Bikes on international night trains: which lines take an assembled bike

Only some of Europe's night trains take a bike as it is, wheels on and handlebars straight. ÖBB's Nightjet does on twelve routes, with three or six spaces per train, and so do SNCF's Intercités de Nuit and the night trains in Finland and Norway. On European Sleeper, on Snälltåget to Berlin and the Alps, and on SJ's night trains in Sweden, the bike has to be folded or packed in a bag. This guide goes through every operator in our line data and what each one says on its own website, checked 16 October 2026.

The short answer, operator by operator

• ÖBB Nightjet: a whole bike on twelve routes, listed in the next section. You need a bike ticket and a reservation on top of your own ticket. ÖBB prices the bike ticket by distance, at around 10% of the standard second class fare, with minimum prices on international trips varying by country.
• European Sleeper: no whole bikes this season. The operator says on its bike page that limited carriage availability means it cannot carry bicycles in summer and autumn 2026, and that it is working to bring them back for spring and summer 2027.
• Snälltåget (Stockholm to Berlin, Malmö to Innsbruck): no whole bikes. Snälltåget's luggage rules allow a foldable bike only if it fits the hand luggage size of 55 x 45 x 25 cm. Its bike check-in at 199 SEK per direction is only on trains 24 and 25 to Jämtland.
• SNCF Intercités de Nuit: a whole bike, with a reservation that is mandatory and made when you buy the ticket. SNCF lists 10 euros per bike and trip on the night trains Paris to Briançon, Nice, Cerbère, Toulouse Matabiau and Tarbes. SNCF gives no number of spaces.
• VR (Finland): a whole bike in a bike space that must be reserved, for EUR 4.10 to 8.30 depending on distance. VR says on its bike page that several night trains have a baggage car with 8 bike spaces, and that on car carrier trains a bike on your car's rack costs nothing extra.
• Vy (Oslo to Bergen): a whole bike. The Bergen Line has 15 bike spaces and a reservation is required. Vy's bike fare is generally half an adult single, between NOK 27 and NOK 275, and a fixed NOK 275 on the Bergen Line in the summer season.
• SJ Nord (Oslo to Trondheim): a whole bike, and you can pre-book a bike space on the Dovre Line. The bike ticket is 50% of a Standard Refundable adult ticket; the page gives NOK 50 to NOK 250 as the range from 1 February 2024.
• Go-Ahead Nordic (Oslo to Stavanger): a whole bike if there is space. On Sørtoget you book the bike together with your seat under "Additional options". The page does not mention the night train separately.
• SJ (Swedish night trains): no whole bikes. SJ's luggage rules say a bike must be dismantled or folded before you board and packed in a transport bag of at most 140 x 85 x 30 cm, with bike and bag together at most 25 kg.

Nightjet: the routes with bike spaces

Nightjet's own list of bike routes has two groups.

• Six bike spaces: Vienna to Rome, Munich to Rome, Vienna to Bregenz, Vienna to Hamburg, Innsbruck to Hamburg, Vienna to Amsterdam, Innsbruck to Amsterdam, Zurich to Hamburg, Zurich to Amsterdam, and Vienna to Zurich from 14/15 June 2026.
• Three bike spaces: Graz to Zurich, Vienna to Brussels, and Vienna to Zurich until 13/14 June 2026.

Other Nightjet and EuroNight routes in our data, such as those to Venice, Berlin, Budapest and Zagreb, are not on the list. Nightjet's FAQ still says bikes are only carried between Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which the route list has outgrown.

ÖBB prices the bike ticket on the standard fare even if yours is a Sparschiene ticket, and sells bike tickets up to six months ahead. Bikes over 185 cm long, 110 cm high or 30 kg, as well as tandems, recumbents and trailers, can only go in special luggage compartments and must be booked at a counter or by phone, according to ÖBB's bike FAQ.

Folding bikes and bikes in a bag

A folded bike is accepted almost everywhere, but the size limits differ.

• ÖBB: a folded bike up to 90 x 60 x 40 cm travels free as hand luggage on all trains, with no reservation.
• European Sleeper: a folding bike or a bike in a bag no larger than a suitcase goes free in the compartment.
• SNCF: folded, or dismantled in a cover, up to 90 x 130 x 50 cm, with no bike reservation needed.
• VR: a folding bike up to 80 x 60 x 40 cm and 20 kg travels free as luggage, folded on the platform and packed in a bag.
• Vy: a foldable bike is free as carry-on luggage. Vy adds that most bike travel cases are too large and may not be brought on board.
• SJ Nord: a folded bike under 85 x 55 x 35 cm is free, and so is a bike in a suitcase within the luggage limits.

E-bikes and batteries

None of the operators that mention batteries lets you charge one on board. ÖBB takes e-bikes on the same terms as other bikes and asks for the battery to be fully charged before departure. Vy and Go-Ahead also treat e-bikes like ordinary bikes, but the lithium battery must come off and travel in your hand luggage. SJ Nord asks for lithium batteries to be removed and carried in hand luggage. VR forbids locking an e-bike to the train frame and recommends taking the battery out. European Sleeper's house rules ban charging on board, and SNCF bans charging any battery from a motorised vehicle, even when it is detached.

Read more: All night train lines on the radar