I don’t know of a way to buy this ticket on-line.  If you’re going to be in Krakow for a few days, wait until you arrive and buy it at the train station (before you leave the station to avoid a trip back).  If you think you need to buy it earlier, try to buy it at a major train station in any other European city.

wow i’m so glad i stumbled across this. thanks for the tip! any idea how expensive this train is (for early July)

tia

According to http://ourworld.comp…
ticket and reservation is 74 euros per berth in a 6 berth couchette, 80 in a 3 or 4 berth and 90 in a double.

I am sorry to tell you, but oldlady is wrong this time. Train No. 200/201 does not convey direct cars between Krakow and Budapest anymore. The last night service between Krakow and Budapest ended with the end of 2007 railroad timetable, when train no. 381 was changed from all-year round to summer only. In 2008, this night train will run only from June 19 till August 31, departing Krakow Glowny at 22:45 and arriving to Budapest Keleti station at 9:27.

In late March, the only direct train between these cities is daytime EuroCity train No. 383, departing Krakow Glowny station every day, all year round at exact noon and arriving to Budapest Keleti station at 21:27.

The highest possible fare (can be bought anywhere in Europe) is EUR 53.50 for single ride, but most probably there will be numerous discounts, actually, I am pretty sure there will be. Return ticket to Hungary is often cheaper than one-way ticket (!), if that is the case here, you just buy the return ticket and throw away the unused part. Also, you may get the discount when you buy the ticket at the counter in the place of departure (Krakow) or if there are more persons than one. To make sure, just make an inquiry at Krakow Glowny station, they will provide you with an exact fare.

A surcharge for a couchette should be 59 polish zloty and for a bed in 3-bed compartment 65 zloty, which is about USD 20-25.

Sorry about that… I think the Euraide link indicated that most of the overnight service between Krakow and Budapest had been discontinued, but I thought there was still one train.  The German rail site still shows one direct overnight train http://reiseauskunft… It has 3 different train numbers (D200, R203 and EN3770) on the route, but at least some of the coaches are supposed to go the whole route without having to make a connection..

Yes, that was the train running through Ostrava and Bratislava in Czech rep. and then Slovakia. Actually it was three trains, but with cars switched from one to another, so there was a direct car from Krakow to Budapest in them. But I happen to have the current timetable books of both Slovakia and Hungary, and really, the only direct train indicated is daytime train through the east of Slovakia (runs 100 yards behind my house actually – the service through Czech rep. has ceased.) The only night train this year runs summer only, as I have said before, again through Eastern Slovakia.

Hi Papyr!
I need your help.
I´m from Portugal and i´m going on a trip through Central Europe.
I´ll arrive at Prague in the 12/08/2008 and stay there until 16/08/2008, and travel to Bratislava by Eurolines. The next day i go by boat to Vienna, stay there one night and go to Budapest by Eurolines.
Then come the problems, i want to stay in Budapest from 18/08/2008 until 21/08/2008, and then go to Krakow.
By Eurolines it´s impossible, they only have a Bus the 20/08/2008 morning or 23/08/2008. By train it´s very expensive. Is there another way to go to krakow without spending a fortune?
Making some stopholders perhaps? In Slovakia?
Thanks.

I don’t know about direct transport between Budapest and Krakow but it shouldn’t be that difficult or expensive to get connecting trains – or buses.
Last year I went from Bratislava to Olomouc by train (one change of train in Breclav) then the next day from Olomouc to Krakow (changing trains in Katowice, Poland). The cost from Olomouc to Krakow – 1st class 877 kc (Czech currency), 2nd class 565 kc (exact prices from my vacation notes!). The price from Bratislava to Olomouc was cheap. Another option would be going to Brno from Budapest or Bratislava then on to Krakow. (I rejected that option last year because the Euroline bus from Bratislava to Brno was extremely early in the morning – something like 5am if I recall correctly).

I’m assuming here that it is quite easy to get from Budapest to Bratislav.

A very hard task. I don’t even know where to begin. It is important to know this:

1. It is possible to save money by moving in smaller steps. But it takes up time.
2. The railways here offer much cheaper return tickets abroad, than two one-way tickets. The Hungarian railways are supermasters in this – a return ticket to Slovakia or Poland is cheaper than ONE one-way ticket! So you may consider buying a return ticket and throw away the unused part.
3. Even if you move in smaller steps, the total price may sum up so that it’s not THAT much cheaper than the direct train’s price.
4. It’s cheapest to cross the national borders on foot.

