Europe's night train renaissance

German ADAC lists the best connections 2026:
https://www.adac.de/reise-freizeit/reiseplanung/inspirationen/europa/nachtzug/

Outlook: From 2027 Nox Mobility wants to offer overnight trains across Europe with 100% personal rooms.

"Night trains are making a comeback..." Utterly fantastic ! It is obvious someone is contributing to this upsurge night train ridership.

Based on my post-pandemic trips the last three years, I saw my night rides sold out , very full, sometimes getting the last reserved seat in 2nd class...so I was told.

One can see there is no lack of riders taking night lines, best to reserve a seat, don't count on getting a seat just by popping on in 2nd class. Chances are that you'll be bumped. True, the sleeper option is the first of the 3 options to be sold out and the most expensive, which I avoid.

There are many more options than there were, they are also pretty popular. I think the Austrian OBB with it's Nightjet service is one of the major reasons for the surge in popularity. They have been able to leverage their geographic location to establish routes not only in Austria, but into the eight countries they border, and even beyond. Several other state railways have since announced that they too may revive old sleeper routes that fast trains pretty much killed.

Still, there have been issues, with all the different rail companies, unions, borders, etc...getting approval for some routes is almost impossible if the route is not already plied by that country, railways are fiercely protected. I recall several routes being announced that eventually came to naught, private companies have tried to get into the market, and have failed.

All that said, I am not sure though if you can ever get me on a night train. It all sounds romantic, sounds like a deal (vs a hotel room), even sounds kind to your itinerary by saving a "travel day", but you better be a sound sleeper. A number of people give grand reviews of their trip, but also, many, many people will also tell you that it was a night from hell.

I might be odd, but I often watch youtuber OM the Rails ( https://www.youtube.com/@OMtheRails ) who regularly covers standard, high speed, and night train offerings.

Amsterdam to Vienna night train on Nightjet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu2aTYInAYw
Bergen to Oslo on a night train with lay flat seats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHnQPYkMpR8

Fun stuff!

@ Mark....thanks for information by ADAC. I often see their maps in train station book shops.

One can do night train rides not by the most direct route , A to B, but a more elongated circuitous route such as that going from Berlin to Paris. , instead completing the ride say in 8.5 hours , you take 10 hrs, or so. Bottom line tailor your own route if you have the time.

That Vienna to Amsterdam connection by night was my 2nd night route in 1971 when I was 21. Now at 76 I am still using the night routes as travel options, such as Vienna to Hamburg.

A little less positive. https://www.politico.eu/article/why-europe-night-train-renaissance-derailed/

But I rode two night trains about a year ago. It was an interesting experience. Before that, 1981 so sort of a dated experience.

I have two personal night train experiences and the reality hasn't lived up to my imagination.

July 2010, Venice to Paris, as a family of 4. Tolerable, barely, until 3 am when it pulled onto a siding and turned off the ventilation. We were soon drenched in sweat and gasping for air in the hot humid night. Next to no sleep, arrived sticky and smelly, vowed never again.

July 2025, Munich to Bologna, solo in a private NightJet cabin with shower and provided treats. Comfortable enough but I still didn't sleep much due to lights coming in the windows and semi-frequent stops. Next to no sleep, but the shower was delightful. The 5 am-ish arrival in Bologna didn't help, with two hours to wait for my connection. If there is a next time, I'm taking the train all the way to Rome so I don't have to get up so early. Maybe that will help with the sleep.

Conclusion: nah. not my favorite way to travel,