All aboard the sleeper to Cornwall...

It's the most time-effective way from London to Cornwall, making short breaks possible without the need for a 6-hour drive or a domestic flight.  And if you live in Devon or Cornwall, it makes business or leisure trips to central London or even Paris easy.  Every night except Saturday night, an overnight sleeper train with private 1 & 2-bed compartments and a lounge car links London's Paddington Station with towns, cities and holiday resorts all over Cornwall.  It's run by GWR (Great Western Railway), and has had a major makeover in 2018 with many improvements including free WiFi.

COVID-19 update:  The Night Riviera resumed on 25 June, initially with seats only not sleepers, but sleepers return from 24 August.  Masks must be worn in public areas, but need not be worn in private sleepers.  More info & updates at www.gwr.com/plan-journey/journey-information/on-board/night-riviera-sleeper

Timetable westbound

( ) = times in brackets are an arrival/departure by connecting branch line train or bus link, not the Night Riviera itself.

The sleeper runs daily except Saturday nights & 24, 25 December. 

Paris & Brussels connection by Eurostar   Scilly Isles ferry connection   Eden Project bus connection   Land's End buses

London Underground map:  www.tfl.gov.uk/maps.  Tourist information for Cornwall:  www.visitcornwall.com

Timetable eastbound

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How much does it cost?

There are two ways to buy a sleeper ticket:

Option 1, buy an inclusive Sleeper Advance ticket specifically for the sleeper between London & Cornwall.

Option 2, buy a normal ticket to or from Cornwall and pay the sleeper berth supplement on top.

Option 1:  Inclusive sleeper fares...

There are special inclusive fares for travel on the Night Riviera sleeper train between London and any station in Cornwall.

• These Sleeper Advance fares must be booked in advance, no refunds, limited changes to travel plans allowed.

• By all means buy a Sleeper Advance ticket in one direction & an Advance ticket for a daytime train in the other.

• The price rises as the cheaper tickets are sold, so book early (maximum 12 weeks in advance).  Mid-week will usually be cheaper than Friday nights, February cheaper than August.

• Children under 16 go for 50% of the adult Sleeper Advance fare.  Children under 5 free, though they don't get their own berth.

• Railcard holders get no further discount on these Sleeper Advance fares.

Option 2:  Normal ticket + berth supplement...

• The sleeper supplement is £80 for a single-berth room (£70 September-May), £55 per person for a 2-berth room (£45 September-May).

• If you have a normal standard class Anytime or Off-peak ticket to or from Cornwall (for example, London to St Ives, Penzance to London, Cambridge to Falmouth, Canterbury to Truro, Croydon to Newquay and so on...) or for that matter a BritRail pass or all-line Rail Rover, you can travel in a sleeper berth simply by paying this sleeper supplement.  You cannot upgrade to a sleeper if you have an Advance ticket.

• Passengers travelling alone can either pay £80 and get a single room all to themselves or just £55 and get one bed in a 2-berth compartment shared with another passenger of the same sex.  Unlike the Scottish sleepers, you no longer need a first class ticket to travel in a single room all to yourself, a standard class ticket is all you need.

• If there's two of you, you can either pay £55 per person and share a 2-berth room with upper & lower berths or pay £80 per person and ask for two adjacent single rooms (both with lower berths, of course) with inter-connecting door.

• There's no reduction on sleeper berth supplements for children if they want a separate bed, although they pay the child-rate fare.  More information on children in sleepers.

How to buy tickets...

• The only place you can book is GWR's own website, www.gwr.com, no booking fee, but it usually rejects overseas payment cards.  Tickets can be sent free by first class post to any UK address, or picked up from the self-service machines at most main British stations.

• Unfortunately, this is the only website that can sell Night Riviera sleeper tickets, and it normally won't accept non-UK payment cards.  Overseas visitors either need to buy tickets at a station when they are here or choose a daytime train instead, booking this at raileurope.com which does accept all payment cards.