So, here’s one suggestion for pedestrian border crossing:
From Budapest, take a train to Komarom or Esztergom.
In Komarom, cross the border on the river Danube, to Slovak Komarno. (From Esztergom, cross the river to Sturovo.) The walk from the station to the station is about 5 km.
From Komarno, take a bus to Bratislava. Or, from Sturovo, take a train to Bratislava.
(An alternative is to take a “Student Agency” bus from Budapest to Bratislava, it’s quite cheap and comfortable.)
From Bratislava, take one of numerous fast trains to Zilina.
From Zilina, take a train to Cesky Tesin in the Czech republic. Very cheap, since both towns are less than 40 kms from the border, and an inland tariff applies.
In Cesky Tesin, there is a border crossing to Poland (Cieszyn) located about 500 m from the train station.
From Cieszyn, take a bus or a train to Krakow.

But this involves lots of walking and takes at least two days.

Here’s another suggestion:
a) Budapest to Hidasnemeti (may be with a transfer in Miskolc) by train (3440 forints, equals to 14.70 EUR).
b) Hidasnemeti to the borderpoint on foot (3-4 km).
c) Borderpoint to Kosice by bus (bus starts right next to the former customs building), 47 crowns, equals to 1.50 EUR.
Also, instead of points b) and c), you might try to hitchhike to Kosice from the main road in Hidasnemeti, northbound. Most probably you’ll be in Kosice much quicker than if you had walked and waited.
d) use a train from Kosice to Krakow, departs daily at 11:55 and 22:54. The one-way fare is 700 crowns (23.50 EUR) if you are older than 26 or 501 crowns (16.70 EUR) if you are under 26 (in that case, request a BIJ youth ticket). It is possible to pay for this at the Kosice train station with a credit card.

Personally, I’d use the route through Miskolc – Hidasnémeti – Kosice. It’s less transfers, less walking, quicker and most probably it’s cheaper than the route Bratislava-Zilina-Cesky Tesin. The only walking part is 4 kilometers from Hidasnémeti to Milhost.

Hope I helped you, in case you have any further questions, feel free to ask.

Plus one more…
Search engines to find train and bus timetables:
In Hungary: http://www.menetrend… – click MAV for trains, VOLAN for bus
In (Czecho) Slovakia: http://www.cp.sk – offers both train and bus services automatically
In Poland: http://rozklad-pkp.p… for trains, http://www.rozklady…. for buses. The first field is always “from” and the second is “to”.
I speak all four languages, so if you have troubles with anything, contact me.

Yes, they are. I never was mugged or anything during my ten years of average one journey per month in Central European night trains. Just lock the door from the inside of your compartment. Buy sleepers rather than couchettes (couchette compartment can be unlocked from the outside with a special device that railmen have, but sleeper compartment cannot be opened from the outside once its locked). But – I repeat – I never was robbed on a train, and I have traveled cca 25.000 kms in night trains here.

You can find timetables here: http://www.krakow.gr…

hi
im planning on travelling from budapest to krakow, around the 5th of september.
ive read through this thread, and would i be right in saying there is no night train on that route??
as im here could i ask about krakow to prague??

http://reiseauskunft… shows one direct overnight train from Budapest to Krakow at 20:00 each day in early September. There are also options with connections and for day trains. I don’t see a direct overnight train from Krakow to Prague, but there’s one direct train during the day.

thanks! that 8 o’clock train would probaly be perfect!

That evening 8 o’clock train is not actually the whole train, just one car in the train. You will be boarding the EuroNight No. 376 “Galileo Galilei” with destination Frantiskovy Lazne. One of the sleeping cars on that train goes to Krakow, that’s the one you need to reserve your bed in. The ticket should be routed via (Slovakia) Nove Zamky – Bratislava – Kuty – (Czech rep.) Breclav – Ostrava – (Poland) Zebrzydowice – Oswiecim.

Krakow to Prague, beginning of September:

One direct train, the EuroCity No. 108 “Comenius”, leaving Krakow Glowny at 7:00 AM, arriving Prague hlavni at 14:00. Runs daily.

One direct sleeping car Kiev-Prague, leaving Krakow Glowny at 22:25 as express train no. 200, arriving to Prague Smichov at 6:48 the next day. Runs daily, only sleeping cars.

papyr, thanks for all of the information on the night train from Krakow.
Do you know if students with International Student ID cards get discounts on the night train from Krakow to Prague? Do you have any idea on what the cost is for a couchette? Is a round trip ticket cheaper than one way? And lastly, can I buy tickets in Krakow one day ahead and still get a seat?
Thank you

Theoretically yes, Polish railways officially accept ISIC as a reason for a discount. Practically, when I still had ISIC and tried to ask for a discount in Poland, the lady at Krakow Glowny station told me it was only for Polish students, and even though I asked her to show me where is this prerequisite written, she simply refused to give me a discount. And I spoke Polish with her, I just had my Czech ISIC.

