The popular night train between Budapest and Split will be running again this summer, starting June 18. Three times a week until the end of September, the service will be pulling out of Keleti station in the heart of the Hungarian capital at 6.45pm, arriving nearly 800km later in Dalmatia at 9.49am.
This allows passengers plenty of time to either hop to an island from Split harbour a short stroll away or have the whole day ahead to explore Split.
Trains head back at 5.54pm and arrive at Keleti at 9.35am, the station surrounded by hotels and a couple of metro stops from the centre of Hungary’s capital.
The Adria InterCity service has seen a huge increase in passenger numbers, more than doubling since 2021 to 13,000-plus in 2023. This trend chimes with the revival of rail in Europe, spearheaded by Austrian Railways, which has introduced significant improvements on its night routes between major hubs in the region.
For the Adria train overseen MÁV Hungarian railways, travellers can choose between a couchette of four to six berths or a private cabin for one, two or three. All carriages are air-conditioned and cabins have power sockets and wash basins.
More importantly, each train has an elegant dining car once reserved for Hungarian government ministers. The early-evening departure from Budapest Keleti means that you can time your evening meal around sunset over Lake Balaton around two hours later.
Water, coffee and breakfast comes with the basic ticket price. A couchette starts at €49, a cabin from €88 per person but the cheaper deals are snapped up early, particularly the two-person sleepers for travelling couples.
See schedules and book tickets through MÁV Hungarian rail.