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Brussels <> Zurich, Como, Milan Tickets went on sale 17 March:
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Brussels to Zurich, Como & Milan - starting 9 September 2026
From 9 September 2026, open-access train operator European Sleeper will add a 3-times-a-week Brussels-Milan sleeper to their existing Brussels-Prague and Paris-Berlin trains, with a connection from London by Eurostar. London to Switzerland & Italy with one easy same-station change, see the Rhine Valley in the moonlight then wake up in the Swiss Alps on the original scenic Gotthard route! An Amsterdam-Milan portion will be added in early 2027.
Connecting trains to other Italian cities
Tips: Luggage, bikes,
pets, food, where to wait
European Sleeper's other routes:
Brussels & Amsterdam to Berlin, Dresden, Prague
Station guides:
Zurich HB Milan Porta Garibaldi
Train times starting 9 September 2026
Notes for timetable
* = Please read the section about connections to Florence, Rome, Naples.
This is the normal timetable, but times can vary due to trackwork so always check your date at www.europeansleeper.eu or int.bahn.de.
The sleeper train also calls at Liege, Aachen & Chiasso.
For Luzern, change at Arth-Goldau: 3 trains per hour go to Luzern, taking 26-33 minutes, www.sbb.ch.
For connections to Verona, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, see the advice here.
Why 14:52 Eurostar back to London, not 12:52? The European Sleeper is sometimes retimed to arrive in Brussels later, I'd play safe!
For Eurostar information and check-in procedures, 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:
Seat (budget): From 49.
Couchette (classic): From 79 with a couchette in 6-berth, 99 with a couchette in 5-berth.
Couchette made up as sleeper (comfort standard): From 119 per bed triple occupancy, 149 per bed double occupancy, 289 single occupancy.
Sleeper (comfort plus): From 139 with a bed in 3-bed sleeper, 169 with a bed in 2-bed sleeper, 339 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.
If you find fares are expensive on your date, see this money-saving tip!
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Milan to Florence or Venice:
From 19.90 in standard class or 29.90 in business class.
Fares work like air fares, so book ahead.
How to buy tickets
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Book the sleeper 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.
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Book the Eurostar 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.
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Book onward trains from Milan to Florence, Rome or any other Italian destination at www.thetrainline.com, www.raileurope.com or www.italiarail.com.
Booking usually opens up to 4 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone
If you have an Interrail or Eurail pass
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You can buy an Interrail or Eurail pass and use it on all these trains, but reservations are needed.
An Interrail pass also covers train travel from your local station to/from London to connect with Eurostar. More info.
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Step 1, make a reservation on the European Sleeper. Go to www.europeansleeper.eu, change 1 Adult to 0 Adults and book however many Reservation only places you need. Reservation only = passholder reservation.
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Step 2, make a reservation on Eurostar, see how to do this here.
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Step 3, make a reservation on any onward Italian trains you need, see how to do this here.
What's the sleeper 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
The train will have one or two sleeping-cars, each with 10 compartments which can be sold as single, double or triple with lower, middle & upper berths folded out as required. The beds fold away to reveal seats for evening/morning use. 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.
Sleeper berths are sold individually, so one ticket = one bed. If you book 3 tickets in a triple, 2 tickets in a double or a single, you'll get a private room. If you only book 1 or 2 tickets in a triple or 1 ticket in a double you'll share with other passengers (women can book a berth in a women-only compartment if they like).
The photos below show the AB30 type currently used on European Sleeper's Brussels-Prague train, this type is most likely to be used between Brussels & Milan.
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
One or two couchette cars are set up as comfort standard, with compartments sold for single, double or triple occupancy and bunks made up as proper beds with comfy mattress, pillow and duvet. It's almost as comfortable as a proper sleeper and just as private for 1, 2 or 3 people, but without a washbasin and breakfast is optional not included. One advantage over a sleeper is that the window opens. Another is that unlike a sleeper, seats remain available even with the beds folded out.
Berths are sold individually, so one ticket = one bed. If you book 3 tickets in a triple, 2 tickets in a double or a single, you'll get a private room. If you only book 1 or 2 tickets in a triple or 1 ticket in a double you'll share with other passengers (women can book a berth in a women-only compartment if they like).
Standard Comfort compartment, bookable for single, double or triple occupancy.
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 windows in the corridor also open.
Berths are sold individually, so one ticket means one berth, if you book fewer than 5 tickets you'll share with other passengers. Couchette compartments are mixed-gender as you don't normally fully undress, but women can book a berth in a women-only compartment if they like. See couchette car numbering plan.
However, if you want sole occupancy of a whole 5-berth compartment for 1-5 people, you'll see a price for a private compartment.
European Sleeper's original train at Prague. Click the interior photos for larger images.
Budget = seats
Sold as budget, fine for daytime trips, but it's a false economy for an overnight journey, always book a couchette or sleeper. Seats passengers travel in a couchette car which has been designated as a seats car and kept in daytime mode with the bunks locked away. See the photos above.
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 to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples
Option 1, book an onward train leaving from Milan Porta Garibaldi
The sleeper arrives at Milan Porta Garibaldi. The timetable above shows a connection to Bologna, Florence & Rome using one of the handful of high-speed Frecciarossas that leave from Porta Garibaldi. This gives you over 3 hours between trains in Milan which is a little longer than ideal, but it's an easy same-station change and you should of course allow plenty of time between sleeper and connecting trains in both directions: Southbound, the sleeper could be an hour or two late, northbound you shouldn't risk tight connections with a sleeper to catch.
I have yet to try it myself, but the Cafι Napoli Porta Garibaldi (www.caffenapoli.com) a 2-minute 150m walk from the station may be a good place to enjoy a coffee or pizza between trains.
Option 2, transfer to Milan Centrale
If you'd like a slicker connection with less time between trains in Milan, you'll have to transfer by metro to/from Milan Centrale. You'll need to do this if your destination is Verona or Venice as there are no suitable connections leaving from Porta Garibaldi. Frecciarossa and Italo trains run at least every hour from Milan Centrale to Verona & Venice, and to Bologna, Florence, Rome & Naples. I'd allow at least 2½ hours between sleeper arrival and any onward train, in case the sleeper is late. Northbound, I'd allow at least 2h between trains in Milan, including time to transfer. The magnificent Milan Centrale is an attraction in its own right, maybe you can spot Mussolini!
Option 3, coffee in Como?
Here's another idea: Get off the sleeper at Como San Giovanni and chill out over a coffee beside Lake Como. And maybe have an early lunch. It's a 12-minute 900m walk from the station to the main square next to the lake. Then take a regional train to Milan Centrale (these leave every hour, taking 41 minutes) and an onward high-speed train to Venice, Florence, Rome or Naples. You can book 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.
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 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 berth compartment, or you can add phantom children to your booking to fill a 5 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 sleeper may not cost that much more than a bunk in a 5-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
Unfortunately, bikes aren't carried on the European Sleeper.
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!
There's a supermarket at Brussels Midi if you need to buy supplies.
On board the train you'll find a menu card for snacks & drinks in you compartment, including 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!
If you're travelling to/from the UK
An Interrail pass may make sense for journeys to/from Britain, as an Interrail pass + Eurostar passholder fare + European Sleeper reservation-only booking is often cheaper (as well as more flexible/refundable) than buying normal point-to-point tickets. You'll just have to check ticket prices for Eurostar and for European Sleeper and do the maths. An Interrail pass also covers travel between your local station and London, that alone can swing it if you live a fair way from the capital!
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.