• Bookings normally open up to 12 weeks before departure, but sometimes less than this.  You can't book before reservations open!

• An error message often means that bookings haven't opened yet - try calling to ask them.

• To buy sleeper tickets to or from Cornwall by phone, call Great Western telesales on 0345 7000 125, lines open 06:00-23:00 7 days a week.

• You can also buy tickets at most main railway stations.

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What's the sleeper to Cornwall like?  See the video

Single & twin sleepers...

Following a major makeover in 2018, this excellent sleeper train is a travelling hotel, with private single or twin sleeper compartments & lounge car.  The sleepers are compact but cosy, with an upper & lower berth in twin rooms or just a lower berth in single rooms, plus a washbasin with hot & cold running water.  The beds have a snug duvet (a welcome replacement for the traditional blankets), fresh clean sheets & plump pillows.  Soap, towel & a small bottle of mineral water are provided for each passenger.  The compartment doors can now be locked from the outside with a hotel-style card-key while you go to the toilet or lounge car - your door will be secured open when you board, you'll find your card key on the table on top of the sink.  There are two toilets at the end of the corridor in each sleeping-car which you can use even when the train is standing in a station.  A light breakfast with tea or coffee & bacon roll or cereal is included in the fare, served by your steward in your compartment at the time you specify.  There's free WiFi in both the sleepers and lounge car.  The Night Riviera also has regular seats, but a sleeper berth is recommended. Like all British trains, the Night Riviera is all non-smoking.  Watch the video...

Bed sizes:  The lower berth is approximately 197cm (6'5") long & 67cm wide.  The upper berth is around 192cm (6'3") long & 67cm wide.

The Night Riviera, ready to leave from platform 1 at Brunel's Paddington Station, the arched roof dating from 1854.  You can board the sleeper from 22:30 onwards...

		Sleeper compartments now lock with a hotel-style card-key...
Twin sleeper.  Larger photo.  360 degree photo.		The Night Riviera at Paddington...

Breakfast is included in the fare, served in your compartment...
The Night Riviera...		Single sleeper...  See larger photo

Clever press-and-fold-out ladder to upper bunk.		Close-up of lower berth showing plug socket, USB sockets & reading light.  The upper berth also has these sockets.		There are two toilets at the end of each sleeping-car corridor...

The lounge car...

There's a lounge car for sleeper berth passengers with tables & chairs and a buffet counter selling wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks & snacks.  Tea, coffee & water are complimentary for sleeper passengers.  The lounge opens as soon as the train starts boarding and remains open all night.  A separate bar counter at the other end serves the seats passengers, who must take food & drink back to their seats.

Table for two?		Or cosy on the sofa...

Video Guide:  London to Cornwall by Night Riviera...

Children...

• Children under 5 go free, although they don't get their own berth.  Cots can't be provided as there's insufficient room, but a Samsonite travel bubble fits on the floor for babies up to 18 months an is great for hotel rooms, too.  A 2- or 3-year old can sleep quite comfortably head-to-toe with an adult in the lower berth.  If you can get the little so-and-so to sleep when he's so excited about being on a sleeper train, of course.

• If you want a separate berth for a child under 5 you'll need to pay for a child-rate Sleeper Advance ticket or a child-rate normal ticket plus the adult sleeper supplement.  Two children under 5 can share a bed for the price of one child-rate Sleeper Advance ticket or one child-rate normal ticket plus one adult berth supplement.

• Children under 16 go for 50% of the adult fare if you buy a Sleeper Advance ticket.  Or they can travel for 50% of the normal adult fare plus the adult berth supplement for the bed.  Two children 5-15 sharing a bed must pay two child fares but need only pay one sleeper supplement as they're only using one bed.

Luggage, bikes, dogs & pets...

• Luggage:  Sleepers are very compact, but there's room for small & medium-sized bags and suitcases under the lower bed or on the floor if necessary, though very large suitcases are best placed in the guard's van free of charge.

