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Paris/Brussels <> Berlin
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Paris, Brussels ► Berlin - starting 26 March 2026
From 26 March 2026, open-access train operator European Sleeper (www.europeansleeper.eu) adds a Paris/Brussels-Berlin sleeper train to their existing Brussels/Amsterdam-Berlin/Prague sleeper. It too has an easy connection from London to Brussels by Eurostar, and it means Brussels & Berlin will be linked by sleeper train 6 nights a week.
Comfort Standard = almost as
good as a sleeper
Tips: Luggage, bikes,
pets, food, where to wait
Paris Gate du Nord
station guide
Train times 2026
This is the normal timetable. Always check times for your specific date of travel as they may vary due to trackwork. For example, the train occasionally uses Berlin Gesundbrunnen instead of Berlin Hbf. Check times for specific dates at www.europeansleeper.eu or int.bahn.de (use plain BERLIN not Berlin Hbf).
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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Paris or Brussels to Berlin 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.
How to buy tickets
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Book at www.europeansleeper.eu.
Booking opens up to 6 months ahead, although this can 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 the London-Brussels Eurostar connection 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 plus = sleeping-car
Sold as comfort plus, the train has 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.
The photos below show an AB30 sleeping-car with stainless-steel body, the Paris-Berlin train may use a different type of car, but with similar facilities.
The sleeping-car on a westbound European Sleeper, about to leave 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
Click for larger map Highlighted = Paris-Brussels-Berlin sleeper route. Green = scenic sections of line. Red = high-speed line.
Reproduced from the excellent European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people. I recommend buying the European Rail Map for your travels and a copy of the European Rail Timetable, www.europeanrailtimetable.eu with shipping worldwide.
Tips: Luggage, bikes, pets, food...
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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.
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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.
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How to check the train formation
You can see 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 Berlin, the best VIP waiting room is the bar of the Steigenberger Hotel, just outside the station's main exit to the right. Friendly staff, a quiet location and they do food, too.
Always check up to date departure times using int.bahn.de, I suggest using plain BERLIN rather then Berlin Hbf.
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Does it run on time?
For a train running such a distance it's usually pretty good. But see for yourself using Zugfinder.net: Eastbound performance over last 30 days. Westbound performance over last 30 days.
European Sleeper's original train at Berlin Hbf.
Watch the video
This video shows the sleeping-car, 6-berth couchettes, seats & bike spaces, filmed on the inaugural journey from Brussels to Berlin on 25 May 2023.
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 this service deserves. 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.