Rude awakening aside, this old-school European sleeper is a pleasant ride
Have your tickets ready for a middle-of-the-night inspection by border guards if travelling overnight from Poland to the Czech Republic.
Tim Richards
January 1, 2026 — 5:00am
The numbers
- The route Krakow, Poland, to Budapest, Hungary
- Distance 399 kilometres
- Operator PKP Intercity
- Class Second class sleeper
- Frequency Nightly, departing 10.44pm
A PKP Intercity train at the station.Alamy
The journey
Krakow to Budapest aboard PKP Intercity’s sleeper train Chopin (EN 407), taking just under 10 hours. The train terminates at Budapest Nyugati station at 8.29am.
Boarding
A sleeper cabin, set up for a single passenger.
Waiting for a train at Krakow’s main station is hardly a glamorous experience, though it does have a certain surreal vibe. The platforms are long anonymous concrete slabs, and from the speakers comes an endless stream of announcements in the sibilant tones of the Polish language. It’s all quite hypnotic. Suddenly, at 10.40pm, my reverie is broken by the arrival of the Chopin sleeper train. Named after the great Polish composer, it started its journey in Warsaw and in the middle of the night will split into three sections, each heading to different destinations: Budapest, Prague and Munich (via Vienna). Checking my ticket, I step aboard car 350 and I’m on my way.
The seat
I’ve booked a “Single”, a sleeper compartment for my sole use, and I’m in for a pleasant surprise. After the genial Polish train attendant checks my ticket (or rather my sleeper reservation on top of a first-class Eurail pass), I discover a private bathroom containing toilet, washbasin and shower. I’ve had the luck to draw a “deluxe” compartment for which the rail operator once charged a premium. Bonus! (Though sadly the shower later proves a dud, with feeble water pressure.)
In the main space I note a wardrobe, table, and a bed made up for the night. There are also complimentary consumables: water, orange juice and a chocolate bar. Given the late hour, I turn in, only to be woken in my underwear at 1.30am by Czech conductors inspecting tickets. I search fruitlessly for the printed reservation, before realising they can scan it from my phone. Later, I discover the paper version had been retained by the train attendant so I wouldn’t be woken in the middle of the night. So that didn’t work, obviously.
Baggage
PKP has no size or weight restrictions on luggage, as long as it can be stored safely in your compartment.
The Chopin presents a comfortable way to travel from Poland to Hungary with glimpses of the Danube on the way.Alamy