Snälltåget: On the night train from Berlin to Stockholm

Crowding on platform 14. Once again, the platforms at Berlin Hauptbahnhof are far too narrow and short for the masses on this Sunday evening. There’s congestion on the rails too: our night train to Stockholm is announced with a delay, a few regional trains are allowed through first. Automated announcements overlap, the display board flips back and forth between “Stockholm” and “Malmö.” Then at last it rolls in, the Snälltåget with its white carriages.

Less than ten minutes later I’m sitting in the couchette compartment, chatting in Swedish. The four of us have squeezed onto one of the lower bunks. Not exactly comfortable, but casually Scandinavian. My fellow travelers talk about their trips across Europe. For them, the night train back to Sweden is the final leg; for me, the journey continues by ferry to Finland.

A nice train

The name Snälltåget is a pun. It sounds like Schnellzug (express train), but snäll actually means nice or friendly. Snälltåget is one of two night trains between Berlin and Stockholm; the other is SJ’s Euronight. Both run via Hamburg and Copenhagen to Malmö, and from there on to the Swedish capital.

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The differences lie in comfort. While SJ also offers comfortable sleeping cars, Snälltåget focuses on a simpler product with seats and couchettes. In the couchette car, six people share a compartment. If you prefer privacy, you can book a private compartment – but it’s significantly more expensive.

The train attendant is relaxed as well. He calls us by our first names, checks us off his list, and briefly explains what to expect. Around 3 a.m. we’ll reach the Danish border, where the locomotive will be changed. If there are passport checks, he’ll wake us in time. In the morning there’s a longer stop in Malmö, during which we can stretch our legs.

It takes a while until all the beds are made. Our compartment is already full from Berlin; it’s simply far too tight. Eventually we find a system: while two wrestle with sheets and covers, the others step out into the corridor.

Carefully modernized

The couchette cars come from former Deutsche Bahn stock, but have recently been refreshed. New additions include extra mattresses placed on top of the bunks, high-quality bedding, and USB sockets by the window.

The sanitary facilities are convincing too: at both ends of the car there’s a toilet and a small washroom – clean, modernized, and decorated with nature motifs. Each car also has a small onboard sales compartment, the Lönnkrog. In practice, though, only one is staffed; our train departs Berlin with a single attendant.

By now it’s after ten; we’re rolling through the North German night. Some are already asleep, others still reading or on their phones. It’s quite warm in the compartment. The temperature controls seem ineffective, and the window is locked.

Because Snälltåget uses a slow path, we don’t reach Hamburg until just before midnight. I barely notice. I wake briefly in Padborg, but border control seems to be skipped today.

When booking, I was assigned an upper berth. It feels a bit more private, offers more luggage space – and far fewer feet in your face. The downside is that the sleeping surface is shorter; at 1.83 meters tall, I can only sleep slightly curled up.

Good morning Sweden

At 6:30 my alarm goes off; I don’t want to miss the crossing of the Öresund Bridge. A small ritual – this is where Scandinavia begins for me. What I hadn’t considered: in mid-October it’s still pitch dark. Even so, the minutes-long ride over the sea is impressive. I sneak out of the compartment. Since our car is the last one, I can look out from the rear gangway onto the open track. Lights keep flashing – signals and ships around us.

In Malmö we have a 90-minute stop, during which the train is split in two. One part stays in Malmö; the other, with our couchette car, is attached to a Snälltåget daytime train that continues to Stockholm.

I get off and watch our cars being shunted from one track to another. It’s a beautiful autumn morning; soon the first rays of sunlight fall into the station hall. While most are still dozing in their bunks and miss all this, I grab my first coffee from the station kiosk.

Breakfast at a table

Back on the train, a special highlight awaits: the rustic dining car Krogen, which is also attached in Malmö. I reserved breakfast when booking and was assigned a slot shortly after departure. Snälltåget tries to manage demand with a reservation system using one-hour time windows.

I get a coffee at the counter; shortly after, breakfast arrives: a bread roll with cheese, apple juice, a cinnamon bun. Not lavish, but functional – and above all at a proper table. Eating here is far better than half-lying in the compartment. It’s a pity dining cars have become so rare on night trains.

As we roll through morning Skåne, the Krogen fills up quickly. I make room and return to the couchette car. By now my compartment mates are awake too. Since a compartment at the end of the car has become free, I grab my things and move there. That way I can sit comfortably for the rest of the journey – and even open a corridor window now and then to feel the wind on my face.

Small farmsteads pass by, lakes, autumn colors. It’s really beautiful, though it does drag a bit. With each stop we also pick up a few minutes of delay. It’s already shortly after 2 p.m. when we finally roll into Stockholm Central Station.

Standing on the platform, I need a moment to get my bearings. Seventeen and a half hours on rails is no small thing. Soon curiosity wins out, and I head off for a walk through the old town to Södermalm, before boarding the ferry to Turku in the evening.

Snälltåget: my verdict

A journey on Snälltåget’s night train is more like a school trip than a rolling hotel. That’s not a drawback – as long as you embrace it, and the price is right. For the couchette berth I paid the equivalent of €54 as a supplement to an Interrail pass, which I find just about fair. Regular tickets start at around €90.

I really liked the interior and equipment of the couchette cars. You can tell an effort was made to get the best out of older vehicles. And with the dining car Krogen, the Swedish section even brings a real sense of travel atmosphere.

What I find less understandable is why Snälltåget insists on six-berth compartments and doesn’t at least offer a four-berth option. A bit more differentiation could make the product more attractive. The timetable isn’t ideal either: the late arrival in Stockholm costs you half a day at the destination – and with it, some of the advantage of a night train.

About the author: Sebastian Wilken is a passionate (night) train traveller who writes about European rail journeys in his newsletter Zugpost. For Night Ride, he follows developments in the night train market and shares the best tips and stories – complete with his own stunning photos.

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