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Brussels <> Zurich, Como, Milan Tickets go on sale 17 March:
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Brussels ► Zurich, Como, Milan - starting 9 September 2026
Starting 9 September 2026, open-access train operator European Sleeper (www.europeansleeper.eu) will add a Brussels-Milan sleeper train to their existing Brussels-Prague and Paris-Berlin sleepers. It too will have an easy connection from London to Brussels by Eurostar, London to Switzerland & Italy with one easy same-station change - and no need to cross Paris! Wake up to superb scenery in the Swiss Alps, as this train will take the original scenic Gotthard route between Zurich & Milan. An Amsterdam-Milan portion will be added in early 2027.
Tips: Luggage, bikes,
pets, food, where to wait
European Sleeper's other routes:
Brussels/Amsterdam - Berlin, Dresden, Prague
Station guides:
Zurich HB Milan Porta Garibaldi
Train times starts 9 September 2026
This train also calls at Liege, Aachen, Gφschenen, Bellinzona, Chiasso. For Luzern, change at Arth-Goldau.
For connections to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, see the advice here.
This is the normal timetable. Always check times for your specific date at www.europeansleeper.eu or int.bahn.de as they may vary due to trackwork.
Why 14:52 Eurostar back to London, not 12:52? The European Sleeper is sometimes retimed to arrive in Brussels an hour later, I'd play safe!
For Eurostar information and check-in process, see the Eurostar page.
How much does it cost?
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London to Brussels by Eurostar starts at £51 one-way or £78 return in Standard, £98 one-way, £140 return in Plus (1st class).
Fares work like air fares, so book ahead.
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Brussels to Zurich, Lugano, Como or Milan by sleeper:
In a seat (budget): From 49,
In a couchette (classic): From 79 with a couchette in 6-berth, 99 with a couchette in 5-berth.
In a sleeper (comfort): From 109 with a bed in 3-bed sleeper, 129 with a bed in 2-bed sleeper, 159 with a bed in single-bed sleeper.
All prices per person per berth. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Children under 4 travel free, without their own berth. Children under 12 travel at a child rate.
For Interrail & Eurail reservation fees, see the Interrail/Eurail reservation page.
If fares are expensive on your travel date, see this money-saving tip!
How to buy tickets
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Book at www.europeansleeper.eu.
Tickets go on sale from 17 March 2026. Booking will then open up to 6 months ahead, although may vary.
You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
If you have an Interrail or Eurail pass, change 1x Adult to Reservation only.
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Book your London-Brussels Eurostar separately at www.eurostar.com.
By all means book an earlier Eurostar outward or a later one on the return, if this has cheaper fares available or if you'd like more time between trains in Brussels. Booking opens up to 11 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
What's the train like?
European Sleeper uses three terms when you book: Comfort, Classic & Budget. If you select comfort you'll get a choice between comfort plus, which means beds in the sleeping-car, or comfort standard which means a couchette compartment sold as a single, double or triple and made up with proper bedding including mattresses.
Comfort Standard
= almost as good as a sleeper
Comfort plus = sleeping-car
Sold as comfort plus, the train will have one or sometimes two sleeping-cars, each with 10 or 11 compartments which can be sold as 1, 2 or 3 berth with upper, middle & lower berths folded out as required. Luggage goes in the large recess over the door to the corridor or over the window. The compartments have normal locks and a security deadbolt which can only be locked & unlocked from inside. There's a washbasin, soap, towel, complimentary slippers and all necessary bedding including a very comfortable duvet. A bottle of drinking water is provided for each passenger. Morning tea or coffee and a breakfast box are included in the fare. There are two toilets at one end of the corridor.
I don't yet know what type of sleeper will be used on this new Brussels-Milan train, so the photos below show the AB30 type used on European Sleeper's Brussels-Prague train, facilities on the Brussels-Milan sleeper will be similar.
The stainless-steel sleeping-car on a westbound European Sleeper at Berlin Hbf. Click the interior photos for larger images.
Comfort standard = couchette set up as a sleeper
European Sleeper set up some couchette compartments as single, double or triple with the bunks made up as proper beds with comfy mattress, pillow and duvet. Sold as comfort standard, these are almost as comfortable as a proper sleeper and just as private for one, two or three people, although without a washbasin and breakfast is optional not included. One advantage over a sleeper is that the window opens.
