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Taking a Bike on a Night Train
Which operators carry bikes, reservation rules, and the folding-bike exception.
Reservation requirements
Most operators require a separate bike reservation in addition to your ticket, and bike spaces sell out faster than berths. Nightjet carries bikes on a specific list of routes — mostly summer-season corridors like Vienna–Hamburg and Zürich–Amsterdam. European Sleeper and Snälltåget take bikes on most services. Caledonian Sleeper allows bikes with advance booking and limits to one per cabin. Always check the operator's site before assuming a route accepts bikes.
Where bikes go
Newer Nightjet stock has dedicated bike compartments at one end of the train with hanging hooks for the front wheel. Older stock and other operators use end-of-car racks or baggage vans. You hang the bike yourself, secure it to the rack with your own lock, and retrieve it on arrival — there's no checked-baggage process and no one watches it overnight.
Folding bikes
Most operators carry folding bikes free as hand luggage, provided they're folded down and either bagged or in a bike-bag. Brompton-style folders and most 20-inch foldables qualify. If you don't need a full-size bike at your destination, this is the easiest way to bring one.
Practical tips
Book your bike reservation at the same moment as your berth — adding one later often means the route's bike spaces have sold out even though berths are still available. Arrive 30 minutes before departure so you have time to hang the bike before the boarding rush. Bring a basic cable lock. Check seasonal restrictions: some Nightjet bike routes only operate from late March to early October.