Good Night Train: Visit seven of Europe’s top cities on this new sleeper route

20.02.2024 - 23:35 / euronews.com / Saskia ODonoghue

If you’re keen to add some of Europe’s most exciting destinations to your list this year but would rather not fly, you’re in luck.

Welcome aboard Europe’s Good Night Train - a new venture by Belgian-Dutch company European Sleeper. The service launches on 25 March, adding to an existing Brussels - Amsterdam - Berlin route already run by the company.

Passengers will be swept from Antwerp in Belgium to Rotterdam in the Netherlands through Dresden in Germany and, going further east for the first time, to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.

The Good Night Train will essentially be a hotel on rails, offering varying degrees of comfort for a range of different prices.

Running every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the new route will set off from Brussels at 7:22 pm, travelling to Antwerp - also in Belgium - before heading to Rotterdam and Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

It will then continue onto Berlin and Dresden in Germany, before making its final stop in Prague, Czech Republic at 10:56 am on the following day.

On the way back, trains will leave Prague at 6:14 pm and terminate at Brussels at 9:27 am the following morning. The return journey is set to run every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

This route means that travellers can choose to either go to bed in Belgium, wake up in Prague - or vice versa - and hop off at any stops along the way.

All options allow tourists to take in four countries without limits on luggage or the hassle of airport security.

Passengers can opt for a selection of seating too.

Basic seats are sold from €58 one way and are recommended for shorter distances on the routes, but not suggested for longer journeys.

Next up, couchette compartments are available. Suitable for four or six people, these seats transform into lie-flat beds when night falls. They cost from €78 one way.

The most comfortable option is the ‘sleeper’ carriage. Unsurprisingly the most expensive offering with prices starting at €177, each compartment offers a maximum of three beds, meaning small groups of travellers can stay together.

Unlike the other two options, it also provides a separate seating area, a wake-up call and breakfast is included.

Across the three alternatives, women-only compartments are readily available, suitable for solo female travellers.

Before you board the train, why not spend some time in the Belgian capital? Known as one of the food capitals of Europe, the likes of moules frites and waffles are on the menu. Sample the culinary delights while you explore stunning architecture across the city.

Brussels boasts countless Art Nouveau and mediaeval buildings, including those surrounding the iconic Grand Place and the Gothic Cathedral of St Gudula.

If quirky sites are more your thing, don’t miss the Manneken Pis