The best sleeper-train journeys across Europe

At one point in the not-too-distant past, it looked like the end was nigh for sleeper trains in Europe. Low-cost airlines and high-speed railways were pushing slow travel by train onto the back burner. Nobody disputed the romance of trundling through the night on a sleeper train, but for travelers balancing cost and time, the economics no longer added up.

The good news for rail enthusiasts – and anyone who prefers to avoid air travel – is that overnight train travel is back! Growing interest in slow travel and rising concern about the environmental impact of flying (driven partly by the Swedish flygskam, meaning “flight shame,” movement) has boosted demand for sleeper trains across the continent. Train operators in Europe have responded: reviving and expanding their overnight routes, adding a growing number of cross-border train services and, as a whole, creating a vibrant network that links the continent without the inconvenience of being squeezed into a cramped cylinder at 35,000ft. And there are more services coming, with European Sleeper's planned route to Milan from Amsterdam and Brussels in the final stages before welcoming passengers aboard

Join in the railway mood on one of the nine best sleeper-train journeys in Europe.

Why take a sleeper train across Europe?

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Overnight trains do more than save the cost of a night’s accommodation: they’re an adventure in themselves, recreating the romance of a bygone era as they whoosh travelers, families and businesspeople across the continent under cover of darkness. Even if you sleep in the simplest berth, traveling overnight by train lends a whiff of James Bond and a hint of the Orient Express.

Most European sleeper services involve a mixture of cars with standard seating, sleeper compartments (with room for two or four passengers) and six-person, dormitory-style couchettes. On some trains, however, private compartments equipped with showers and innovative capsule-style berths are becoming available. There's certainly a sense that a new era of night trains may be beginning.

On-train dining is another pleasure. Most sleeper trains have a dining car where you can have a sit-down meal and order off a menu, rather than taking whatever is on offer and eating it in the confined space of an economy plane seat. Many railway stations also have pubs, restaurants, cafes and fast-food chains if you want to grab a quick bite before you board.

How much does a sleeper train cost?

You probably won't be taking a sleeper train to save money. Train operators charge more for a berth than for a standard seat, and traveling by sleeper train is rarely as inexpensive as flying, particularly on low-cost airlines. But once you factor in the carbon savings and the money saved on overnight accommodations, it can still be a cost-effective way to travel.

There are other perks, too. European train stations tend to be located in the town center, so there are no costly airport-to-town journeys to factor in and no extra charges for luggage, boosting the cost of a budget airfare. And you can easily connect from long-distance overnight trains to daytime local trains to reach every corner of Europe, far beyond the flight network.

You may get further savings using European rail passes, such as the Interrail Pass and Eurail Global Pass, which cover sleeper trains across Europe, except on the final day of validity (passes expire at 11:59pm).

Tips for booking night trains in Europe

The resurgence in the popularity of night trains means that booking ahead is essential. Depending on where you’re traveling, berths go on sale between 30 and 180 days in advance; it’s best to book as far ahead as possible. The ever-helpful Man in Seat 61 has detailed online guides to train services, onboard facilities and booking trains in countries across Europe.

If you are traveling with an Interrail Pass or Eurail Global Pass, you need to make reservations for night services. Online services such as Trainline allow you to book trains across Europe, or you can book directly with the train companies.

1. Munich to Warsaw via Salzburg and Vienna

Frequency: daily
Travel time: 14–15 hours

The stately Chopin night train rolls out of Munich's Hauptbahnhof in Germany each night bound for Poland's capital, Warsaw. Munich’s station is right in the center of the city, within easy reach of Marienplatz and the U-Bahn (subway). The Chopin sets off by dallying toward the Alps, the scenery growing more rugged on the evening run through Salzburg in Austria before continuing along to pick up passengers on a late-night stop in Vienna.

Crossing into Czechia, the Chopin takes a turn north, making a small hours crossing into Poland, then reaching Warsaw at a civilized breakfast time just after 8am. The Polish capital’s historic Old Town, rejuvenated industrial areas, and varied and accessible nightlife make it an underrated city destination.

Warsaw is also the perfect place to pause before continuing by train toward the Baltic States, courtesy of services running to the Lithuanian border and on to Vilnius. From there, trains connect to Latvia and Estonia; or switch transportation modes altogether and board the ferry from Tallinn to Helsinki in Finland.

2. Rome to Venice

Frequency: daily
Travel time: 7 hours, 30 minutes

A quiet star of Europe’s night train scene, the Intercity Notte services run by Trenitalia crisscross the country, featuring several unmissable routes. While trains heading from Rome to Sicily turn tourist heads, thanks to the novelty of the ferry that carries carriages across the Strait of Messina, there are reasons to head from the capital in the opposite direction.

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A Trieste-bound sleeper hauls out of Roma Termini each evening and ambles through the romantic regions of Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany. Snoozing travelers may be awakened by some shunting as northbound carriages are moved off at Mestre before an unforgettable crossing of the causeway across the Venetian lagoon as half of the train continues to Venice.

Any bleary eyes should be swiftly jolted into life by the first sight of La Serenissima at dawn, with pretty much no one else around and a strong espresso or two on arrival. Consider it a cheaper alternative to sweeping into Venice on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

3. Brussels to Berlin or Prague

Frequency: three times a week
Travel time: 10–16 hours

The much-heralded European Sleeper service from Brussels to Berlin in Germany has proved to be an invaluable addition to the night-train scene, and the company behind it has extended the route to Prague in Czechia. With stops in Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, this thrice-weekly train is a successful revival of a classic route that was phased out in 2008, again linking some of Europe's top places to visit.

