It was a huge year for train travel in 2025, marking 200 years since the birth of the modern railway. Numerous new routes were launched, but the rail renaissance shows no signs of slowing down in 2026 with many more on the way.
Dutch-Belgian railway company European Sleeper is among those leading the charge, having launched its debut Brussels to Berlin night train route in 2023.
On 26 March, the inaugural journey of its second permanent service – from Paris to Berlin – took place, and Euronews Travel was among the first passengers on board.
ÖBB and SNCF had been operating sleeper trains between the two European capitals since 2023, but announced the service would end in mid-December.
European Sleeper decided to take on the route, with trains travelling from Paris on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and from Berlin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The journey takes around 14 hours from Paris to Berlin, departing Gare du Nord at 6:03 pm, arriving at Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 9:02 am. The return leg takes slightly longer, leaving Berlin at 6:31 pm and arriving back in Paris at 11 am.
Why choose a night train over short-haul flights?
Sleeper trains are more efficient for passengers in terms of both time not wasted in the airport, and money not spent on a hotel night, says Chris Engelsman, one of the company’s co-founders.
“The other thing is, of course, that it’s a nice way of travelling,” Engelsman told Euronews Travel. “It’s not just going from A to B – it’s also enjoying the ride, sitting with friends and family and getting to know each other on the train.”
We can certainly attest to that, as the inaugural service was filled with families, friends and couples travelling together chatting to others sharing their compartment.
While sharing a room with strangers is off-putting for some – Berlin-based start-up Nox has promised to launch sleeper trains with entirely private cabins from 2027 – for us, it’s all part of the fun.
We’re not the only ones who think so, either, with 25,000 bookings on the Berlin to Paris route made before the inaugural journey even departed Gare du Nord.
“It will never be for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be,” Engelsman added. “But it is important that there’s an alternative to flying.”
We felt that the timings worked out perfectly – while you’ll have to have an early dinner in Paris, you won’t have to cut your day short like you would with a flight, and you’re ready to hit the ground running on the other side come 9 am.
The different compartment types – and their prices
European Sleeper’s fleet of trains date back to the ‘90s, and are best described as functional rather than fancy.
There are four category types for compartments: Budget, classic, comfort standard and comfort plus. There are some variations from train to train, so while this is what we saw on board, what you experience may be slightly different.
In budget, compartments feature six seats that do not turn into beds. The seats are arranged so there are three seats on each side of the compartment directly facing each other with a small table and some plug sockets by the window, making it rather… cosy. Luckily, stewards on board have playing cards available for purchase, so you can definitely make some friends if you’re in a compartment with strangers.
Fares start from €39.99, and while we don’t think you’ll get the greatest night’s kip, we suppose any train can be a sleeper train if you’re tired enough.
Next up, classic compartments can sleep between four and six people. During the day, the majority of the bunks are folded up so the bottom row can be used as regular seating. A bed in a classic compartment starts at €59.99, and includes bed linen, blankets and pillows.
Both the comfort standard (from €99.99) and comfort plus (from €129.99) sleep three, with the main difference between the two being that the beds in the latter are slightly more comfortable (no prizes for guessing that!), there’s a wash basin in the compartment, and the price includes a welcome drink plus breakfast in the morning.
Women-only compartments are available, and you can also book out an entire sleeper compartment from €279.99.
While some compartments have USB-A charging ports, the majority just have one or two standard European plug sockets. There’s no wifi on board, so make sure you bring a book – or buy the aforementioned playing cards to keep yourself entertained.
Every carriage has two wash basins in, as well as one toilet. There are stewards assigned to each carriage, and so while a few of the toilets were out of service on the inaugural service, those that weren’t always had soap, toilet paper and hand towels.
There are no size or weight restrictions on luggage, however, we wouldn’t recommend bringing more than one large suitcase or backpack if you want to make sure your belongings fit under the seat in your compartment. It’s also a very tight fit along the corridors beside the compartments.
Eating and drinking on board
European Sleeper trains do not have a dining car, but you’re more than welcome to bring your own food and drink on board.
You can also order food and drink from the steward in your carriage by scanning the QR code in your cabin, with last orders before 11:30 pm.
A 330ml can of beer comes in at a fairly reasonable €4, with glasses of wine from €6.75. You can also grab a coffee for €3, or a soft drink for €3.50. Food-wise, you can grab crisps, nuts or instant noodles from €3.50.
Breakfast is served from around 7 am, and includes coffee, juice, yoghurt with granola, and bread with spreads for €14.50.
Can you actually get a good night’s sleep?
If you’re someone who struggles to sleep on planes, or in any bed other than your own at home, you probably already know that a sleeper train isn’t likely to work for you.
As someone who has regularly slept in hostel dorms with 24 bunks, and someone who used to live on a boat, I had no problems nodding off.
Bed size may be an issue if you’re on the taller side of things, as beds are around 60cm in width and between 175cm and 185cm in length.
Rules on board include staying quiet between 11 pm and 7 am, and the rocking motion of the train is quite comforting.
If anything, I was more likely to be woken up by the train stopping, which thankfully doesn’t happen too often after pulling into the last station before Berlin (Liège) just before midnight.
According to my Apple Watch, I managed 57 minutes in REM, four hours and 11 minutes in core, and 24 minutes in deep sleep. Not bad.
Other European Sleeper routes
After launching its inaugural Brussels to Berlin service in 2023, the route was extended further in 2024 and now operates all the way to Prague.
Come September, passengers will be able to travel between Brussels and Milan, stopping in Cologne, Zürich and Como along the way.
In July, the Paris to Berlin service will get an additional stop along the way: Hamburg.
According to Engelsman, other routes in the pipeline would run between Amsterdam and Italy, as well as between Brussels and Barcelona. Other potential destinations being looked at include Stockholm and Copenhagen.
While the company has been approached about creating sleeper trains in Australia and the US, for now, it has plenty to focus on within Europe.