Around 30 euros if they haven’t changed it.

Round trip is sure cheaper than two one-way tickets. It’s more expensive than one one-way ticket, though.

I don’t think you’ll need a seat reservation at all. There will be empty seats. But if you want to be sure, you can buy a seat reservation, they should be available practically until ten minutes before departure. Neither Krakow to Prague, nor Krakow to Budapest overnighters are sold out. A ticket is a ticket, entitles you to travel. A seat reservation is a seat reservation, it’s not valid without a ticket. But if you buy it and then the train is half-empty, it’s wasted money.

It is fairly common that youth or student discounts on point to point train tickets are officially only for residents of the specific country. However, you can sometimes get a student/youth discount anyway if you ask.

Hi. A friend and myself are looking at doing the Express 200 overnight train around the end of this month. We are also looking at buying the Eastern Europe flexipass as we will visit all 5 of the countries. A few questions maybe oldlady or papyr could answer.
1. I can not find much info on that specific pass anywhere but the booking form on the site, has anyone else used it.
2. Do you know how many sleeper beds are available in that one car and how often does it fill. I know we will probably have to also book a reservation (what is the cost?)?
3. Do they have compartments with 2 beds? If not can we buy the 3rd and use our passes for the other two? I know some trains even if you buy the extra bed, the conductor has the option of putting someone in there.
Thanks
John

Sure, but the trick is, that the PKP (Polish state railways) officially informed their Slovak and Czech counterparts that there IS a discount on the ISIC with no sign that it’s for Poles only. Therefore, at a Slovak railway station you can get a leaflet advertising the discount in Poland, but when you actually are in Poland, they won’t sell it to you. And the lady at the cash desk was very mean anyway, speaking something about me leeching the Polish discount system. So I turned back on her and bought a bus ticket instead, which was cheaper at the full price than the discounted rail ticket.

I’ve never heard of anyone who’s actually used one and it usually doesn’t “pay” compared to point to point tickets. Try using www.railsaver.com to see if it pays for your specific itinerary. According to Jay Brunhouse’s Traveling Europes Trains the price is based on Saltzburg to Vienna to Budapest to Prague to Warsaw. A couchette is usually 6 berths, although there are some 4 berth couchettes. T1, T2, T3, T4 compartments indicate the number of berths. “Single” and “double” are also sometimes part of the names. Try using http://ourworld.comp… to find out which types of compartments are available, and what the accommodations cost (in addition to the railpass or a point to point ticket) for the most popular overnight trains. If your specific route isn’t listed you can get an idea from similar trips or from the reverse trip. Yes and yes. 2 berth compartments, while expensive, are available on most trains. You can also “buy out” a compartment. If you buy “just the reservation” for the extra bed, I think the conductor can put someone else there. I think you’ll be OK if you buy both the ticket and the reservation for the extra bed — but that may be more expensive than a double.

Actually, I’ve never heard of such a thing. Can you post a link showing the exact terms of use?

One standard WLAB car has 9 or 10 compartments, each having three beds. Some of them are designated as a “double” or “single”, so they are occupied with just two, or one person, but the bed ticket is appropriately more expensive. The “single” category requires not only an expensive bed ticket, but also a first class ticket for the journey itself. Standard three-bed compartments are divided into gentlemen’s and ladies’ compartments, if you want to occupy it as a mixed couple, you have to buy all the bed tickets in one compartment. You cannot buy a bed ticket without having a journey ticket for that route and day, so if you want to buy a third bed, you also have to pay kilometric fare for it, not just the price of the bed. But you still can buy two bed tickets in the “double” category, and they won’t put a third person in it, and it’s a cheaper option than buying the fare and the bed for the third, non-existent person.

The “reservation” is a synonym for “bed ticket”.

Anyway, that car runs from Kiev. I am not sure whether booking a bed ticket to that car WITHIN the EU is possible at all. Try to browse through the PKP InterCity, Inc. webpage at http://www.intercity… or contact them at infoeuropa@intercity.pl or call their Warsaw based customer hotline at +48229436 or +48225116003, replacing the + sign with 00 if calling from Europe or with 011 if calling from North America. They should answer all your questions precisely.

http://railpass.com/… It’s probably like the Eurail passes in that it’s only available for folks who aren’t residents or citizens of any European country. While this site only lists a 1st class pass, I believe a 2nd class pass is also available from some sources.

