Night trains in Europe

Austria's ÖBB runs the biggest night network under the Nightjet brand, with partners such as ČD, MÁV and SBB. Typical routes link Vienna, Munich, Innsbruck and Zurich with Hamburg, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome, Venice, Milan and Zagreb, though the exact list changes every December timetable. Nightjet services to Paris from Vienna and Berlin ended in December 2025 after French state funding stopped (check).

European Sleeper, a Dutch-Belgian cooperative, runs Brussels–Amsterdam–Berlin–Dresden–Prague a few nights a week using older rolling stock (check days). In France, SNCF's Intercités de Nuit link Paris with Nice, Briançon in the Alps, Toulouse and the Pyrenees (Latour-de-Carol, Cerbère), Rodez and Albi, and Tarbes, Lourdes and the Basque coast (check). In Britain, the Caledonian Sleeper runs London to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William, and GWR's Night Riviera runs London Paddington to Penzance.

In Scandinavia, SJ runs Stockholm–Hamburg–Berlin, Snälltåget runs seasonal trains to Berlin and the Swedish mountains, and the northern line to Luleå and Narvik has a state-contracted sleeper (check operators). Trenitalia's Intercity Notte covers the length of Italy, including trains that cross to Sicily by ferry. PKP Intercity has domestic sleepers across Poland plus EuroNight links to Vienna, Budapest and Prague. Czech, Slovak and Hungarian railways run sleepers such as Prague–Košice, and Hungarian and Romanian railways link Budapest with Transylvania and Bucharest. Balkan sleepers include Belgrade–Bar in Montenegro (check).

Night trains are fragile. They need subsidies or cross-border cost sharing, and they run on tracks that are often closed at night for engineering. In December 2025, Nightjet dropped its Paris–Vienna and Paris–Berlin trains after the French government withdrew its share of funding (check). Spain's domestic Trenhotel sleepers and the Lisbon–Madrid Lusitania did not return after the pandemic, leaving Iberia with almost no night trains (check).

Other routes appear and vanish with each timetable change in mid-December, and summer-only trains are common. Treat any blog post more than a year old as a starting point only, and confirm on the operator's own site before planning a trip around a train.

Nightjet usually opens sales about six months ahead, but release dates can slip when timetables change, so some winter dates open late (check). Cheapest fares, such as the Sparschiene deals, go first. European Sleeper releases dates in blocks, and SNCF opens night trains roughly three to four months ahead (check). The Caledonian Sleeper sells up to about twelve months ahead (check). Book directly with the operator where you can: it is simpler to change a ticket or claim compensation.

Prices vary widely. A seat can cost less than a hostel bed, while a private sleeper with shower in peak summer can cost more than a flight plus a hotel. For couples or groups, booking a whole couchette compartment gives privacy at a lower price than a sleeper.

A reclining seat is the cheapest option and the hardest to sleep in. A couchette is a compartment with four or six bunks, bedding provided, usually shared with strangers; four-berth is roomier and six-berth is cheaper. Some operators offer women-only couchettes on request. A sleeper is a private compartment with one to three beds, a washbasin and often a key card; Nightjet's newest deluxe cabins add a private toilet and shower.

Nightjet's new-generation trains also have mini cabins: single-person capsules with a bed, a lockable space and a small shelf, sitting between a couchette and a sleeper in price (check). In sleepers, and on Nightjet in couchettes too, a small breakfast of bread, coffee and juice is usually included (check). Bring water and snacks; not every train has a restaurant or bar car.

An Interrail or Eurail pass covers the travel, and a direct night train that leaves after 7pm needs only one travel day, the day of arrival (check the pass rules). You still pay a reservation fee for the seat or berth, which is often far above day-train fees: a few euros for a seat, tens of euros for a couchette and substantially more for a sleeper (check). Quotas for pass holders can sell out before regular tickets.

Book pass reservations through the operator's site or app where possible, or at a staffed station. In Britain, BritRail and Interrail pass holders pay a supplement for a sleeper room (check). Always compare the reservation cost with a regular saver fare, which is sometimes cheaper than pass plus reservation.

Theft on night trains is uncommon but not rare, especially on older international routes. Lock the compartment door from inside with both the lock and the security latch, keep your passport, phone and wallet in a small bag inside your sleeping bag liner or under your pillow, and put large luggage under the lowest bunk or in the space above the door. Use the ladder, not the lower bunks, to climb up, and keep the ladder clear of bags so nobody trips at night.

Top bunks are the most secure for valuables and the warmest. Bottom bunks are easier for older travellers and for getting out at night. Conductors keep the car locked on many modern trains, but open the door only to staff.

Engineering works often divert night trains or replace part of the route with buses, typically in the middle of the night. Strikes are common in France, Italy and Belgium, and night trains are among the first services cancelled. Under EU rail passenger rights you are entitled to rerouting, refreshments during long delays and compensation for long delays, though claims take weeks (check current rules). Keep a flexible plan B, such as a morning high-speed train.

Within the Schengen area there are usually no routine passport checks, but police spot checks do happen near borders, so carry ID. On routes leaving Schengen, for example into Serbia, Montenegro or the United Kingdom, expect checks, sometimes in the small hours. On some routes the conductor collects passports for the border officials (check).

A night train wins when the journey takes 8–14 hours, so you board after dinner and arrive before 9am in a city centre. You save a hotel night and the airport transfers, carry liquids and bigger bags without extra fees, and emit a fraction of a flight's carbon. Vienna–Rome, Amsterdam–Vienna, London–Scotland and Paris–Nice fit this pattern well.

Flying wins when the train leaves late and arrives very early with poor sleep, when fares are high in peak season, or when your trip is short. If you sleep badly on trains, try a short route first, and take a private compartment.