Standard Comfort compartment, set up as a single (above left) and triple (above right). Courtesy of European Sleeper.
Classic = 5-berth couchettes
Sold as classic, these are 5-berth compartments in air-conditioned couchette cars built for German Railways in the 1990s. Each of the 9 compartments has 5 berths, upper & lower on one side, upper, middle & lower on the other.
Each berth is provided with a clean sheet, blanket & pillow. There is a toilet and 1 or 2 washrooms at each end of the corridor. The compartment door has a normal lock and a security chain. A bottle of drinking water is provided for each passenger and you can buy snacks & drinks from the train staff. A light breakfast with tea or coffee can be added to your booking when you buy tickets or bought from staff on board. Compartment windows open, one or two corridor side windows also open. Couchette compartments are not segregated by gender as you do not normally get fully undressed, but women can book a berth in a ladies-only compartment. See couchette car numbering plan.
If you want sole occupancy of a whole 5-berth compartment for 2-5 people, you will see a price for a private compartment when you book. If you find the sleeping-car fully-booked, sole occupancy of a 5-berth couchette compartment is a decent alternative.
European Sleeper's original train at Prague. Click the interior photos for larger images.
Budget = seats
Sold as budget, there are one or more seats cars, but I don't recommend seats for an overnight journey, always book a sleeper or couchette unless unavoidable.
Route map
Rhine Valley in the moonlight. Wake up to the Swiss Alps!
The sleeper train will take the classic line along the Rhine Valley south of Cologne 23:00-00:00, so if you're still awake and your compartment is on the river side, switch the lights off, lift the blind and enjoy a ride along the scenic Rhine Valley past the Lorelei Rock in the moonlight.
Next morning the train will take the original scenic Gotthard route 'over the top' between Zurich & Milan, for much of the year this will be in daylight in both directions. A treat! Below, Lake Lugano seen from the train.
Connecting trains Milan to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples
The train arrives at Milan Porta Garibaldi, for onward connections you'll need to hop on the metro to Milan Centrale, then take a fast Frecciarossa or Italo from Milan Centrale to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples. The sleeper could be late, so allow a few hours before booking an onward train. Book onward trains at www.thetrainline.com, www.raileurope.com or www.italiarail.com.
But here's a better idea. Get off the sleeper at Como San Giovanni and have breakfast at a cafe beside Lake Como. It's a 12-minute 900m walk from the station to the main square beside the lake. Then take a regional train to Milan Centrale and onward high-speed train, booking from Como San Giovanni to your Italian destination as one transaction at www.thetrainline.com, www.raileurope.com or www.italiarail.com.
Tips: Luggage, bikes, pets, food...
Sleeper, couchette or just a seat?
For solo travellers on a budget, a couchette is fine, you get a flat bunk in a safely lockable compartment and can sleep just as well as in a sleeper - never travel in just a seat, always book a couchette or sleeper on a night train for both comfort and security.
It's worth paying the extra for a couchette in a 5-berth compartment as you get more space per person than in 6-berth and in a nicer car with air-conditioning, too. If you're tall, a lower berth is better as the upper berth support chains can get in the way of your feet and head.
For families, a 5 or 6 berth couchette compartment is ideal, you're all together in one compartment and can have a blast - bring a bottle of wine for mum & dad. Paying more for two 2-berth compartments in the sleeping-car probably isn't worth it (unless you've older kids and mum & dad want a break). There are whole-compartment rates for sole occupancy of a 5 or 6 berth compartment, or you can add phantom children to your booking to fill a 5 or 6 berth compartment.
The sleeping-car has a quieter, more civilised atmosphere, and it's obviously the best option for solo travellers & couples not budget-limited. Some families and many solo travellers prefer it: A bed in a shared 3-bed single-gender sleeper doesn't cost that much more than a bunk in a 4-berth couchette compartment. In the sleeper, you get a proper fully-made-up bed with duvet.
Berth numbering
It often confuses people when they get berths 21 & 25 and think they aren't together in the same 2-berth sleeper compartment. Of course they are! See how sleepers are numbered. See how couchettes are numbered.
In the 5-berth couchettes, the middle berth number on one side isn't used. However, in some compartments the left hand side has 2 berths, the right hand side 3, in other compartments it's the other way round.
How to check the train formation
You will be able to check the train formation with car numbers and photos of each car at www.vagonweb.cz: Change cs to English, click Train formations and search for European Sleeper.
