For years the night train looked like a relic, squeezed out by budget flights. Then something shifted. Concern about flying, a taste for slower travel and some genuine investment have brought the sleeper back, and there is now a growing network linking cities across Europe overnight. Board after dinner, sleep as the miles pass, and wake up somewhere new with a whole day ahead and no airport in it.
What the experience is like
Modern sleepers run from austere to genuinely comfortable. At the budget end you get a reclining seat or a shared couchette; pay more and you get a private cabin with a proper bed, a washbasin and breakfast brought to the door. The romance is real but so is the rattle, so light sleepers should pack earplugs and an eye mask and lower their expectations of a flawless night.
Booking sensibly
- Book early. The good cabins sell out weeks ahead and prices rise as the train fills, the opposite of a hotel.
- Choose a private compartment if you value sleep; a couchette shared with strangers is cheaper but noisier.
- Pack a small overnight bag you can keep with you, and a bottle of water, since the on-board buffet is limited.
Where it works
The Austrian network has led the revival and now reaches a long list of cities, and other operators have followed. Routes link the likes of Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Venice and beyond, often arriving early enough to start sightseeing before the day-trippers. The maths can favour you too: a night on the train is a night you do not pay for a hotel.
It will not always be faster than flying, and it is not always cheaper once you add a private cabin. But it is a far nicer way to travel, with legroom, scenery at either end of the night and the simple pleasure of falling asleep in one country and waking in another. Try it once and the airport starts to feel like the chore it always was.