Night trains from Zurich: Amsterdam, Prague, Zagreb and Rome by Nightjet

The first time I booked a Nightjet out of Zurich, I did it for the wrong reason: I wanted to say I’d done it, more than I wanted to get to Prague. Three trips later — Amsterdam, Prague, Zagreb, and a Rome run I had to piece together myself — I book them now because they actually solve a problem: getting somewhere far without burning a travel day at each end.

What leaves from Zurich HB, and what doesn’t

Zurich has become one of ÖBB’s western hub stations for Nightjet, but the map has changed more than once since 2023, so don’t trust an old blog post (mine included, if I don’t keep updating it). As things stand this year, three direct overnight services leave from Zurich HB:

Route	Departure	Arrival	Journey time
Zurich → Amsterdam	around 19:15	around 08:10	roughly 12 h 45
Zurich → Prague	around 21:00	around 07:00	roughly 10 h
Zurich → Zagreb (summer extension to Rijeka/Split)	around 19:30	around 08:30	roughly 13 h

Rome isn’t on that list, and I wasted an evening on the ÖBB site before I accepted it. There is no current direct Nightjet from Zurich to Rome. What I actually did was take a daytime EuroCity train from Zurich HB to Milano Centrale (about 3 h 30), then picked up the Italian Intercity Notte overnight service from Milan to Rome. It works, and it’s still one connection rather than a flight plus two airport transfers, but it’s not the single-seat overnight trip the marketing implies.

Booking: earlier than feels necessary

ÖBB’s Nightjet booking window opens about six months before departure, and I now treat that date as a calendar reminder rather than a suggestion. The cheapest couchette fares — the ones that make this whole exercise worthwhile — go first. I booked Zurich–Prague eleven weeks out and paid CHF 39 for a couchette bunk. A friend booked the same route three weeks before a July departure and paid CHF 89, with no sleeper cabins left at all.

Two websites matter here: the ÖBB Nightjet booking page for the couchette and sleeper fares, and SBB’s own site if you just want a Half Fare Card seat reservation with no bunk. They don’t always show the same inventory, so I check both before assuming a route is sold out.

Couchette or sleeper: what CHF 40 gets you versus CHF 140

A couchette compartment sleeps four or six on fold-down bunks, shared blanket and thin pillow provided, no washbasin, no privacy beyond a curtain you can pull across your own bunk on the newer stock. On the Zurich–Prague run I shared with three strangers who were perfectly pleasant and one who snored enough that I gave up on sleep somewhere past Nuremberg.

A sleeper cabin is a different trip entirely. One to three berths, a washbasin, and on the newest ÖBB carriages — the ones increasingly running the Amsterdam route — a private shower and toilet inside the cabin. It costs two to three times the couchette fare. I’ve paid it once, for the Amsterdam route, specifically because I had a work meeting the next morning and needed to arrive looking like I’d slept in a bed rather than a train.

Bring your own food. Sleeper passengers get a small breakfast bag left outside the door before arrival — a roll, jam, juice. Couchette passengers get nothing, and the bar car, on the nights I’ve travelled, has closed well before midnight. I now pack a sandwich from one of the bakeries near Zurich HB and a flask of tea before I board.

What it actually replaces

The honest comparison isn’t Nightjet versus flying — it’s Nightjet versus flying plus a hotel night. A budget flight from Zurich to Prague can cost less than the train fare on paper, but add a hotel room for the night you’d otherwise have spent on the train, plus two airport transfers, and the arithmetic flips. That’s where the couchette earns its keep: for around CHF 40–90 you get transport and a bed in the same ticket, and you step off the train at 07:00 with a full day still ahead of you rather than a morning lost to an airport queue.

For Amsterdam, the arithmetic is closer. Ryanair and easyJet fly Zurich–Amsterdam for less than a couchette fare on plenty of dates, and the flight takes ninety minutes rather than thirteen hours. I still take the train when I have the evening free and want to arrive already having “arrived” rather than needing to find my way in from Schiphol. It’s a preference, not a bargain.

Making the day before or after count

Because Nightjet departures from Zurich cluster in the early evening, you get a full working day beforehand — which is either a chore or an opportunity depending on how you use it. On my Amsterdam trip I built in a half-day up the mountains first, taking a guided day trip up to Mount Titlis and its glacier snow before heading back to Zurich HB with just enough time for dinner and boarding. If Lucerne suits your route better, the same logic applies to a day trip up Mount Pilatus through Lucerne.

