New European Sleeper Train to Connect Brussels With Prague This Summer

It might not be as fancy as the Orient Express, but it sure is practical

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Published on 01/10/22

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Old Railway tracks running through a field stretch to rural countryside at sunset. — CaptureLight / Getty Images

There's no doubt that Europe as a continent has stellar train service across many of its constituents, but it has been lacking in one area of late—sleeper trains. But as European countries move to ban short-haul flights in the name of sustainability, the demand for low-emission long-haul transportation is on the rise, and sleeper trains are ready to fill the gap.

Enter Dutch-Belgian startup European Sleeper. In partnership with Czech company RegioJet, the railway company is launching a new sleeper train that will take travelers from Brussels to Prague in a matter of 15 hours. Set to debut in summer 2022, the train will make stops in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Dresden.

Each ticket will include free Wi-Fi, breakfast, and a lie-flat bed; it might not be the Orient Express, but it's certainly a far cry from cramped overnight buses popular with students and backpackers. At least with a sleeper train, you'll get a good night's rest (not to mention, you'll save on a night at a hotel or hostel).

While prices have not yet been announced, tickets for this first phase will be available for purchase online starting in April. Over the next two years, the European Sleeper routes are expected to expand to Warsaw, with at least one other city to follow.

The new railway service will arrive just before the Orient Express introduces six new routes across Italy, which are scheduled to launch in 2023. In the meantime, slow travelers itching to explore Europe can currently book night trains connecting Paris and the French Riviera, operated by France's national rail company SNCF, and Paris and Vienna via Munich, operated by Austria's ÖBB. Suffice to say, it seems like slow travel is back for good.