The increase in sleeper trains continues because the so-called “Good Night time Prepare” launches this week.
Connecting three of Europe’s most vibrant capitals, the practice – from Dutch-Belgian rail firm European Sleeper – will journey from Berlin to Brussels by way of Amsterdam in just a little over 10 hours.
Furthermore, in case you’re up for a weekend getaway in Berlin from London (with out the trouble of flying), now you can hop on a sleeper practice and make it occur. European Sleeper has aligned its schedules with these of the Eurostar to allow passengers from London to simply switch to the Good Night time Prepare in Brussels.
Which means if you wish to join from London, you’ll be able to board a Eurostar practice in St Pancras on Friday afternoon and, in about two hours, change trains in Brussels. The changeover will likely be fast. As evening falls, you may drift off to sleep and (hopefully) get up refreshed in Berlin on Saturday morning after having fun with breakfast on board.
Europe is investing steadily in its rail community and constantly including new choices as alternate options to short-haul flights – an enlargement largely fueled by local weather issues. In current months we have seen the launch of NightJet’s sleeper practice from Hamburg-to-Stockholm sleeper practice, in addition to the introduction of an in a single day service connecting Prague and Dresden to Basel.
New routes are opening up on a regular basis from state-run corporations and privately operated ventures alike, together with the start-up Midnight Trains, which can quickly provide a “hotels-on-wheels”-style journey from Paris to the sun-drenched corners of southern Europe. There’s additionally Alpen-Sylt Nachtexpress, which at present travels between the mighty North Sea and the majestic Alps. And in 2024, Italy’s Trenitalia is setting its sights on a grand enlargement with an in a single day service from Paris to Madrid that may in the end lengthen to Milan.
Itinerary
Within the meantime, if you wish to benefit from European Sleeper companies, the Good Night time Prepare launches this week and can run 3 times per week, ultimately turning into a nightly service by 2024. The Brussels-to-Berlin route departs each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, whereas the Berlin-to-Brussels route departs each Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Passengers will begin on the Eurostar practice from London, departing St Pancras at 3:30pm and arriving at 6:04pm in Brussels Midi, the place they’re going to board the European Sleeper. This practice will then make its option to Berlin Hauptbahnhof, rolling into the central station at 6:48am the next day. Breakfast on board is included.
There are 9 different stops alongside the way in which, together with in Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Hanover, however passengers will not have to alter trains once more.
The return journey from Berlin is equally handy. The practice departs Berlin at 10:56pm and arrives in Brussels the next day at 9:27am, completely timed for the subsequent practice to London departing from Midi at 9:51am. You probably have a bit extra flexibility in your schedule, there’s one other practice choice leaving at 12:51pm, and common departures can be found all through the day.
In addition to London by way of Eurostar, the Good Night time Prepare can even present a hyperlink between Paris and Berlin (passengers can swap trains in Brussels to the Thalysto Paris) and Brussels and Warsaw (passengers can change in Berlin to the EuroCity to Warsaw).
Pricing
One-way costs from Brussels to Berlin begin at €49 for a seat, €79 for a couchette and €109 for a berth in a sleeper compartment. Bikes might be added for a payment of €24, and pets might be transported in case you’ve booked a non-public room (however be aware that pets cannot journey on the Eurostar to and from London).
Kids underneath the age of 4 journey free of charge, whereas these ages 11 and underneath journey at a lowered fare.
New high-speed practice will join Paris and Berlin in 7 hours
Sadly, Interrail/Eurail passes can’t be used on the European Sleeper service however can be utilized on the Eurostar (or RegioJet in case you choose to take that practice from London).
Tickets from London to Brussels on the Eurostar typically begin from €56 – which makes the most affordable all-in choice €105 for a one-way ticket.
Is the Good Night time Prepare cheaper than flying?
The price of flying versus taking the evening service will depend on varied elements, reminiscent of your reserving time and journey interval. Typically, flying throughout the low season will work out cheaper. Nevertheless, in case you’re planning to journey throughout peak season, particularly for summer time weekends, you may uncover that the Good Night time Prepare affords higher worth.
For instance, when looking for London to Berlin airfares for a July journey departing on a Friday night (across the similar time the practice would go away London), we discover that round-trip airfare with easyJet is €301 (£261), whereas British Airways prices €479 (£415) – and that is excluding baggage charges. Ryanair affords a barely cheaper choice at €277 (£240), however needless to say it requires an earlier departure time on Friday.
Learn how to get tickets
Tickets are on sale by means of the European Sleeper web site.
