The Best Sleeper Train Routes in Europe

Falling asleep in one place and waking up in your destination sounds like an absolute dream and is definitely something that appeals to many of us. Taking you from A to B without the faff of other types of transport, sleeper trains in Europe are unrivaled in their convenience and easiness. So, sit back and enjoy the view before heading off for a good night’s sleep with our list of the best European sleeper trains.

What Is A Sleeper Train?

A sleeper train is a great way to get the most out of your time off, not to mention it’s simply a pleasure. Before planes became the norm, sleeper cars on trains were the best way to travel as they combined transport with a place to sleep. They offer a unique charm with beautiful views of the place you’re traveling through and best of all, there’s no turbulence.

Night trains differ from regular trains as they offer beds to ensure a good night’s sleep. They can range from simple and affordable to all-out luxury with private rooms and opulent travel experiences. No matter your budget or goals for your sleeper train experience, there is an option to suit you.

The Best Sleeper Train Overall

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The absolute best overall sleeper train, according to our research, is the brand-new European Sleeper train from Berlin to Brussels. Tickets start from €49 per person with a 479-mile (748 KM) journey ahead of you. Relax in functional comfort with three different room types available and an amenities score of 100!


Select all rows
Select row	1	European Sleeper	Berlin - Brussels	55	476	816	100	100
Select row	2	OBB (EuroNight)	Bratislava - Split	33	321	960	100	87
Select row	3	OBB (Nightjet)	Munich - La Spezia Centrale (Cinque Terre)	12	290	390	100	85
Select row	4	OBB (Nightjet)	Brussel - Vienna	33	569	848	100	84
Select row	5	OBB (Nightjet)	Paris - Vienna	34	870	870	100	84
Select row	6	OBB (Nightjet)	Amsterdam - Innsbruck	33	457	825	100	84
Select row	7	OBB (Nightjet)	Amsterdam - Vienna	33	582	825	100	84
Select row	8	OBB (Nightjet)	Wien - Rome	33	476	807	100	84
Select row	9	OBB (Nightjet)	Munich - Rome	33	434	790	100	84
Select row	10	OBB (Nightjet)	Vienna - La Spezia	33	422	738	100	84
Select row	11	OBB (Nightjet)	Berlin - Zurich	33	415	735	100	84
Select row	12	OBB (Nightjet)	Zurich - Amsterdam	33	381	720	100	84
Select row	13	OBB (Nightjet)	Zurich - Hamburg	33	432	720	100	84
Select row	14	OBB (EuroNight)	Stuttgart - Zagreb	38	379	840	100	84
Select row	15	OBB (Nightjet)	Graz - Zurich	33	324	660	100	84
Select row	16	OBB (Nightjet)	Wien - Zurich	33	324	660	100	84
Select row	17	OBB (Nightjet)	Wien - Venice	33	271	660	100	84
Select row	18	OBB (Nightjet)	Wien - Bregenz	33	311	570	100	84
Select row	19	OBB (Nightjet)	Munich - Venice	33	351	540	100	84
Select row	20	Rail Europe	Milan - Palermo	67	551	1230	100	84
Select row	21	OBB (EuroNight)	Stuttgart - Budapest	44	463	540	100	84
Select row	22	OBB (Nightjet)	Stuttgart - Venice	63	275	725	100	83
Select row	23	OBB (EuroNight)	Praha - Zurich	90	318	840	100	83
Select row	24	OBB (EuroNight)	Zurich - Zagreb	95	369	900	100	83
Select row	25	OBB (Nightjet)	Budapest - Stuttgart	66	463	540	100	83
Select row	26	OBB (EuroNight)	Berlin - Bratislava	67	344	540	100	83
Select row	27	OBB (Nightjet)	Berlin - Graz	120	336	720	100	82
Select row	28	OBB (Nightjet)	Hamburg - Innsbruck	99	440	525	100	82
Select row	29	OBB (Nightjet)	Hamburg - Wien	135	465	645	100	81
Select row	30	SNCF	Paris - Nice	21	676	540	20	74
Select row	31	Queensland Rail	Brisbane - Longreach, Australia	480	823	1560	80	72
Select row	32	Czech Railways CD	Prague - Warsaw	51	317	600	40	69
Select row	33	Snälltåget	Dresden - Hamburg	234	236	360	50	67
Select row	34	VR Finnish railway	Helsinki - Kolari	70	496	900	40	66
Select row	35	OBB (EuroNight)	Zurich - Budapest	66	648	660	90	62
Select row	36	Amtrak's California Zephyr	Chicago - San Francisco, USA	580	2423	3120	70	60
Select row	37	OBB (EuroNight)	Graz - Warszawa	33	434	720	30	59
Select row	38	Trenitalia (Intercity notte)	Rome - Palermo	77	572	780	80	58
Select row	39	EuRail (Caledonian Sleeper)	London Euston - Fort William,	439	393	480	90	58
Select row	40	SJ	Stockholm - Umeå	84	318	360	50	56
Select row	41	OBB (EuroNight)	Berlin - Budapest	21	427	810	100	53
Select row	42	Trans-Siberian Railway	Moscow, Russia - Beijing, China	731	4735	10080	30	49
Select row	43	OBB (EuroNight)	Stuttgart - Rijeka	44	344	900	90	49
Select row	44	OBB (EuroNight)	Prag - Zurich	51	328	750	30	41
Select row	45	Vietnam Railways	Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City	96	1072	2100	10	38
Select row	46	VY	Oslo - Bergen	66	267	450	60	36
Select row	47	TAZARA Railway	Zambia - Tanzania	41	1156	4320	40	30
Select row	48	OBB (EuroNight)	Vienna - Bucharest	89	533	1140	0	16
Select row	49	Italia Rail	Rome - Syracuse	94	367	720	60	12
Select row	50	Simplon Orient Express	Paris - Venice	4489	524	1860	100	10

