurich HB station, on the departure screens, you may only see a train leaving at 21:40 that's heading to Wien or Budapest; if you do then that info will also be for this train.
On departure from Zurich the coaches* heading to Praha are attached to other coaches heading to the Austrian and Hungarian capitals.
*This train conveys sleeping cabins, but seemingly not couchettes, though daytime style seats are also available.
The journey time is comparatively long because the coaches headed for Praha are detached from the parts of the train heading to Wien and Budapest at Linz station.
They then wait in Linz for the first train of the day on from there to Czechia to depart, and are then attached to that train in order to complete the journey.
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