However, actual formations change, the specific formation of today's departure can be found at www.europeansleeper.eu. Look under Travel info for Train composition.
Luggage
You take your luggage with you into your compartment and simply stick it on the luggage racks above the window, in the big recess over the door to the corridor, or on the floor. Nobody weighs it, measures it, or worries about how much you take. More about luggage on European trains.
Bikes
Bikes are carried on the European Sleeper for 19. They are carried in a large bike compartment in the seats car at one end of the train.
Update: Unfortunately, the bike carriage is only now attached at certain times, check online.
For bikes on Eurostar, see the bikes by train page.
Dogs & other pets
Pets are carried on the sleeper free of charge, as long as you (and anyone with you) occupy a whole sleeper or couchette compartment.
Pets are not carried on Eurostar, but can be carried on the London-Amsterdam train-ferry-train service to pick up the sleeper in Brussels.
Wheelchairs
Unfortunately, European Sleeper have not been able to get hold of the very few available couchette cars with wheelchair-accessible compartments, but longer term they want to add this facility.
WiFi & power sockets
There's no WiFi, but mobile data reception works fine along most of the route. There are power sockets (European 2-pin type) in most of the 5-berth couchette cars. In the sleeping-car, there's a 2-pin socket. I always travel with a powerbank.
Food & drink on board
There's no restaurant car, so eat before you board or bring a picnic and bottle of wine!
You'll find a menu card listing snacks & drinks in you sleeper or couchette compartment, it includes tea, coffee, soft drinks, red & white wine, beer, nachos & noodles. Order from the train staff, or scan the QR code on the menu and order snacks & drinks on your phone, staff will bring it to your compartment. You can pay in euros or by card.
Where to wait for your train
In Brussels, the Pullman Hotel bar makes the best VIP waiting room away from the hustle and bustle, it's an integral part of the station.
In Zurich, I recommend a beer or two at the Brasserie Federal on the main concourse.
Always check up to date departure times using int.bahn.de.
See general tips & advice for European train travel.
European Sleeper Pass - money saving tip
A European Sleeper Pass gives unlimited travel on European Sleeper for a month starting on any date you choose.
The pass itself costs 149 adult or 99 for children under 12.
In addition to the pass, you must make a reservation-only booking for each trip, but the reservation price is fixed & predictable, not dynamic like regular tickets:
52 for a couchette in 6-berth, 74 for a couchette in 5-berth, 109 for a bed in a 3-bed sleeper, 149 for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or 179 for a bed in a single sleeper.
Buy a pass at www.europeansleeper.eu/passes.
Then make a reservation-only booking like this: Go to www.europeansleeper.eu, reduce the number of adults to 0 and increase number of reservation-only places to however many places you want. The reservation-only price is the same for both adults and children.
Cheaper than a regular ticket even for one journey?
Regular tickets are dynamic like air fares. For example, a single-bed sleeper starts at 159, but on busy dates or at short notice it can exceed 700.
But you'd never pay that. Because you can always buy a European Sleeper Pass for 149 + a single sleeper reservation for 179 = 328.
And 2 people can always pay 2 x 149 European Sleeper Pass + 2 x 149 double sleeper reservation = 596. Maximum!
It's less likely to save money for one trip in a couchette, but you'll just have to do the maths. Whenever the regular fare exceeds the cost of [European Sleeper Pass + reservation-only booking}, use a pass! Has that sunk in? Good!
About European Sleeper
European Sleeper isn't just an ordinary company, it's on a mission to bring sleeper trains back. Founded by two entrepreneurs with a passion for sleepers, Elmer van Buuren and Chris Engelsman, it has required a huge effort battling railway bureaucracy to get this train up and running. It's been particularly difficult to source serviceable rolling stock as there's so little available for hire, but they've done it and they now have a comfortable and operationally robust train even though it inevitably uses older rolling stock. They are now working on expanding the offer and in the longer term funding and sourcing the modern rolling stock that these services deserve. Let's give them our support!
I was privileged to be at the launch reception for their initial sleeper train on 26 May 2023 at the Pullman Hotel at Brussels Midi. On stage are European Sleeper founders Elmer van Buuren (left) and Chris Engelsman (centre) with Dutch-American comedian Greg Shapiro hosting the event. Photographed by the author.