Next, with another amenities score of 100 and very affordable prices, is the ÖBB (EuroNight) train from Bratislava to Split. The 321-mile journey takes 16 hours and departs on Wednesday and Saturday evenings during peak summer months. It is less regular than other night trains, but it is a comfortable train and well worth booking. Prices start at €29 for a regular seat, with sleeper compartments starting at €69. You can even store your car or motorcycle on this train during your ride.

In third place, we have the ÖBB (NightJet) sleeper train from Munich to La Spezia Centrale. Train rides to this stunning part of Italy start at just €11, and who can say no to that? Especially when the train also has an amenities rating of 100! On this night train, you’ll find multiple different carriage options. You can also bring your car or motorcycle, making it easier to explore your destination.

The Best Value For Money


Select all rows
Select row	SNCF	Paris - Nice	21	676	540	20	100
Select row	OBB (EuroNight)	Bratislava - Split	33	321	960	100	93
Select row	European Sleeper	Berlin - Brussels	55	476	816	100	90
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Munich - La Spezia Centrale (Cinque Terre)	12	290	390	100	90
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Brussels - Vienna	33	569	848	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Paris - Vienna	34	870	870	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Amsterdam - Innsbruck	33	457	825	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Amsterdam - Vienna	33	582	825	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Wien - Roma	33	476	807	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Munich - Rome	33	434	790	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Vienna - La Spezia	33	422	738	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Berlin - Zurich	33	415	735	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Zurich- Amsterdam	33	381	720	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Zurich - Hamburg	33	432	720	100	89
Select row	OBB (EuroNight)	Graz - Warszawa	33	434	720	30	89
Select row	OBB (EuroNight)	Stuttgart - Zagreb	38	379	840	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Graz - Zurich	33	324	660	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Wien - Zurich	33	324	660	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Wien - Venice	33	271	660	100	89
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Wien - Bregenz	33	311	570	100	88
Select row	OBB (Nightjet)	Munich - Venice	33	351	540	100	88

Drift off in Paris and wake up in Nice with the SNCF sleeper train. Ranked as our best value-for-money option, this budget-friendly sleeper train is only £16 (€19) per person for a basic seat. The 676-mile trip is also one of the fastest, despite traveling much further than other night train services. So, you can really make the most of your travel time by waking up refreshed and ready to explore.

The ÖBB service from Bratislava to Split also makes it onto our best value list. The low price and exceptional amenities score really let you get the most for your money despite the longer-than-average travel time.

The European Sleeper service finds its way onto our top list for best value and affordability. The trip might be too long to sleep the whole way (unless you need those few extra hours) but with such a lovely journey ahead of you it’s not so bad.

