Night Trains in Europe 2026: Routes, Berths, Fees

Is a night train in Europe worth booking in 2026?

Yes, when a sleeper replaces both a travel day and a hotel night. The network keeps changing, though: ÖBB withdrew its Nightjets from Paris in December 2025, while European Sleeper started Paris–Berlin in March 2026 and Brussels–Milan in September 2026. Check the current timetable before planning around any route.

Railway Gazette reported on 30 September 2025 that the Paris–Vienna and Paris–Berlin sleepers would end with the 14 December 2025 timetable change after France withdrew funding. European Sleeper’s launch release dates its first Paris departure to 26 March 2026, and its press page gives 9 September 2026 for the Milan start.

ÖBB’s own websites, including nightjet.com, refused our connections on 17 October 2026, so the Nightjet details below come from Interrail’s night-train fee list, which states ÖBB pricing as of June 2026.

Which operators run night trains in Europe?

ÖBB’s Nightjet runs the largest international network, with partners on EuroNight trains across central Europe. European Sleeper runs three routes from Brussels and Paris. Caledonian Sleeper links London with Scotland, SJ, Vy and Snälltåget run Nordic sleepers, and France and Italy have Intercités de Nuit and InterCity Notte.

Routes and fees come from Interrail’s night-train list and the operators’ own pages: European Sleeper, Caledonian Sleeper, SJ and Vy. The last column is what a pass holder pays on top of the pass; on European Sleeper and Caledonian Sleeper, an ordinary ticket already includes the berth.

Within each band, the fee depends on the date, the distance and demand, so the table shows the lowest figure Interrail lists for a seat and for the cheapest bed.

What is the difference between a seat, a couchette and a sleeper?

A seat is just that, often in a compartment. A couchette is a bunk in a shared compartment of four to six. A sleeper is a cabin for one to three people, and on some trains it has its own shower and toilet. The price rises steeply with privacy, as Nightjet’s fee range shows.

The table gives Interrail’s pass-holder fees for Nightjet, stated as of June 2026; Interrail adds that ÖBB prices its night trains dynamically by route, season and demand (Interrail). Deluxe sleepers with a shower and toilet also appear on some EuroNight trains, priced higher again.

European Sleeper names its classes differently: Budget seats, Classic compartments for four to six people, and Comfort Standard or Comfort Plus cabins for up to three, with breakfast in Comfort Plus (European Sleeper).

Where does European Sleeper run, and how much is it?

Three routes in October 2026: Brussels–Amsterdam–Berlin–Prague, Paris–Brussels–Hamburg–Berlin and Brussels–Cologne–Switzerland–Milan. The Paris train leaves Gare du Nord at 18:03 and reaches Berlin Gesundbrunnen at 10:10. Advertised fares start at €49.99 or €59.99 depending on the destination, and private compartments start at €179.99.

Times are from European Sleeper’s timetable for 15–16 October 2026; the Milan train left Brussels at 19:06 and reached Milano Garibaldi at 13:55, calling at Aarau for Zurich. The homepage lists the starting fares and says bikes cannot be booked in 2026.

From 14 December 2026 the Milan train adds stops at Antwerp, Breda and Eindhoven and switches to Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday departures southbound, according to the company’s 2 June 2026 release. A Barcelona night train is planned for 2028 (European Sleeper).

Pass holders buy an “Interrail reservation” at €11 to €21 for a seat or €64 to €74 in a Classic compartment, refundable in full until 30 days before departure and by half until 15 days before (European Sleeper). Its launch release gave the Paris–Berlin service three departures a week.

What should you know about ÖBB Nightjet in 2026?

Nightjet still runs the widest network, linking Vienna, Munich and Zurich with Hamburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome, Venice and Milan, but it has cut routes. Its Paris trains ended in December 2025, and its La Spezia services from Vienna and Munich were suspended for all of 2026 because of engineering works in Italy.

The La Spezia suspension was reported by the European Rail Timetable on 8 December 2025, citing notices on ÖBB’s and Nightjet’s websites; services to Rome and Venice were unaffected. Interrail’s busy-routes page still lists Nightjets from Amsterdam and Brussels to Innsbruck and Vienna among Europe’s most popular night trains.

Some Nightjets to Switzerland carry a Deutsche Bahn seating coach. On Zurich–Hamburg, Zurich–Berlin and Zurich–Amsterdam, reservations are not mandatory in that coach, which runs as an ordinary InterCity, so pass holders can sit there without paying a fee (Interrail).

