Arriving early in Prague on Budapest Night Train

Hi,

Since this trip is in August, it isn't as bad as it sounds. Getting in at 0345 (I don't like that either) means in about one hour it is day light. Praha hl n is very nice, modern and big station with all the modern amenities, electronic tri-lingual signs, etc. Put the luggage in a coin locker, spend the day visiting Prague, then leave on a train arriving in Dresden ca 2100 hrs, since it's a bit over 2hrs Prague to Dresden. At most you'll wait one hour at Praha hl n as the first food vendors open at 0500, or maybe at 0430, if you need coins to operate the lockers.

I am doing a similar night train in June to Praha hl n, it too arrives at 0345...not really desirable but I can live with it. I didn't see one but am sure a major hub like Praha hl n has a Waiting Room (Wartesaal) I prefer arriving at 0600 or 0700 so that I can sleep a couple more hours.

I’m spoiled. I would fly Czech Air: Budapest (BUD) departs at 19:45 (leave for airport at 5pm and eat dinner in the airport) to Prague (PRG) arrives 21:10 ….. $114.15 + a cheap hostel. Wake up in the morning feeling good and ready to tour…….

I prefer train to plane but in this case I like James' suggestion more than to arrive to Prague Main Train Station at 3:45 am.

https://livingprague.com/prague-transport/prague-train-station/
you might find this link useful if arriving by train

I would book a hotel for the night with a very late arrival. Then you can head straight to your hotel from the train station

I would break up the journey with an overnight stay in Brno - the often overlooked second city of the Czech Republic.

Look for the sleeper and couchette cars from Budapest to Prague, not the ones that continue on to Berlin. These start out on EN 476 but are dropped in Pardubice, where they wait for almost 3 hours before being hooked to train 524, arriving Prague at the much more reasonable hour of 6:39 am. Should be bookable on MAV (though not yet for August).

lruch2 has the right answer. The the train from Budapest to Prague has sleepers that are set out for a few hours en route, allowing a more reasonable arrival time in Prague. The ones that arrive Prague at 03:45 continue on to Berlin for a morning arrival there!

Christi, then you would be paying for a night train and a hotel, making the flight cheaper.

Wow Iruch2 and Podrozniz, you are impressive. Great solution and a decent night's sleep.

Thanks for the valuable night train information, guys. It will certainly come in handy as another viable option.