• Bicycles:  You can take bikes on the Night Riviera sleeper train free of charge, placed in one of the three special bike racks in the guard's van.  A bike reservation must be made as the number of bike spaces is limited.  To reserve your bike, call Great Western on 0345 7000 125, lines open 07:00-23:00 every day.  Tandems aren't carried.

• Dogs & pets:  Guide dogs travel free, other dogs are not allowed in sleepers although they can travel in a pet carrier in the guard's van.

• Cars & motorbikes:  The Night Riviera no longer carries cars or motorbikes.

Station lounges in London, Truro & Penzance...

• At London Paddington, sleeper berth passengers may use the GWR First Class Lounge from 21:00 onwards.  It's located half way up platform 1, the platform normally used by the Night Riviera.  The lounge has complimentary soft drinks, fruit juice, tea & coffee, biscuits, crisps & fruit.  It has easy chairs, tables, and workstations with charging points for laptops and mobiles and free WiFi.  One quiet section of the lounge (around to the right as you enter) features leather armchairs and occupies what was originally Queen Victoria's waiting room, beautifully restored, although this section usually closes from 21:00 onwards.

  The lounge opens 06:00 to 23:30 Monday-Friday, 06:00-21:00 Saturday, 10:00-23:30 Sundays & holidays.

• Dinner before you board?  In London, there are many restaurants near Paddington.  For something special, try the Frontline Club, a stone's throw from the station, www.frontlineclub.com/restaurant.  There's a story behind this restaurant, read about it at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontline_Club.

• At Penzance & Truro there are lounges for sleeper berth passengers (newly opened in 2018) which can be used before or after your sleeper journey.  The lounges feature free WiFi, complimentary tea, coffee, juice & snacks and there are free hot showers.

The modern part of the lounge...		The old part - Queen Victoria's old waiting room.

Showers, toilets, power sockets, WiFi...

• There are two toilets at the end of the corridor in each sleeping-car which you can use at all times, even when the train is standing in the station.  There are no toilets in the sleeper compartments.

• There are no showers on the sleeper train itself, but there's a shower facility in the main station toilets at London Paddington which is free if you have a sleeper berth ticket.  There are free showers for sleeper passengers in the lounges at Truro & Penzance.

• There are normal UK 3-pin plug sockets & USB power sockets in all sleeper compartments on the Night Riviera, built into the headboards of both the lower & upper berths.  There are laptop & mobile charging points in the lounges at London Paddington, Truro & Penzance.

• The train now has free WiFi in the sleepers and the lounge car, since its refurbishment in 2018.

Inter-connecting doors between sleeper compartments...

• There is an inter-connecting door between each pair of adjacent sleeper compartments, normally kept locked shut.  You can book two adjacent 2-berth compartments with an inter-connecting door between them to make a 4-berth suite, or you can book two adjacent single-berth compartments with an inter-connecting door to make a suite with two lower berths (but 3-berth suites aren't possible because of the way the compartments are paired).  You can work out which berth numbers have the connecting door like this:  Berths 1 & 2 have a connecting door with berths 3 & 4.  Berths 5 & 6 have a connecting door with berths 7 & 8.  Berths 9 & 10 have a door with berths 11 & 12.  And so on, up to berths 21 & 22 having an inter-connecting door with berths 23 & 24.  Travel tip:  When asking for two compartments with an inter-connecting door, ask which berth numbers you've been allocated and make sure they are indeed two communicating compartments before hanging up the phone, as telesales staff don't always get it right.  However, on board staff are excellent, and can usually sort out any problem.

Wheelchair-accessible sleepers...

• There is now one wheelchair-accessible 2-bed sleeper compartment on each Night Riviera train, adjacent to a wheelchair-accessible toilet.  There are also wheelchair spaces in the seating coaches.

Wheelchair-accessible sleeper:  The wheelchair-accessible toilet and next to it, the extra-wide push-button access door to the wheelchair-accessible sleeper...		Connecting doors between compartments:  Connecting door is on the left, to open it unbolt it on both sides.  Door to the corridor is on the right.