Because ÖBB’s sites refused our checks, we cannot quote Nightjet’s booking window or its ordinary ticket fares; confirm both before you commit to dates.

How does the Caledonian Sleeper work?

It runs overnight between London Euston and Scotland, serving Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William. You choose a seat in the seated coach, a Classic room with bunk beds and a washbasin, or an en-suite Club or Caledonian Double room. Tickets go on sale 12 months ahead and include the berth.

Room details are on Caledonian Sleeper’s accommodation page; the Classic room measures 134.5 × 180 cm with beds 65 cm wide (Classic Room). Seated-coach guests to or from Fort William change coaches at Edinburgh Waverley in both directions (Seated Coach).

Its booking terms refund 100% up to 7 days before travel and 50% until midday the day before, and allow two bags plus one item of hand luggage per guest. The timetable we read ran from 17 May to 12 December 2026 (timetables).

Pass holders pay room supplements, which Interrail lists at £155 for a solo Classic room and £205 for a solo Club En-suite on a first-class pass; the Caledonian Double is not open to pass holders (Interrail). Our Edinburgh to London guide compares daytime options.

Which night trains run in Scandinavia?

Sweden has the most: SJ runs sleepers from Stockholm to Malmö every night except Saturday and north towards Kiruna, Abisko and Narvik, and Snälltåget runs seasonal trains from Stockholm to Berlin and the Alps. In Norway, Vy’s Oslo–Bergen night train left at 11.03pm and arrived at 6.23am.

The Malmö frequency is from SJ’s route page; SJ’s northern destinations and fees are from Interrail’s night-train list, which prices an SJ couchette bed at €22 and a three-bed sleeper berth at €36 for pass holders. Snälltåget couchettes rise to €80 in high season.

The Bergen times come from Entur, Norway’s journey planner, for October to December 2026, when the train ran every night except Saturday; Vy’s Bergen Line page describes the route. Our Oslo to Bergen guide compares it with flying.

What about France, Italy and the Balkans?

France’s Intercités de Nuit runs from Paris to the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Riviera, Italy’s InterCity Notte crosses the country to Sicily and Apulia, and Croatia runs a weekly Zagreb–Split train for most of the year. Pass-holder fees are low: a French couchette costs €19 to €25 and a Croatian one €7.

Destinations and pass-holder fees are from Interrail’s night-train list; SNCF’s sites refused our automated checks, which is why no Intercités de Nuit timetable appears here. Interrail’s busy-routes page suggests the Paris–Latour-de-Carol night train, then regional trains, as an alternative to the busy daytime TGV to Barcelona.

HŽPP’s Friday-night train 1821 leaves Zagreb at 22:06 and reaches Split at 06:53, with couchettes from a €7 supplement (HŽPP). Our Zagreb to Split guide covers the Sunday-night return.

Central and eastern Europe add EuroNight trains such as Budapest–Prague–Berlin and Budapest–Bucharest, where Interrail lists couchette fees from €44 and €13 respectively (Interrail).

How do night trains work with a rail pass?

A pass covers the fare, but every night train needs a paid reservation for the seat or berth. On a flexi pass you spend only the departure day, as long as you do not change trains after midnight and the arrival day falls within the pass. Popular summer routes fill up, so reserve early.

The one-day rule is clause 11 of Interrail’s conditions of use; continuous passes simply need the arrival day inside their validity. Interrail’s reservations page confirms that night-train reservations are always compulsory.

The beta Global Plus Pass covers Nightjet and European Sleeper seats, at zero or one credit depending on demand, but not their couchettes or sleepers (Global Plus Pass). For a bed, you pay the normal pass-holder fee.

If a night train is full, Interrail suggests a seating coach or a daytime train on the same route, since each night service runs only once every 24 hours (Interrail).

What time do night trains arrive, and what then?

Usually early. Vy’s Bergen train arrived at 6.23am and HŽPP’s Split train at 06:53, while European Sleeper’s long runs arrive in late morning, at 10:10 in Berlin from Paris and 11:28 in Brussels from Prague. Plan breakfast and somewhere to leave bags, because hotel rooms are rarely ready that early.

Caledonian Sleeper runs its own guest lounges at London Euston, Inverness and Fort William (Caledonian Sleeper), and its Classic rooms have a washbasin for freshening up before arrival. The Prague–Brussels arrival time is from European Sleeper’s timetable.

Pack a small overnight bag separately from the main case, so that you are not unpacking in a shared compartment, and choose a first-night hotel that stores luggage.