The full story
Night trains from Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich, Vienna and Budapest run every day. Booked in advance they can be as cheap as €29. Popular with backpackers so reservations are strongly recommended. Unfortunately Deutsche Bahn is following a European trend away from night trains and has announced their intention to get out of the market in the near future. While the Austrian Railways have given a commitment to sleeper trains, it is uncertain which if any routes DB abandons they can and will serve. Long-haul trains from Eastern European cities, Kaliningrad, Minsk, Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Warsaw among others, stop both at Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof. Make sure you have a reservation because these lines are also very popular. Also, it's possible to travel on the once-weekly Sibirjak train from cities far away as Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg.
Useful to know
- Confirm current prices, opening patterns and service changes with the relevant official provider before travel.
- Group plans by district and use the rail network for longer cross-city connections.