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Pullman dining on daytime trains to Cornwall...

There are also daytime trains between London & Cornwall, and two or three of these offer a very special experience:  Pullman Dining.  The Man in Seat 61 says:  "If there is any better dining experience on any regular scheduled British train, I have yet to find it..."

Pullman Dining is available on Mondays-Fridays, eastbound on the 05:05 Golden Hind from Penzance to London, the 10:00 Cornishman from Penzance to London and 16:00 Penzance to London.  Westbound on Mondays-Fridays there's Pullman Dining on the 12:03 Royal Duchy from London to Penzance, 18:03 Golden Hind from London to Penzance and 19:03 Armada from London to Plymouth, see www.gwr.com/plan-journey/journey-information/on-board/pullman-dining for full details. 

Pullman dining is something special, and a journey along the famous sea wall at Dawlish whilst enjoying what's perhaps the best (and one of the few remaining) restaurant car services in Britain is a truly wonderful experience.  First class passengers are offered places in the Pullman Dining area in the restaurant car when breakfast, lunch or dinner is called.  If seats remain available, standard class passengers may also use the Pullman Dining car.

The Cornishman (left) arrived from Penzance...
Locally sourced seared scallops...		Filet of beef...  Larger photo

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Isles of Scilly...

The Night Riviera sleeper train connects conveniently at Penzance with the ferry to the Scilly Isles, some 28 miles from the Cornish mainland.

London ► Isles of Scilly

• Travel from London to Penzance overnight by Night Riviera sleeper train, daily except Saturday nights.

• In Penzance, the ferry terminal is 10 minutes walk from the station.  If you've luggage, a taxi will only cost a few pounds.  Map of Penzance showing station & ferry quay.

• The ferry sails from Penzance at 09:15 on Mondays to Saturdays from mid-April to early October, arriving at Hugh Town on St Mary's in the Scilly Isles 2 hours 40 minutes later, at 11:55.  It also sails on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday during the two or three weeks before and after this period.  Minimum check-in 15 minutes.  Exact sailing dates and times vary, so check sailing times at www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk.

• Motor launches connect with the ferry at St Mary's for transfers to the other Scilly Islands, including Tresco with its famous gardens.

Isles of Scilly ► London

• The ferry sails from Hugh Town on St Mary's at 16:30 on Mondays to Saturdays from mid-April to early October, arriving Penzance at 19:10.  It also sails on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday during the two or three weeks before and after this period.  Minimum check-in 15 minutes.  Exact sailing dates and times vary, so check sailing times at www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk.

• In Penzance, the ferry terminal is 10 minutes walk from the station.  If you've luggage, a taxi will only cost a few pounds.  Map of Penzance showing station & ferry quay

• Travel from Penzance to London overnight by Night Riviera sleeper train, daily except Saturday nights.

Fares...

• See above for sleeper fares.

• Ferry fares start from £45 each way, see www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk for full details.

• Alternatively, Great Western offer a special combined train+ferry deal from London to the Scilly Isles for around £150 return, call them on 03457 000 125 for details and bookings.  To use the sleeper you will need to add the sleeper supplement in each direction.  It may be cheaper to buy separate train and ferry tickets.

How to buy tickets...

• Buy your Night Riviera tickets by phone as shown above.

• Buy your Penzance-St Mary's ferry ticket online at www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk. 

• You can also buy tickets on the day of travel at the 'weighbridge' office at the entrance to the quay from where the Scillonian III sails.  The office is open from 08:00 on sailing days.

Short breaks to the Isles of Scilly by train & ferry...

• The Tregarthans Hotel has teamed up with Great Western & Isles of Scilly Travel to offer short breaks by train and ferry to the Scilly isles starting in London or at any Great Western station between London & Penzance such as Reading or Exeter.  See www.tregarthens-hotel.co.uk/isles-of-scilly/travelling-to-the-scillies.