Add on the Eurostar connections between London and Brussels, and you can take a rail odyssey from the UK to Czechia. Conveniently, there's no need to change stations in Brussels, as passengers must when transferring from the Eurostar to other long-distance trains in Paris.

4. Zürich to Zagreb

Frequency: daily
Travel time: 13–19 hours

A convenient route between Switzerland’s largest city, Zürich, and the compact, beautiful capital of Croatia, Zagreb, this EuroNight service run by SBB crosses five countries from end to end. It’s worth taking this journey during the long summer nights, as it’s one of Europe’s most scenic routes, passing through mountainous Austria and Slovenia – two countries where you’d be hard-pressed to find an unattractive railway line.

The route also passes (without stopping) through the tiny Alpine principality of Liechtenstein, adding another country to the tally. You can also enjoy this scenic line by riding as far as Ljubljana in Slovenia, though this misses a lovely stretch of track running alongside the Sava River between the Slovenian capital and the border.

5. London to Fort William

Frequency: six times a week
Travel time: 12 hours, 45 min

Great Britain has only two sleeper trains: Great Western Railway's Night Riviera Sleeper and the Caledonian Sleeper. Both have recently benefited from major upgrades in what many see as a vote of confidence in the country’s overnight services.

The Night Riviera runs southwest from London’s Paddington Station and keeps going until it runs out of rails at Penzance in Cornwall, but it’s the Caledonian Sleeper that gets Britons most excited. This legendary train leaves Euston Station every night, and via a series of carriage shuffles unnoticed by snoozing passengers, reaches Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen and finally Fort William in Scotland, passing through some of Britain's most memorable trackside scenery.

The final stages of the route are the most spectacular, offering a night on the rails and a morning rattling through the Scottish Highlands before depositing exhilarated passengers at the foot of the path up Ben Nevis, the UK's highest peak and one of Scotland's best-loved hikes.

6. Berlin to Gothenburg or Stockholm

Frequency: four to seven times a week, depending on the operator and date
Travel time: 13–17 hours

Swedish Railways' EuroNight route between Germany and Sweden starts in Berlin and runs via Hamburg before rolling into Gothenburg. After leaving Berlin's lively nightlife and urban cool or Hamburg's harborside history, you'll roll into Sweden's often overlooked second city, which you'll find abuzz with things to do by the water, or delve into its automotive history and Viking heritage. If your heart is set on Stockholm, SJ services reach the capital as well. (Uncertainty surrounds this popular line, with public funding running out in August 2026, though indications are that it will continue with less frequent departures.)

Another option to reach Stockholm is the private operator Snälltåget, which runs seasonal night services (mid-July to early January) from Berlin and Hamburg. You'll leave Berlin after dinnertime, cross the Öresund Bridge in the early morning light (from late spring to early fall) and watch the idyllic Swedish countryside as you roll onward to Stockholm. You'll arrive in time for a meatball and lingonberry lunch (the train also has a highly regarded restaurant coach).

On Sundays from August to December, Snälltåget starts in Dresden. Both routes include a stop in Copenhagen, putting Denmark on the menu, too, though SJ trains only stop at the city’s airport and Snälltåget uses Copenhagen South, rather than the city’s main station. If you need a little extra hygge (coziness) in your life, consider pausing for a day to enjoy Denmark's capital and its dramatic architecture, cool shopping and coffee shops.

7. Budapest to Bucharest

Frequency: daily
Travel time: 14 hours, 30 minutes

One of Europe’s most beautiful stations, Keleti in Budapest is the starting point for a fantastic overnight adventure to Bucharest in Romania. While more than one sleeper train plies this route, the timing of the Ister service is arguably the most convenient. It departs Hungary's capital shortly after 7pm and arrives at Bucharest’s Gara de Nord midmorning, meaning passport control takes place around midnight.

The big benefit of the lazy morning on the train is the superb scenery as you pass through the Carpathian Mountains before crossing the plains. From Bucharest, there’s a direct summer sleeper connection onward to Istanbul in Türkiye – another of Europe's most epic railway odysseys.

8. Trondheim to Bodø

Frequency: daily
Travel time: 18 hours, 45 minutes

Under normal circumstances, the jaw-dropping views offered by any rail journey in Norway would make a night train a waste of stunning scenery, but there are two very good reasons for taking the overnight trip from Trondheim to Bodø, a remote city tucked inside the Arctic Circle in northern Norway.

First, if you do this journey during the summer, you won’t miss a thing – the midnight sun shines over the Norwegian landscape for much of the night. Second, Norwegian trains are very pleasant places to hang out for a while, with excellent facilities (including in-compartment showers in first class). Plus, a berth on a night train is excellent value for money in a country where bargains are few and far between.

9. Paris to Latour-de-Carol

Frequency: daily
Travel time: 12 hours

Alongside the popular routes from Paris to Nice, Toulouse and Briançon, consider the night train that runs to the foot of the Pyrenees in France. The twice-weekly service to Latour-de-Carol has six-berth couchettes and a seated carriage for the journey south, passing through Limoges, Toulouse and the foothills of the Pyrenees to arrive at Latour-de-Carol on the border with Spain. It's a handy route to a quieter side of the Pyrenees, beyond the tourist bustle of Tarbes, Pau, Lourdes and Perpignan.

From here, it’s possible to continue by suburban train to Barcelona in around 3 hours, providing an interesting alternative to the TGV service from Paris to Barcelona via Montpellier and the French Mediterranean coast.

If you prefer to see more of France's far south, the scenic, narrow-gauge Petit Train Jaune trundles uphill from Latour-de-Carol, offering a dramatic mountain train ride with connections on to Perpignan.