Since the Amsterdam Nightjet also works its way through Basel in the small hours, I’ve made a point of getting to know that city separately rather than only glimpsing its station platform at 22:00 — a private day covering Basel’s old town alongside Colmar’s Little Venice gave me a proper look at it in daylight. On quieter weeks, when I’d rather stay close to Zurich before an evening departure, a short private outing to Baden’s old town and the Limmat riverside fills the hours without needing an early start.

Practical notes from Zurich HB itself

Nightjet trains generally depart from the lower-level platforms at Zurich HB, and boarding tends to open around twenty to thirty minutes before departure — earlier than a domestic SBB service, because the conductor checks tickets and passports (for the Prague and Zagreb routes especially) as you board rather than once moving. I’ve learned to be on the platform with time to spare rather than sprinting down from the main concourse.

Left luggage isn’t something you’ll need before boarding since your bags travel with you, but if you’re killing a few hours in Zurich beforehand after checking out of a hotel, the station’s lockers are worth knowing about — I’ve covered that separately in the guide to luggage and left-luggage options at Zurich HB.

One habit I’d pass on: loop a small cable lock through your bag’s strap and the luggage rail before you sleep. I’ve never had anything taken on a Nightjet, but couchette compartments aren’t lockable from outside once you’re settled, and it costs nothing to not find out the hard way.

Is it actually worth doing

For Prague and Zagreb, yes, without much hesitation — the couchette fare undercuts flight-plus-hotel, and you arrive with the day intact. For Amsterdam, it depends on what you value more: thirteen hours of scenery and an unhurried morning arrival, or ninety minutes in the air. For Rome, be honest with yourself that you’re booking a connection through Milan, not a single seamless overnight, and check whether the daytime train via Milan followed by a short flight might suit you better on that particular week.

If you’re weighing this against Switzerland’s daytime scenic trains instead — the Glacier Express or Bernina Express crowd — those solve a completely different problem, and I’ve kept my thoughts on how Swiss rail tickets, passes and reservations fit together in a separate guide on how Swiss trains actually work, alongside a rundown of what the Swiss Travel Pass does and doesn’t cover.

Nightjet from Zurich: the questions I get asked most

How far ahead should I book a Nightjet from Zurich?

ÖBB opens bookings around six months ahead, and the cheapest couchette and sleeper fares go first. I book two to three months out for anything in summer; for Rome-via-Milan and Amsterdam in July and August, I’ve seen sleeper cabins gone six weeks before departure.

What’s the difference between a couchette and a sleeper cabin?

A couchette is a fold-down bunk in a shared four- or six-berth compartment, blanket and thin pillow provided, no washbasin. A sleeper sleeps one to three, has a washbasin, and on newer stock a private shower and toilet. Sleeper fares run two to three times the couchette price.

Which Nightjet routes actually leave from Zurich HB?

Currently, direct services run to Amsterdam, Prague, and Zagreb (with a summer extension toward Rijeka or Split). There’s no direct Nightjet to Rome from Zurich — I route that one via a daytime train to Milan, then the overnight Intercity Notte onward.

Is it safe to sleep with luggage in a couchette?

I’ve had no problems, but I use a cable lock through my bag’s strap and the luggage rail, and keep my passport, phone and cards on me rather than in the bag. Compartment doors lock from inside once tickets have been checked.

Can I use a Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card on the Nightjet?

A Half Fare Card gets 50% off the Swiss-priced portion of the seat, couchette or sleeper supplement, which helps most on the Amsterdam route. The Swiss Travel Pass doesn’t cover Nightjet fares outright, though discounts can still apply depending on which country’s system sells the ticket.

Do you get food on board?

Sleeper passengers find a small breakfast bag outside their door before arrival. Couchette passengers get nothing included, and I’ve found the bar car, where one exists, closes well before midnight — I bring my own sandwich and a flask.

What time do Nightjet trains leave and arrive from Zurich?

Roughly: Amsterdam departs around 19:15, arriving after 08:00. Prague departs around 21:00, arriving near 07:00. Zagreb departs around 19:30, arriving around 08:30. These shift slightly with the December timetable change each year, so I always recheck before booking.

Is the Nightjet cheaper than flying?

Only when you count the hotel night you’d otherwise need. A couchette at CHF 40–90 usually beats flight-plus-hotel for Prague or Zagreb. For Amsterdam, a budget flight alone can undercut the train fare, so it comes down to whether you’d rather have the evening or the ninety minutes.