Every New European Night Train Launching in 2026 (And Where to Stay at Each End)

Europe's night train revival is real, and 2026 is the biggest year it has seen. Paris is back on the map with a new private overnight service to Berlin, Brussels is about to get a direct sleeper to Milan through the Alps, and the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is launching its first Paris-to-Amalfi-Coast route. A few older services have been scrapped in the process — ÖBB ended its Paris Nightjets in December 2025 — but the overall direction is clear: more sleeper routes, more cross-border connections, and fewer short-haul flights for anyone paying attention.

Here is every significant new night train route launching in Europe in 2026, with a quick look at where to sleep at each end.

European Sleeper Paris to Berlin

This is the biggest launch of the year. European Sleeper, the Dutch-Belgian private operator that already runs the Brussels-Berlin-Prague sleeper, has taken over the Paris-Berlin night route that ÖBB stopped running in December 2025. The new service starts on March 26 2026, goes via Brussels (rather than Strasbourg like the old ÖBB Nightjet) and runs three times a week in each direction. Trains leave Paris Gare du Nord on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings and arrive in Berlin the following morning. A Hamburg extension is scheduled to launch on July 13 2026, giving passengers a direct sleeper from Brussels to Hamburg as well.

European Sleeper Brussels and Amsterdam to Milan

The second major launch is the Alps sleeper. European Sleeper will begin running three times a week from Brussels, with connections from Amsterdam, south through Cologne, into Switzerland via Zurich and the Gotthard base tunnel, then via Lugano and Chiasso, arriving in Milano Centrale the following morning. The route restores an overnight train from the Low Countries to northern Italy that had been missing from the timetable for years. Launch is scheduled for 2026 — keep an eye on the European Sleeper timetable page for exact departure days, as the schedule has been gradually confirmed through 2025 and early 2026.

Belmond Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: Paris to the Amalfi Coast

Existing routes still worth knowing about

Alongside the 2026 launches, a handful of older night train routes are still running and still very much worth booking. ÖBB's Italian services — Munich to Rome and Zurich to Rome — survived the Paris cuts, and the Zurich-Rome route has been upgraded with new-generation sleeper carriages that include private bathrooms and improved accessibility. ÖBB's Vienna-Brussels and Vienna-Amsterdam services also continue through 2026. And the original European Sleeper line from Brussels via Amsterdam and Berlin to Prague, which launched in 2023, is still running three times a week in each direction and remains one of the best sleeper experiences in Europe.

A few practical things to know before you book

Night trains in Europe are a different kind of travel from the high-speed day services most people are used to. Book your bed as early as possible — the new European Sleeper routes are likely to fill up for summer within weeks of tickets going on sale. Couchette compartments for four or six people are the classic budget option, while private single and double sleeper cabins are the quiet choice. And don't assume the price automatically beats a flight — the value is in the night you get back, and the fact that you arrive in the centre of town instead of a suburban airport.

If you are building a longer European rail trip around these new routes, we also have guides to where to stay in Prague's Old Town, the best canal-side hotels in Amsterdam and the best hotels near Nyhavn in Copenhagen.

Not sure which route is right for your trip? Try our AI chatbot on the homepage — tell it where you are coming from and where you want to end up, and we'll suggest the most practical overnight option.