Thanks for the replies Oldlady and Papyr

Hi All,

For all those traveling to or possibly in Krakow!

I recommend www.krakow-poland.co… There is heaps of info here to wet your appetite before you arrive in the Magical city of Krakow. I especially recommend the section on the top 10 places to see in Krakow Poland.

Does anyone know cheap flights from Budapest to Krakow and then onto Warsaw. I have been looking and can’t seem to find anything.

I just wanna know if doing budapest to krakow by bus is cheaper than train.
I´m traveling in late may, early june, and i´m having issues finding the bus/train schedules for that.
Do they ussually have daily buses?

Thanx!

view my post in this thread http://www.eurotrip….

I also want to go Krakow to Budapest, preferably by night train April 21, 2009. I see a night train listed in most of the schedules, leaving Krakow 20:15 and arriving Budapest Keleti at 8:23. Can anyone tell me if this night train is running again?

Thanks

Both Bahn.de and the polish rail website show the direct train at 22:15 on April 21. http://rozklad-pkp.p… It leaves from Glowny station.

Thanks Oldlady. I was misreading the Polish schedule.

nivals

I recently contacted MAV, the Hungarian rail group concerning the overnight train from Krakow to BP. Here is part of what I received in return:

“We have a special offer to the night train, called „Spar Night”. The prices are the following to this train:

6 bed couchette -39 €/person/way
4 bed couchette-43 €/person/way
3 bed sleeper-45 €/person/way
2 bed sleeper-49 €/person/way
1 bed sleeper-99 €/person/way

These tickets are limited offer, so it’s better to buy it as soon as possible. The full price ticket for one-way costs 77,40 EUR/person/2nd class, 116,20 EUR/person/1st class.

Extra prices:
6 bed couchette- 9,40 €/person/way
4 bed couchette-14,00 €/person/way
3 bed sleeper-14,00 €/person/way
2 bed sleeper-21,00 €/person/way
1 bed sleeper-49,00 €/person/way (with 1st class)”

However, it was also noted that they will not accept reservations for this train on the phone, through the internet, or an e-mail, so you must go to a major station in person.

There are about equitable, plus or minus maybe ten or fifteen Euro if you book far enough in advance. The train can be as low as 49 EUR (inc. a couchette reservation), while the bus will cost about 40.
Here is the link to the Hungarian bus schedule and price list for the route:
http://www.volan.hu/…

@jldown

Can i book the „Spar Night” to Krakow in Budapest one week in advance?

Probably, but it’s possible that all the spar night tickets will sell out before that.

Can i buy this ticket in Berlin or Szczecin?

I am honestly not sure. I only know the fees because of the email I sent to the Hungarian train company a few weeks ago for my own upcoming trip. I live in Hungary, so I didn’t inquire about other places to buy the tickets. I know they can be purchased at a major Hungarian rail station, but haven’t a clue how quickly they sell out. However, when I emailed the Polish train company, they quoted me a price over 100 EUR. I’m sorry I could not be more helpful to you.

Thanx for the info!

I’ll propably take the OrangeWays bus, after seeing that it is only 4900 Forint, which is 16,30€ @ the moment.
Unfortunately the site is only Hungarian.
Can you tell me if this is an “internet price”, or if i can get the ticket for the same price on the day i travel?

Ask them at buszjegy@orangeways.com .

Man, i’m glag your online!
How do i get from Krakow to Praha?

By train for 37 euros. I dont know of any buses, which does not imply there arent any.

Hi all

Would like to find out the following info on night trains from Krakow to Budapest.

Krakow Glowny dep 22:15
Budapest-Keleti pu arr 08:32

There are 4 of us travelling together.

1. Are there 4-bed couchettes available in this train?
2. Are there lockable doors to the couchette and is there a conductor/guard stationed outside each couchette?
3. Pls advise on the price for the following:
(a) A bed in a 4-bed couchette
(b) A bed in a 2-bed sleeper
4. Is breakfast/supper served e.g. light snacks such as sandwiches?
5. As this train crosses 3 countries, do i have to stay awake to show my passport to the customs officials? Or do i pass my documents to the conductor stationed outside?
6. How early do i have to book in advance?
7. Is it cheaper to purchase directly at the Krakow train station?
8. I read that its cheaper to purchase a 2-way ticket. Pls confirm if this is true.

Thanks for your help.

