Unexpected twin-city breaks you can take by sleeper train in Europe

Across Europe, travellers are rediscovering the perks of the sleeper train, with overnight rail services making it possible to link cities that might otherwise feel too far apart for a single trip.

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By rail, there’s no need to see each destination as a standalone break. A night train can turn two distant and distinct cities into one itinerary, allowing travellers to leave a European city in the evening and wake up somewhere entirely different the next morning.

Research by Omio, a digital travel booking and comparison platform, found that this mode of travel is gaining pace, with the highest-search sleeper corridors cluster being around Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague, Paris and Sint-Gillis.

According to their analysis of most searched routes by users, travellers are especially curious about these routes:

1. Berlin, Germany to Prague, Czechia

2. Amsterdam, Netherlands to Berlin, Germany

3. Amsterdam, Netherlands to Sint-Gillis, Belgium

4. Berlin, Germany to Paris, France

5. Amsterdam, Netherlands to Antwerp, Belgium

Overall, Omio also found sleeper train bookings to have steadily increased by 8% year-on-year, with NightJet train bookings up by 15% and 26% up for EuroNight trips.

But where’s the fun in taking the most popular routes? Instead, opt for one of these unexpected European city pairings that you can connect by sleeper train.

Sofia, Bulgaria and Istanbul, Türkiye

From Bulgaria’s capital of open-air book markets, beech-tree forests and the soaring Mount Vitosha, to Türkiye’s city spread across two continents, Sofia and Istanbul offer two very different experiences.

The 10-hour journey aboard the Sofia-Istanbul Express train offers travellers couchette and sleeper accommodations, with a double sleeper ticket costing €15 per person, while a single sleeper costs €35.

To get their hands on a ticket, however, travellers generally have to do it the old fashioned way and buy them in person at the train station in Sofia in Bulgaria, or Istanbul Halkali station in Türkiye.

Berlin, Germany and Budapest, Hungary

Berlin and Budapest may be separated by almost 900 kilometres but a sleeper train makes it possible to link the two capitals in a single trip.

Via the ÖBB Nightjet, travellers can choose from seating carriages, to couchettes or a sleeper cabin. A one-way sleeper cabin ticket from Berlin to Budapest in September starts at €223 per person.

The 12-hour journey from Berlin Hbf to Budapest-Nyugati includes a prepared bed with a pillow and blanket, private washing facilities and breakfast as part of the fare.

Across 16 stops, the overnight train ride calls at stops across cities in Czechia and Slovakia, turning what would have been a short-haul flight into a cross border journey through Central Europe.

Brussels, Belgium and Prague, Czechia

While Brussels is the heart of European politics and policymaking, Prague offers travellers medieval charm, provocative street art and its own miniature version of France’s Eiffel Tower – the Petřín Tower (also known as “the Eiffel Tower’s little sister”).

The Belgian capital is connected to this Czech city via the European Sleeper which offers a choice of seats, compact couchette berths and sleeper cabins that can accommodate up to three people with separate beds and seating areas. While their comfort standard sleeper cabin class doesn’t include breakfast, it is included in comfort plus.

A Comfort Standard one-way fare from Bruxelles Midi to Praha hl.n. in September starts at €239.99. The outbound journey from Brussels is around 15 hours and 29 minutes.

Warsaw, Poland and Vienna, Austria

Warsaw and Vienna offer travellers a trip of contrasts: the Polish capital for its its green spaces, including the Łazienki Park that features a lake and strutting peafowl, followed by Vienna’s imperial architecture, grand palaces and castle complexes and historic coffee houses, such as Café Schwarzenberg which has been operating since 1861.

The two destinations are connected by an overnight Nightjet service from Warszawa Centralna to Wien Hbf, cutting across Czechia. The approximately 10-hour-long outbound ride starts at €129.90 in a sleeper cabin in September.

Zurich, Switzerland and Amsterdam, Netherlands

Swap the Swiss Alps for a detour to Amsterdam’s canals with an overnight sleeper connecting Zurich’s lakeside landscapes to the Dutch capital’s museums and famously cycle-friendly streets.

A Nightjet sleeper train from Zürich HB station to Amsterdam Centraal is around a 12 and a half hour ride, with a sleeper cabin starting from €134.90. The journey also calls at stops in Germany, including Bonn and Cologne.