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

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 *

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

NightScenic - YesRiver views

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.

Option 2: taking the route via Linz

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 *

SBB Guide

SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.

SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.

Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.

On this journey

Journey Features

Night

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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