Beyond Eurostar: New sleeper train routes across Europe
New rail links mean you can now catch a train at around 3pm in London and arrive in Prague at 10.56 the following morning, with just one change in Brussels.
You can also get to Berlin - via Paris - again only changing once. Paris to Venice has been promised by 2025.
European politicians are increasingly promoting new sleeper trains - with several either being launched or in the pipeline.
Train travel has far fewer carbon emissions than flying. From London to Berlin, the emissions are around 384 kg less per person.
Modern trains such as France’s TGV and Germany’s ICE reach top speeds of around 300kph - similar to the Eurostar.
Paris to Berlin sleeper train
Since December, a new sleeper train, Nightjet, runs three times a week between the French and German capitals - on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Paris - and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Berlin.
It takes 13 hours 14 minutes from Paris and around 14 hours 30 minutes from Berlin. Trains leave early evening and arrive the following morning
Passengers can choose between a seated carriage with extendable seats so you can stretch out, a couchette carriage with seats that can turn into beds, or a private sleeper carriage.
Brussels to Berlin night train
In May last year, European Sleeper launched a route from Brussels to Berlin, with similarly configured night trains to those above. From Brussels, it runs on Fridays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. From Berlin, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Again, trains leave early evening and arrive the following morning
It takes around 11 hours from Brussels and 10 hours 30 minutes from Berlin. It has three pricing options, but when we looked around six weeks in advance, the cheapest was no longer available, and there were no sleeper carriages.
Price, one way - Fri 26 April - €129 seats, couchette €149, private sleeper not available.
Brussels to Prague sleeper train
From Monday, 25 March, the Brussels train above extends to Prague.
It takes around 15 hours 30 minutes from Brussels and a few minutes less on the return from Prague.
Price, one way Fri 26 April €139 seats, couchette €159, private sleeper not available.
Other Paris sleeper trains
In 2020, Emmanuel Macron promised that 10 new sleeper trains would be launched from Paris to other parts of France by 2030.
Recent launches have included trains to Nice on the French Riviera and Aurillac in the Cantal region in the rural heart of the country. You can also get to Biarritz and Lourdes, among other destinations.
Train travel guru The Man In Seat 61 has a list of the routes and more details.
Future train routes
Amsterdam to Barcelona
From spring 2025, European Sleeper says it’ll start running a direct route between Amsterdam and Barcelona.
Passengers from the UK can already travel directly from London to Amsterdam, taking just over four hours.
Paris to Venice
Another sleeper train start-up, Midnight Trains, says it will connect Paris with Venice - and many other cities - starting from next year.
London to Bordeaux
You can already get to Bordeaux in around six hours, changing in Paris. The UK’s Channel Tunnel operator, HS1, has plans to launch a new direct route from London in 2026 - which should reduce the travel time by about an hour.
Cheaper tickets with new travel passes
New German rail pass
If after arriving in Germany you intend to take more rail trips through the country, it’s probably worth considering the new Deutsche-land ticket.
For €49, you can have unlimited travel on German public transport, excluding the super-fast ICE trains. You don’t need to take many trips for it to pay for itself. For example, a single one-way trip on a standard intercity train between Berlin and Dresden cost between €35 and €55 when we looked.
When the card was introduced in 2022 to get passengers back on the trains after the pandemic, it cost just €9. It’s increased but is still good value for anyone intending to take several trips across the country by train.
Monthly Portugal rail pass
A similar scheme has been introduced in Portugal, although there are caveats. It also costs €49 - but you’ll need to buy the contactless CP card for €6.
There are more restrictions than with the German scheme. You can’t use it on most intercity routes, and some regions are excluded. Neither the Alentejo Litoral nor the Coimbra areas are participating in the scheme.
It’s probably only worth using if you plan to travel extensively within certain Portuguese regions, for example the Algarve or to towns around Lisbon or Porto.
Monthly France rail pass - from this summer?
France has plans to launch a similar scheme in the summer of 2024 - but the details have not yet been confirmed.
Last year it was suggested that it would probably cost around the same as the German and Portuguese schemes - and not include the fast TGV trains.
How to get cheaper European train tickets
You can save on train tickets if you book around three months in advance and make the most of passes and other schemes throughout Europe.
Here are some of the best tips and deals for European train travel.