Isles of Scilly tourist information...

For Isles of Scilly tourist information see www.simplyscilly.co.uk.

The Scillonian III sails from Penzance one fine September morning, with St Michael's Mount in the background.  She was built in 1977, replacing the Scillonian II (1956) and the original Scillonian of 1926.  A commentary explains points of interest as the ferry rounds the Cornish coast.  There's a bar and a cafe serving full English breakfasts and other hot meals.

Friendly & comfortable:  The bar on the Scillonian III.		Approaching St Mary's.

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The Eden Project...    

You can use the Night Riviera to make a time-effective visit to the famous Eden project near St Austell in Cornwall.  For information about the Eden Project including opening times, see their website, www.edenproject.com.

• Take the Night Riviera sleeper train overnight from London to St Austell.

• Bus 101 run by First Bus links St Austell bus station with the Eden Project approximately hourly, see www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/ southwest/devon/timetables. 

• Buy your bus ticket on the bus.  At the Eden Project, they give you a reduced entry price if you arrive by public transport not car.

• Alternatively, you can buy special inclusive tickets from any railway station in Britain to the Eden Project covering train travel to St Austell and the bus transfer to the Eden Project.  A through train+bus ticket to the Eden Project costs £3.00 more one-way, £4.50 day return or £6.00 period return than the relevant Anytime, Off-peak or Advance fare from the station in question to St Austell.  It does not include the Eden Project entry fee, but the Eden Project will give you a discount on their entry fee if you show your train tickets.  You can buy tickets by phone from Great Western on 0845 678 6980 or try online booking to Eden Project Bus at www.gwr.com.

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Land's End...

Land's End...    

The railway only goes as far as Penzance, but buses will take you the final 10 miles to Land's End, where you'll find cliff top walks, a hotel, restaurant and bar, tourist shops and various exhibitions.

• Bus 1 or 1A links Penzance bus station (next to the railway station) with Land's End every hour or two throughout the day.

• For bus information see www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/ southwest/devon/timetables. 

• A day return bus ticket costs around £6, journey time is 52-64 minutes.

• Land's End attractions website:  www.landsend-landmark.co.uk

Cornwall to Paris or Brussels...

Dinner in Cornwall, lunch in Paris next day, no airports, no airlines, no flights!  Take the Night Riviera sleeper train from Cornwall to London, tube or taxi to St Pancras, then Eurostar to Paris or Brussels...

Cornwall ► Paris & Brussels

• Take the sleeper from Cornwall to London, see above for times & fares.  The sleeper runs daily except Saturday nights, arriving at London Paddington before 06:00.  Take the Circle or Hammersmith & City Line to St Pancras.  Remember there's a 30 minute check-in for Eurostar.

• A Eurostar leaves London St Pancras at 07:55 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 11:17.

• A Eurostar leaves London St Pancras at 08:55 daily, arriving Brussels Midi at 11:05.

Paris & Brussels ► Cornwall

• A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 20:13 daily except Saturdays, arriving London St Pancras around 21:29.

• A Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 20:22 daily except Saturdays, arriving London St Pancras at 21:33.

• Take the Circle Line or Hammersmith & City Line to Paddington.

• Take the sleeper from London to Cornwall, see above for times & fares.  The sleeper runs daily except Saturday nights, leaving London Paddington at 23:45 (23:50 on Sundays). 

How much does it cost?

Sleeper from Cornwall to London from £98 return with a bed;  Eurostar from London to Paris or Brussels from £72 return.

How to buy tickets...

You can't buy tickets online, but it's easy to buy tickets for the sleeper & Eurostar separately.

1.  Buy Night Riviera sleeper tickets by phone on 0845 678 6980.

2.  Buy your Eurostar ticket separately at www.eurostar.com. 

By all means take a later Eurostar southbound or an earlier Eurostar northbound, if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like to stop off in London.

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Hotels in Cornwall or London

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