Summer night trains 2026: A relaxing start to your holiday
Summertime is night train time. What could be better than hopping on a train in the evening and waking up the next morning right at your holiday destination, whether it's in the mountains or by the sea.
Because demand for night trains is especially high during the summer months, some train companies are expanding their services with additional seasonal connections. This makes it easy to travel overnight to some of Europe's most beautiful holiday regions, from the Croatian Adriatic coast to the Swedish fells.
In this article, we've gathered all the important summer night trains for 2026. We'll show you when they run, what comfort you can expect on board, and where to get the cheapest tickets.
Vienna – Split
Season: 29 May to 25 September 2026
The EuroNight from Vienna to Split is already something of a classic. For several years now, it has been reliably taking you from Central Europe to the Croatian Adriatic coast. New for summer 2026: ÖBB will be operating the train on its own for the first time, using a classic Nightjet.
There's not much more to say about Split, the impressive capital of Dalmatia located right by the sea. But the journey itself is a highlight: the route takes you via Graz and Maribor to Zagreb. That's where the most scenic part of the trip begins. On the Dalmatian Railway, you'll travel through the mountains down to the coast. The section between Knin and Split is particularly spectacular – it's worth getting up early!
A classic ÖBB Nightjet train set is used, with seating, couchette, and sleeping cars. There are also two carriages for cars and motorbikes. Handy if you want to explore Croatia and the Balkans on your own.
The route to Split is integrated into ÖBB's standard pricing system. A seat in 2nd class is available from €25, and a spot in a couchette car from €35. In the sleeping car, prices start at €90 in a shared 3-bed compartment and €135 for a private compartment.
- Vienna to Split
EuroNight 1273 - Split to Vienna
EuroNight 1272
You can compare prices and book tickets right here:
We have a travel report here and lots of practical details about this train.
Budapest – Rijeka / Koper
Season: 26 June to 30 August
The Hungarian railway company has understood that the journey can be part of the holiday itself. That's why, a few years ago, they launched the “Retro Istria Express”, a night train for enthusiasts with classic carriages from the 1970s and 1980s.
And now it's confirmed: in the summer of 2026, the train will once again take you to the Adriatic in a relaxed and extremely affordable way. The night train consists of two sections, one to Koper on the Slovenian coast and one to Rijeka in Croatia. The journey starts in Budapest and initially runs as one train via Ljubljana, where it is split.
The Istria Express has seating, couchette, and sleeping cars. The carriages exude real retro charm with their wood-panelled look and classic compartments. However, you'll have to do without air conditioning and power sockets, but the windows can be opened – perfect for enjoying the morning ride down to the sea with the wind in your hair.
The train is also extremely attractive in terms of price: tickets to Koper and Rijeka are available from just €20 and €25, respectively. In addition, there's a surcharge depending on the cabin category, ranging from €3 for a seat in a compartment car to €70 for a private compartment in the sleeping car. Tickets are available from MAV.
*Note: The Hungarian railway company is also planning to offer its IC “Adria” from Budapest to Split again. Final plans are still pending. We will update this article as soon as we have confirmed information.
Warsaw – Rijeka / Koper
Season: 26 June to 28 August 2026
Introduced last year and an immediate success: the “Adriatic Express” from the Polish railway company is returning in the summer of 2026. The direct night train from Warsaw to the Adriatic will run more frequently in the future and will add another destination, Koper in Slovenia, in addition to Rijeka.
Since the train runs via Vienna, it's also an interesting option for travellers from German-speaking countries. From Berlin, it also offers an exciting and often inexpensive alternative via Warsaw.
Technically, the connection works by attaching the through carriages to a Eurocity train to Vienna. From there, they are forwarded towards Slovenia and Croatia. One of the carriages is uncoupled in Ljubljana and continues on to Koper.
Seating and couchette cars are used for the Rijeka route, and a seating car for the Koper route. A dining car is also on board between Warsaw and Vienna.
Tickets are available from the Polish railway company. Prices start at €45 in a seating car and around €70 for a couchette.
Innsbruck – Malmö
Season: 4 July to 1 August 2026
A direct night train from Austria to Sweden? It's possible this summer with Snälltåget. In July, the Swedish railway company is offering a seasonal direct connection from Innsbruck via Munich, Hamburg, and Copenhagen to Malmö in Sweden.
