We Travelled From Switzerland To Denmark By Train The Journey Took 24 Hours

2026-03-19 02:09:21

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) After the Swiss parliament cut funding for a Basel to Malmö night train, Swissinfo journalist Kristian Brandt tried a similar route with his daughter. What followed was a day-long journey that shows the pluses, minuses and new opportunities for this alternative to flying. Select your language

Generated with artificial intelligence. Listening: We travelled from Switzerland to Denmark by train – the journey took 24 hours This content was published on March 19, 2026 - 09:00 8 minutes

I cover climate and sustainability topics with a data-driven perspective. Trained as a journalist but working as a data scientist, I combine storytelling with analysis to uncover the facts behind Switzerland's green transition. At SWI swissinfo, I focus on how climate change affects daily life and what solutions can make a difference.

More from this aut English Departm

Deutsch de Mit dem Zug für 250 Franken in einem Tag von der Schweiz nach Dänemark – lohnt sich das? Read more: Mit dem Zug für 250 Franken in einem Tag von der Schweiz nach Dänemark – lohnt sich Français fr 250 francs et 24 heures pour rallier le Danemark depuis la Suisse en train, est-ce que ça vaut le coup? Read more: 250 francs et 24 heures pour rallier le Danemark depuis la Suisse en train, est-ce que ça vaut le Português pt Da Suíça à Dinamarca de trem: 24 horas de obstáculos para a mobilidade verde Read more: Da Suíça à Dinamarca de trem: 24 horas de obstáculos para a mobilidade 日本語 ja 列車に乗ってスイスからデンマークへ 24時間の旅 Read more: 列車に乗ってスイスからデンマークへ 2 العربية ar القطار الليلي من سويسرا إلى الدنمارك: 250 فرنكًا و24 ساعة. فهل تستحق التجربة؟ Read more: القطار الليلي من سويسرا إلى الدنمارك: 250 فرنكًا و24 ساعة. فهل تستحق الت 中文 zh 250瑞郎、24小时,从瑞士坐火车到丹麦值不值? Read more: 250瑞郎、24小时,从瑞士坐火车到丹 Русский ru Как доехать из Швейцарии в Данию на поезде за 24 часа Read more: Как доехать из Швейцарии в Данию на поезде за 24

It's half past seven in the evening when my daughter and I board the ÖBB Nightjet in Zurich. She is excited. Night trains feel like an adventure to her. For me, they're an eco-friendly convenience – a flight would be faster, but the train pollutes less, and I can sleep away the extra time it takes to travel on the ground.

I booked the tickets two days earlier. CHF180 ($230) for two spots in a four-person mixed couchette compartment to Hamburg. Not luxury, but we have beds.

The compartment is narrow. The upper bunks fold down from the wall. Between Zurich and Basel, we are alone, which makes it easier to organise our luggage and change into night clothes.

In Basel, two more passengers join us: Géraldine and Vincent from Lausanne, who are starting a weeklong holiday.

“We want to try the night train as an experience,” Vincent tells me.“And from an ecological point of view, flying for just one week feels absurd when there is a train solution that is feasible.”

They will travel with us to Hamburg where we will change to trains bound for Denmark. Our destination is Struer, theirs is Copenhagen.

“It doesn't bother us to change trains,” Géraldine says.“But if there had been a direct train, we would have taken it. It would simply have been easier.”

A direct train was in the works – a line that would travel from Basel to Malmö, Sweden, stopping in Copenhagen and other cities along the way. But earlier this year, the Swiss parliament cut federal subsidies for the line and plans were called off. My daughter and I are on our journey to see what a rail trip to Scandinavia looks like without a direct overnight link.

The train departs on time and sways through the evening. We play a game of chess. Around 10.30pm, we turn off the lights.

One hour delay

Nine hours later, over breakfast – two bread rolls each with marmalade and coffee or tea – I ask our cabin-mates how they slept.

“Quite good,” Géraldine says.“We sleep fairly well. I think we would repeat the experience.”

Vincent nods.“You shouldn't expect luxury. It's basic, but it's fine. A good experience.”

At this point, everything seems to be going well.

Then I check the timetable. We've just passed Bremen, and are an hour behind schedule.

That means we will miss our connections. Under the original timetable of the cancelled Basel–Malmö night train, we would already have been in Copenhagen – 15 minutes before our Nightjet was due to arrive in Hamburg.

Instead, when we pull in just under two hours later, railway staff inform us that all trains to Denmark are cancelled due to operational problems. A bus will take us the rest of the way. He also confirms that our existing ticket will be valid for the continuing trip, which is not always the case in these situations. Sometimes, a missed connection can lead to navigating new bookings and refund requests between different national rail services.

External Content From night train to bus

We walk through light snow and find where we board our bus. I ask Vincent what he thinks of rail travel now.

“It's still nice,” he says.“It's a perfect example of why it could be interesting to have a direct train between Basel and Copenhagen. We'll call it adventurous.”

Ninety minutes after we arrived in Hamburg, we are on a bus for Denmark.

The accommodations here are a step down from the train. The bus is full and the toilet is locked.

We arrive in the city of Fredericia 35 minutes behind schedule. If my daughter and I miss the next connecting train, we will arrive in Struer roughly four hours later than we had planned. We bid Géraldine and Vincent goodbye and stand near the exit as our stop approaches. As soon as the bus door opens, we move quickly. We reach the platform with only minutes to spare and catch our train.

We arrive at our destination at 5pm. I feel both relieved and exhausted. I am satisfied that we made it without flying, but aware how tenuous the journey was. One missed connection would have added hours to an already long trip.

More More Emissions reduction Europe's night-train revival on 'shaky ground'

This content was published on Mar 19, 2026 Taking a night train across Europe is romantic and climate-friendly, and demand is strong. Yet the much-touted revival is hampered by ageing rolling stock, patchy funding and overstretched infrastructure.

Read more: Europe's night-train revival on 'shaky gr

MENAFN19032026000210011054ID1110884656

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.