Paris - Nice

Train from Paris to Nice

Bratislava - Split

Train from Bratislava to Split

Berlin - Brussels

Train from Berlin to Brussels

Munich - La Spezia Cantrale

Train from Munich to La Spezia Centrale

Amsterdam Innsbruck

Train from Amsterdam to Innsbruck

Vienna - Rome

Train from Vienna to Rome

Zurich - Hamburg

Train from Zurich to Hamburg

The Most Luxurious Sleeper Train


Select all rows
Select row	1	Simplon Orient Express	4506	524	1860	70	100	100
Select row	2	EuRail (Caledonian Sleeper)	440	393	480	30	90	45
Select row	3	OBB (Night Jet)	135	465	645	60	100	36
Select row	4	oBB (EuroNight)	120	336	720	60	100	35
Select row	5	European Sleeper	99	440	525	60	100	35
Select row	6	Rail Europe	90	318	840	60	100	34
Select row	7	Queensland Rail	67	344	540	60	100	34
Select row	8	Snalltaget	95	369	900	60	100	34
Select row	9	Amtrak's California Zephyr	55	476	816	100	100	34
Select row	10	Trenitalia (Intercity Notte)	66	463	540	60	100	34
Select row	11	Tazara Railway	63	275	725	60	100	34
Select row	12	VY	33	321	960	60	100	34
Select row	13	VR Finnish Railway	44	463	540	60	100	33
Select row	14	Trans-Siberian Railway	67	551	1230	60	100	33
Select row	15	SJ	33	311	570	60	100	33
Select row	16	Czech Railways CD	33	351	540	60	100	33
Select row	17	Italia Rail	33	271	660	60	100	33
Select row	18	SNCF	33	324	660	60	100	33
Select row	19	Vietnam Railways	33	324	660	60	100	33
Select row	20	Vietnam Railways	38	379	840	60	100	33

If a bit of opulence is more your speed, you’ll be happy to know there are some really elegant ways to travel via sleeper train. These options ooze luxury and make the journey as wonderful as the destination.

Top of the list is the historic Simplon Orient Express from Venice to Paris. With luxury carriages, a first-class dining car, and an entertainment car, this train is truly an experience on wheels. Prices start at €4,009, so it truly is a luxurious experience.

In second place, we have our first sleeper train from the United Kingdom. With tickets starting at €392, the EURail (Caledonian Sleeper) travels between London Euston and Fort William in Scotland and covers just under 400 miles. It has another excellent amenities score of 100, making the eight-hour trip comfortable the whole way.

Why not hop aboard the ÖBB (NightJet) train to enjoy the journey from Hamburg to Vienna? With tickets starting at €120 and a 100 on the amenities score, this train is third on our list of the most luxurious sleeper trains. The 465-mile journey takes just over 10 hours, making it the ideal length for a good quality snooze before exploring the stunning Austrian city.

There are many reasons to choose sleeper trains when traveling in Europe. Not only are they affordable and convenient, but they allow you to wake up refreshed and ready to explore your destination. Train nights also offer excellent amenities and experiences you just don’t get on planes or in cars. So, what are you waiting for? Book your night train with Omio today!

Simplon Orient Express

Major train stations in Italy

Caledonian Sleeper

Caledonian Sleeper: Tickets, Timetables and Facilities

ÖBB Nightjet

ÖBB Nightjet: Tickets, Timetables and Facilities

The initial research was conducted in March 2023 and looked at 50 different sleeper train routes from across the world. The data includes information from multiple markets, providers, different routes, costs, times, distances, baggage restrictions, available amenities and accessibility options.

The raw data was cleaned and transformed into an easy-to-use format. Some base calculations were added, including cost per mile, cost per minute and number of trips per week. We also manually reviewed other factors, such as baggage restrictions, amenities and accessibility information. We gave each category a score out of ten.

The best result gets a score of 100 and then each other result gets proportional points based on how close they are to the best score. E.g. If a result of 15 was the best result, it would get a score of 100. So a result of five would get a score of 33.

This allows for scores to be directly comparable. Providing more insight into the difference between each of the positions compared to a regular ranking system.

From this data, we created a custom weighting formula to create specific categories to establish these key areas of interest:

Best Overall
Most Luxurious
Best Value for Money

For each of these, we weighed different categories to determine a scalar score for each route. For example, the best value for money weighed which route had the cheapest price per mile and per minute higher than other categories.

We then sorted the data by score to establish the overall index.

The Best Sleeper Train Routes in Europe

What Is A Sleeper Train?

The Best Sleeper Train Overall

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The Best Value For Money

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The Most Luxurious Sleeper Train

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