It looks like Europe’s sleeper trains are well and truly back, and there’s a brand new one that will go through three incredible cities and three countries within 10 hours. In June 2026, European Sleeper will introduce a direct overnight service linking Amsterdam and Brussels to Milan, creating a long-awaited rail link between northern and southern Europe and offering an attractive and relaxing alternative to short-haul flights. From alpine valleys, lakes and bustling cities filled with stunning architecture and culture, this train will take passengers through a wide variety of landscapes and will pass through Cologne in Germany and Bern in Switzerland.
The first train is scheduled to roll out on 18 June 2026, with three weekly departures. Trains will set off from Amsterdam and Brussels on Monday, Thursday and Saturday evenings, merging in Germany before following a southbound path towards Switzerland.
The return from Milan are set to run on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights. The full journey is expected to take around 10 hours, where passengers will get to wake up in Italy early the next morning.
The new sleeper will finally offer a simpler way across the continent. For years, reaching Brussels or Amsterdam from Lombardy has mostly meant catching a plane, since rail routes required multiple changes and came with eye-watering fares.
After joining in Cologne, the service continues through Bern and then slips beneath the mountains via the historic Simplon Tunnel, emerging in the Domodossola region before tracing the edges of Lake Maggiore.
A stop in Stresa offers postcard-perfect views of the lake’s islands before the journey winds into Milan.
European Sleeper wrote on its website: “Imagine a hassle-free, direct connection from Amsterdam and Brussels to Berne, Stresa on Lago Maggiore, and Milan. Travel overnight and wake up refreshed, ready to explore.”
While the final timetable is still being confirmed with national rail operators, the company expects to leave Amsterdam around 7pm and arrive in Milan before 10am.
Tickets are expected to go on sale in January or February 2026 with prices starting from around €80 (£69).
The launch marks another major step for the community-owned operator, which has already carried nearly 240,000 passengers since 2023 on its Brussels–Amsterdam–Berlin–Dresden–Prague line.
With a Paris–Berlin train due in early 2026 and a Barcelona connection planned later in the decade, European Sleeper is quickly becoming one of the continent’s most ambitious champions of overnight rail.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
