Sleeper train between Basel and Berlin
A traveler is planning a trip from Basel to Berlin in late September and wants to know about the sleeper train options and if a Swiss Travel Pass offers any advantages for this route. They also ask about how far in advance they should book their reservation for the overnight journey.
- There is no sleeper train service directly from Basel to Berlin; it is an overnight train with seats only.
- The Swiss Travel Pass does not provide any discounts on the journey since it leaves Switzerland immediately and enters Germany.
- Book your reservations as soon as you know your date, especially for Saturday nights, as sleeper trains tend to fill up quickly.
- Limit your luggage to avoid cramped conditions in the sleeper car; ideally, take 2 carry-ons and 1 large suitcase.
AI-generated summary-
Has anyone had experience with the through overnight sleeper from Basel to Berlin? Is this a true 1st-class sleeping car or just a couchette?
In ticketing from Basel to Berlin, does having a Swiss railpass provide any advantage? (We would make this trip in late September and also plan to return from Berlin to Basel via the same service.)
Thanks for your thoughts.
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Hi Bhoerger,
There is no sleeper train service between Basel and Berlin – just a normal train IC/ICE overnight (in a seat).
Austrian railways (ÖBB) does offer a sleep train from Vienna to Berlin stopping at Zurich. Here you can get either a Couchette or a private compartment.
I used this train between Zurich and Vienna and quite enjoyed it.
Hi Lucas, Thanks for responding.
But when I go to >http://www.sbb.ch/en/buying&l t; for September 29 (2018), the 21:13 departure from Basel SBB to Berlin Hbf shows both “WL” (sleeping car) and “CC” (couchette car) under the column “Information”. Am I mis-interpreting this?
Bill
Ah no you’re not. The train from Zurich goes via Basel to Berlin. Didn’t realize that! 🙂
It would be the same overnight train I took to Vienna with OBB. It was quite nice in the sleeper car. Very tight though so I hope you don’t have too much luggage! The Swiss Travel Pass wouldn’t give you any discount as you leave Switzerland and are into Germany right away.
Thanks so much, Lucas, for getting back.
Have you any thoughts about how far in advance one ought to attempt reservations for a Saturday night in late September, especially since we’d be boarding at an intermediate station.
Bill
I’d book as soon as you can commit to a date. In Germany there are only a few sleeper trains operating and with Austrian railways only (Vienna – Zurich – Berlin/Hamburg). So it is always fairly busy. It is a popular service. Everyone was pretty disappointed when German railways (DB) cancelled their sleeper trains a couple years ago.
Do be careful on luggage.I’d say 2 carry-on’s and 1 large suitcase is all you could fit in the 2 person sleeper car!
Thanks again, Lucas.
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