Booked a river cruise departing in Prague on 10th October, 2026.
Want to know if I can take overnight train (Chopin sleeper train) leaving Krakow 9th October, 2026, arrives to Prague on 10th October, 2026, will it be too risky that I might miss cruise departing time (afternoon).
What is the likelihood of delays due to mechanical or border crossing?
Any recommendations on website to book this train?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
i've only ever done one tour, and it was in Rome. And I've done one cruise that started in Istanbul. For the Rome tour, we were in Siena the night before. There just had been some strikes, and we were a bit nervous we'd get to Rome on time. We had no issues but decided that we would always want to sleep in the town the tour started the night before. When we did the cruise, we got to Istanbul three days before the start of the tour. With your cruise, you want to be extra sure you are going to be to port at the right time, or the cruise leaves without you.
My suggestions is always to arrive Europe at least a couple days before the start of a cruise/tour to adjust to the time change and get over jet lag. Additionally, I would always stay in the departure city the night before my expensive cruise/tour, because you don't want anything to go wrong.
I can't comment on the specific train you are talking about though we've traveled in Poland for a month and only used trains, and a few buses here and there. They were quite reliable. I always book on the national train sites. Could you take the overnight train two nights before? The definitive guide to train travel in Europe is the Man in Seat61. https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Krakow.htm#Krakow_to_Prague
The train is due in Prague before 08:00 - so if the cruise deadline is afternoon there should be no problem. The train actually runs a much longer distance from Warsaw to Munich.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPwY6RMW2o0
https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/prague-to-krakow-by-train.htm
It is way too early to book. The PKP site is where to book. https://www.intercity.pl/en/
The night train takes 10 1/2 hours to get to Prague, sitting in Bohumin station for 3 hours and makes a lot of stops. There is a direct train at 3:45 pm that takes 6 hours and you can sleep in a bed in Prague that does not shake and rattle through the night.
I am wondering about a cruise that starts in Prague, which does not have a river that is generally navigable. Most cruises I see that start in Prague begin with a couple days in Prague, then a bus transfer to Budapest with a ship cruise on the Danube.
Hi: Thank you for all your replies. Opps, I realized I made a mistake on the title and content. My river cruise departs in Budapest, NOT Prague. Thanks for catching that, @Sam.
One reason I want to take the night train is, I feel I can sleep better in train, because of the "rocking" motion. Plus I don't have many days in Krakow. If I want to maximize my time there, night train is a good option, no?
We took the night train from Budapest to Prague. It wasn't a great night for sleeping. And again, please, don't arrive to Budapest on the day of your cruise. Give yourself some buffer.
So then you are taking the night train to Budapest, or are you still going to Prague first?
River cruise departs from Budapest. I will arrive to krakow on Oct 7th, plan to spend 2 days there (visit Auschwitz). After krakow, I will take train to Budapest to start my river cruise. I will arrive night before the cruise (based on suggestion above. Thanks).
River cruise ends in Prague..
That isn't EN406 Chopin, it is EN477 Metropol.
The reason for the long wait in Bohumin, as is common in Europe, is that the train gains and loses sections there, including the Chopin.
You are due at Budapest at 0829, sadly at Nyugati, rather than the grand old Keleti station.
Honestly some people sleep on trains and some people dont. You have heard above from those who don't.
You can't book until 60 days out, your section of the complicated train (by the time it gets to Budapest) is a single sleeper car and a single couchette car.
The short booking span (normal for Polish railways) and the lack of capacity are the biggest potential stumbling blocks.
Maximising time like this is why sleeper trains exist, so it is a good idea.
The train would have to be very heavily delayed, by 6 hours or more to miss the ship. Being a river cruise you should be able to join at the next port if the worst happened.
This morning the train is 12 minutes late, usually under 20 late. The worst delay I can see recently was 94 late on 19 April
