Sleep in the north and wake up in Italy: Europe's new major night-train route

European Sleeper has announced a new overnight rail line that will connect the Netherlands and Belgium with Switzerland and Italy, linking four countries in a single journey and reinforcing the return of sleeper trains in Europe.

The first train will depart on 18 June 2026. There will be departures from Amsterdam and Brussels three times a week — Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays — with both trains meeting in Cologne before heading south. The route is no ordinary one: after crossing Switzerland, the service will travel along the historic Simplon line, passing through Bern, Brig and Domodossola, and stop in Stresa, on the shores of Lago Maggiore, before arriving in Milan at dawn.

The return journey from the Lombard capital will operate on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights. Final timetables are still being adjusted, but the company expects to open ticket sales at the start of 2026, with prices similar to those of other overnight routes and options in compartments with berths.

This north–south connection joins the Paris–Berlin route, scheduled for March 2026, and consolidates the growth of European Sleeper, which since 2023 has carried hundreds of thousands of travellers. More than a new line, the company proposes another way of moving around Europe: travelling while asleep and waking up in another country, with the Alps as the day’s first sight.