Ross McQueen

For rail fans, 2025 felt like hitting the jackpot. A whole bundle of new sleeper routes opened up, the Orient Express was tipped to make a comeback, and the EU unveiled plans to expand high-speed rail and halve travel times between a host of European cities – you can read about my own experience on the all-new extension of the European Sleeper here. Europe looks right on track for a golden age of rail.  And the best part? Next year promises to be even better. More new overnight routes are launching, and some countries in Europe are being linked by direct sleeper trains for the first time ever. So whether you’re heading to Basel, Berlin or Birmingham, there’s never been a better time to travel by sleeper. Ditch the short-haul flight, plump up the pillows on your couchette, and check out the routes that we at Time Out can’t wait to ride in 2026. All aboard! 🚂 Discover the best winter train journeys in Europe Ross McQueen is a writer and rail enthusiast based in Brussels. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. Discover more of the best things to do in Europe. 

I’ve taken many overnight trips on Europe’s railways – always in shared compartments. And while I love the idea of sleeper trains, when you’re pressed in between snoring strangers, it can be impossible to sleep at all. So when I booked an overnight trip from Brussels to Prague – a new-ish extension of European Sleeper’s cross-continental route – I decided enough was enough. I gritted my teeth and booked a private couchette, and spoiler alert: it was better. Photograph: Ross McQueen for Time Out At the end of June, on the warmest day of the year so far, I arrive at Brussels Midi station to find out if my private berth on the European Sleeper is all it’s cracked up to be. My expectations are high. Past journeys have found me in six-seater compartments on the NightJet from Amsterdam to Innsbruck, or full-size carriages on the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Glasgow. And on first glance, tonight’s room looks a lot like the seater compartments I’ve come to know too well: six seats facing each other, about a metre apart. Photograph: European Sleeper The difference here is that the backs of the seats push further into the wall, and a set of crisp sheets and plump pillows are stashed overhead, waiting to be draped across the seats. All the same, it looks a bit rough-and-ready – the Orient Express, this is not. But the sheer novelty of having the room to myself already makes me optimistic. I settle in, open the window, and prepare for the train to depart. The Orient Express, th