ZURICH - BASEL - COPENHAGEN - night train

Abhishek
Traveller
9 comments

HI!

I am taking this night train on 17th April from Basel and using an Interrail pass. Since the train leaves before 19:00 (i.e. at 18:04), I guess it will use ONLY the current day on my Interrail pass (i.e. 17th April)? Am I right??
Thanks so much for the response!

Abhishek

Peter
Traveller
9331 comments

Hi.

It will be TWO travel days, the 17th and the 18th.
You can not use the rule of night trains backwards:
[u]https://rail.cc/en/interrail-night-train[/u]

I recommend to buy a normal train ticket from Basel to Freiburg, stay a little bit in Freiburg (really nice town) and jump there in the night train (19:04h). So will save one of your travel days - you will have to fill in then the 18th as travel day using the night train after 1900h in the evening.

As an example:
[b]Basel Bad Bf[/b] Dep: 1648 | by Regional train - EUR 11,50
[b]Freiburg(Breisgau) Hbf[/b] Arr 17:44

There are as well earlier and later trains.

Always use Regional trains, other ones are more expensive. You can get this ticket at a ticket window or use the ticket machines inside of the station.
If you start from Basel SBB, it will be plus EUR 3 , using a train of SBB with change in Basel Bad Bf.

If you walk, you will need about 30 minutes from one to the other station.

Peter :)

Abhishek
Traveller
9 comments

Hey thanks a lot Peter! Very prompt answer, I really appreciate that!

In fact I was starting in Geneva, using the Interrail pass itself, on 17th morning. So maybe in any case I'll have to use 2 travel days to reach Copenhagen. A ticket from Basel to Freiburg wud've been cool but it is about Geneva-Frieburg now. Anyways.

Another query: I already have a seat reservation from Basel... can I board the train later, say at Freiburg??

Thanks once more! :)

Peter
Traveller
9331 comments

Ah okay...
Then you will have to use two travel days when starting directly from Geneva in the morning of the 17th ... plus then the 18th for the night train till Copenhagen. :)
Basel is nice as well. I only thought about Freiburg talking about the one travel day mentioned the topic before.
But if you want to visit Freiburg, definitely worth.
And it is no problem to have a reservation from Basel but jump in the train at Freiburg.
:)

Flo
Traveller
10723 comments

Hi!

Officially you have to claim your reserved seat/couchette/sleeper within 15 minutes after the departure station indicated on your reservation. However, in real life it should work that you enter later in Freiburg. But no guarantee from my side. ;)


Flo 8)

Peter
Traveller
9331 comments

Flow knows it better...! :)
So I join his comment... but normally you should have your seat in Freiburg. To be 100% sure, start from Basel.
Peter :)

ewypesm
Traveller
4 comments

Well, I,ve got another question about the train itself.

Last time I travelled with it some weeks ago I saw that there were two different types of wagons. I wounder if the different wagons have to do with the type of reservation you've got or luck. I got the older one, generally I prefer the older train wagons, but in this old wagon of the train there was no plug for electricity, which I need for my laptop. Do you know if there is any in the never 2 level wagons? and if its possible to choose!

Flo
Traveller
10723 comments

Hi!

Two questions first:

- From where to where have you been travelling with this train?
- What kind of accomodation did you get? Seat, couchette, sleeper?

I can then look for an answer. ;)


Flo 8)

ewypesm
Traveller
4 comments

I travelled from Basel to Copenhagen in a Couchette 6-berth.

If there Is a way to get a plug for not to much extra money I would really be happy so that I can get my school projekt work done :D

Flo
Traveller
10723 comments

On this train you will find plugs only in the compartments of the double-deck sleeper car - and even there they are intended for shaver or portable only. :| It might work with notebooks as well but power probably is too weak..

ewypesm
Traveller
4 comments

Damn it, but thanks! well, I might check for another way to travel since I really want/need to have power. Any god suggestions? Stockholm-Switzerland (doesn't matter where but I live near Bern)

The over night train Malmö-Berlin has been taken out right?

I could think about to travel up to 36 hours or something like that but like to bee able to sleep on the way, maybe sweden-paris and from there back to switzerland... any suggestions?

Abhishek
Traveller
9 comments

Hi Flow, one last question!

Can I somehow change the origin of my ticket once at the station?? I mean, that I have a seat resv from Basel to Copenhagen. Can I reach Basel a few hours before the departure and ask/notify at the ticket counter to instead let me board the train from, say, Frankfurt or Mannheim?? I guess it is simply equivalent to changing a reservation at no extra cost??

Thanks tons, to both Peter and Flow! :) :)

Abhishek

Flo
Traveller
10723 comments

@ewypesm: The night train Malmö - Berlin is still running - although it is running daily only from 3rd may, before that date it runs Malmö - Berlin on Wed, Fri, Sun. Attention, current terminus is Lund instead of Malmö due to construction works at Malmö C.

I'd recommend the following route if you need to go Stockholm - Bern:

Stockholm C 1706 - 2102 Lund C :arr: 7€ supplement | with plugs
Lund C 2116 - 0604 Berlin Hbf :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/berlin-night-express-sweden-berlin/f1186[/u]
Berlin Hbf 0632 - 1456 Bern :arr: no supplement | with plugs

@Abhishek: It is possible to give back reservations and get a new one with new date or destination but I recommend to do so earlier and not only when you arrive in Basel at the evening. I assume you got your reservation at a Swiss train station? Then it's no problem to exchange it - you can only change reservation at stations of the railway company where you bought it.