The train is primarily aimed at Swedes who want to spend their summer holidays in the Alps. However, it's just as suitable for travelling in the opposite direction: as a relaxed way to get to southern Sweden. From Malmö, it's just a short hop on a regional train to the Småland region, with its lakes and typical red wooden houses.
As is usual with Snälltåget, the train consists of seating and couchette cars, but there are no sleeping cars. However, the “Krogen” dining car is on board for the entire journey.
By the way: in summer 2026, Snälltåget will also continue to operate on its well-known route from Berlin via Hamburg to Stockholm. New this year is an additional daytime train from Hamburg to Stockholm.
You can currently find all Snälltåget connections on our site. The one between Innsbruck and Malmö will be added in week 21. The prices will also be available here soon.
Malmö – Storlien
Season: 24 June to 4 October 2026
Speaking of Sweden: how about waking up in the Swedish fells? Snälltåget has a seasonal offer for this too. The night train takes you from Malmö to Jämtland, a beautiful mountain region not far from the Norwegian border.
Along the way, the train stops in Östersund, Undersåker, Åre, and Duved, among other places, before finally reaching Storlien right on the border. Places like Östersund and Åre are mainly known to winter sports fans, but in summer and autumn, the fell landscapes are ideal for long hikes.
Malmö can be reached from northern Germany via Copenhagen in just a few hours. If you leave Hamburg or Berlin in the morning, you can wake up in the fells the very next day – and cover most of the distance comfortably on the night train.
On the route to Storlien, Snälltåget also offers seating and couchette cars, as well as the “Krogen” dining car. Heads up: for solo travellers in a private compartment, there's a limited special price starting from around €140.
Bucharest – Istanbul
Season: 13 June to 10 October 2026
If you're looking for a grand adventure, this connection is just the ticket. Here, you'll travel in the footsteps of the legendary Orient Express. Albeit a little less luxurious and significantly slower: the journey from Bucharest to Istanbul takes just under 24 hours. Pure slow travel.
This seasonal connection consists of a single Turkish couchette car that makes its way from Bucharest, train by train, via Gorna Oryahovitsa to Dimitrovgrad in Bulgaria. There, it is finally attached to the year-round Sofia-Istanbul Express, which takes it to Halkalı station on the outskirts of the Bosphorus metropolis.
The couchette car is modern and has 4-bed compartments. The through journey from Bucharest to Istanbul can be booked via the Turkish railway company's website and costs the equivalent of about €80.
Villach – Edirne
Season: 25 April to 10 November 2026
The Optima Express is one of the most extraordinary trains in Europe. This car-carrier train travels in one go from Villach in Austria to Edirne in Turkey, right on the Bulgarian border. This train also doesn't run year-round, but seasonally from April to November – which means it just about qualifies as a summer night train.
The journey takes a total of two nights and one day, passing through Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria. On board, there are couchette and sleeping cars, as well as a dining car. Particularly important, however, are the car-carrier wagons, as the train is mainly used by travellers of Turkish descent who want to cover most of the long journey home without the traffic jams and stress of the motorway.
However, it's also possible to travel on the Optima Express without your own vehicle. Tickets are available from €232 in a shared couchette compartment.
Other services
In addition to these international summer night trains, some railway companies in Eastern and Southeastern Europe offer seasonal 'resort trains' with night services to the sea:
- Poland
Summer night trains from various cities to the Baltic seaside resorts of Hel, Łeba, and Kołobrzeg have a long tradition in Poland. One of the trains starts in Bohumín in the Czech Republic and is operated jointly with České dráhy. - Romania
A similar concept exists in Romania. A whole series of resort trains brings holidaymakers from all parts of the country overnight to the Black Sea coast, to Constanța and Mangalia. - Croatia
The only purely domestic night train in Croatia connects the cities of Osijek and Vukovar with Split via Zagreb during the summer season. The train has sleeping cars in addition to seating cars.
About the author: Sebastian Wilken is a passionate (night) train traveller and writes about train journeys in Europe in his blog, Zugpost. For nightride.com, he keeps an eye on the night train market and provides you with the best tips and tricks for the most beautiful routes.
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