1. The 2008 information lists 4 bed couchettes at 20 euros (plus railpass or cost of train ticket) I assume this didn’t change for 2009 http://ourworld.comp…
2. Yes, there’s a lock. Yes, there’s a conductor, but for each car not for each couchette.
3. See 1 Prices probably haven’t changed since 2008.
4. There is usually a dining car, but not on this “train” since it’s really only a car or two that goes on this route — make sure you’re in the right car. According to Bahn.de

Such snacks will probably be quite expensive. I’d buy something (sales are probably a major part of the attendant’s income) but plan on carrying most of my own snacks and beverages.
5. I think these are all Schengen countries, so I don’t think there will be any border formalities at all. If there are passport checks, the conductor will ask for your passport and will deal with the border checks without waking you.
6. This is the only direct overnight train on this route. If you don’t want to make connections, I’d book it at least a week in advance — longer if it’s a weekend. You can probably get a berth up to a couple of hours before train time and there are other options (with connections) so I wouldn’t worry too much if I couldn’t buy it early.
7. It’s cheapest to buy it in Poland or on-line from the Polish rail company. It will be significantly cheaper to buy it at a train station in any major European city than to buy it on-line from a railpass/travel agency website.
8. Where did you read that? A roundtrip train ticket is almost always twice the price of a one- way. There are occasionally specials with cheaper roundtrips.

Do you do any of your own research or always ask others (at least you’re polite about it) to do it for you? Most of the answers, and the links to the rest of the answers, are in this thread or other similar posts on this forum.

Thanks oldlady for your advice.

I apologize for not doing a more thorough search. Some of the posts were 1+ year old so not sure if they are still valid.

Sorry.

Not sure. Ask Hungarian or Polish railways. Both Czech and Slovak search engines state “sleeper coach only”.Yes, two locks (three locks in a sleeper). No, there is just one per coach.If available, (a). Half the price, same safety, 3/4 the comfort.Not on couchettes. On sleepers depending on the company. But you will always have the possibility to buy something to eat.No, there are no border checks when crossing the internal Schengen border. You will not need to show your ID or passport to anybody during the whole journey. You will not be woken up at borders. You just need to deposit your tickets to the conductor for the duration of the trip, they will be returned to you in the morning – the conductor will be dealing with ticket inspectors from different countries instead of you.A couple of days should suffice.Cheaper than what? Generally yes, the departing station should offer the cheapest price, unless there is an internet sale or something like that.It is true. Not sure about PL/HU, but between SK/HU the return ticket is even cheaper than one-way!!!

I don’t know if you saw it or it got lost in the shuffle, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record: I emailed both the Polish and Hungarian railways about this a few weeks ago.
From the Polish service, I was told that a ticket and couchette would be over 100 Euro. (This could be the internet price though, I am not sure at a Polish station).
The Hungarian service (MAV) told me that the reservation and ticket would be about 55 Euro, but at the station, I was only charged 43. You do have to buy these tickets in person in Hungary though.
On this particular route, I don’t believe that a return ticket is less expensive because it so such a long distance. Many cities have these specials (for example Budapest to Bratislave is 24 Euro one way, 16 Euro return), but I’m almost positive that this isn’t one of them. There may well be a hidden special fare somewhere.
As Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary are all Schengen members, there should be no real reason to show your passport at all—once you are in a Schengen country, you can travel freely within all the others. From my experience, the train’s staff will switch at border crossings; sometimes each new set will ask to see the tickets for themselves, but often you are simply left alone.

Hello Papyr,I’ve noticed you know all about night trains in Europe,bus I have a fow doubts yet.Well,I’ll talke,on October 2009,a night train from Krakow to Budapest (departure at 22:15 and arrival at 08:32).Probably, I and my three friends are going to buy a 4-bed-couchette.These are the doubts: our 4 lugagges can be kept with us in the chouchette?(is space enough for this?) Second question: I’ve noticed that the name train changes two times: It starts the trip called “D200”,then, in Bohumin station is changes to “D203”,and finally in Breclav it changes to “EN 477”.What does it means??Will we have to wake up and make a conection (leaving a coach and get another one)?? Or is that a simply change of name??
Well,I hope you undertand me,thanks a lot for attention!

Yes you’ll keep your luggage with you and yes, unless you’ve got way too much, it will “fit” in the compartment., although it may be tight if you have oversized suitcases It’s called “train splitting.” Certain cars are moved from one train to another at stops. This happens very quickly and sometimes there’s hardly even a noticable “bump” when the cars are switched. If you buy a ticket for the whole trip it will be for a car that goes all the way to your destination. So, to avoid problems: 1)Stay in your car, or print out the whole route (with times) and pay enough attention to return to your car just before the city where a split occurs. 2) Ask the conductor if you are on the right car for your final destination (Budapest).