Travellers wishing to take the night train from Sweden to Austria can depart from Malmö at 14:55 on Thursdays between December 22nd and March 18th, arriving in Salzburg the next morning at 09:12, with the train continuing through the Austrian alps to its final destination of Innsbruck.

The return train departs from Innsbruck on Fridays at 17:00.

Here’s the full timetable, including all the stops between Sweden and Austria:

And here's the return timetable, running from Innsbruck to Malmö:

Tickets start from between 999-1,499 Swedish kronor (€90-€135) per adult one-way depending on departure time, with a fee of around 500 Swedish kronor/€45 depending on the service for a bed in a shared couchette, or a fee of around 6,000 Swedish kronor/€545 for a private couchette.

There are substantial discounts for multiple people booking together: if two adults book together the second pays half price, and children under 16 pay just 20 percent of the full price.

This means that, despite some journeys costing 999 kronor each way for a single adult or 1,901 kronor for a return trip, the same journey costs 1,901 kronor each way for a family of two adults and two children under 16, putting return transport costs for a family of four at 3,802 kronor or €346.

If this family book a private couchette both ways, however, this adds around 10,000 kronor to the price, putting the final sum at 13,998 Swedish kronor or around €1,275 for a return journey.

The night train service is aimed at skiers, with a check-in ski service offered at 249 kronor per person per journey, and a host of bus connections to popular skiing resorts from train stations in Austria.

The service is currently only offered as a return package: one ticket in each direction, which mean's it's not possible to only book a ticket for Sweden to Austria without booking your return ticket from Austria to Sweden at the same time.

However, Snälltåget say that they may open up single journey bookings in the future if there is a lack of interest in return journeys.

It's also possible to book a ski package holiday with train journey, transfers, hotels and lift passes via Nortlander.se and Slopetrotter.se.

There is also a restaurant on board serving hot meals on porcelain, as well as a café selling drinks, snacks and sandwiches.

See Snälltåget's website here for ticket booking and more information.