Brussels-Venice: the new European Sleeper night train

Written by Sophie Renassia

Published on September 18, 2024, modified on March 6, 2025

Good news for lovers of European city trips and winter sports! European Sleeper is launching a new night train to a number of major cities (Brussels, Cologne, Munich, Innsbruck, Verona, Venice) and European ski resorts (Kufstein, Wörgl, Jenbach, Innsbruck, Bressanone, Ponte Gardegna).

After the Brussels-Prague night train, Brussels-Venice

There's a definite trend towards the renaissance of night trains in Europe (and we're delighted!). Among those driving this change is European Sleeper, a cooperative founded in 2021 by two travel-mad entrepreneurs. While most night trains are subsidized by governments (which are generally rather cautious when it comes to opening up new lines), Elmer van Buuren and Chris Engelsman, the two founders, are putting their foot down. Thanks to a community of 350 committed investors, they will first raise €500,000 in May 2021, then a further €2 million in 2022. This is enough to launch a first route between two European capitals: a few months ago, European Sleeper announced the opening of its Brussels-Prague route.

But of course, the company has no intention of stopping there, and is striking again with the announcement of a new route from the Belgian capital: Brussels-Venice. With this Belgian-Italian route, European Sleeper aims to meet the demand for connections tailored to the ski season and school vacations! The Innsbruck stop, for example, is designed to facilitate access to ski resorts in the Austrian Alps.

© European Sleeper

First challenges met

February 2025: dropped by its partner operator Arenaways, European Sleeper sees its train blocked in Austria

February 7, 2025 update

On February 5, 2025, our teams were at the inauguration of the pilot project for the line that would enable people to fall asleep in Belgium or the Netherlands and wake up a few hours later in Venice, via Austrian ski resorts. But the project has unfortunately run into a number of difficulties. Tolt, our founder, explains it all in this video 👇

In order to extend the journey to Italy, the Belgian-Dutch company had signed an agreement with Arenaways, an Italian operator with the license required to run trains on the Italian network. But according to European Sleeper, their partner reneged on this agreement the day before the inaugural run. Fortunately, a solution was found to ensure continuity of service, thanks to good relations with ÖBB, the Austrian company.

At the inauguration, passengers were able to travel to the city of the Doges in roughly the same time and at no extra cost, with just two changes (at Innsbruck and Verona).

The solution: an agreement between FS Treni Turistici Italiani and European Sleeper

Update March 3, 2025

In its newsletter, the company gives a few details: European Sleeper is currently evaluating the project in order to draw up a plan for winter 2026. As for the upcoming dates in 2025, the routes should run smoothly: “We are relieved to have finally found a solution for operations in Italy for March 2025”, says the company.

From March 5, 2025, a locomotive from FS Treni Turistici Italiani (the new subsidiary of the Italian FS Group, which operates the Espresso Riviera train between Nice and Milan) will pull the night train on the second leg of the journey. Thanks to the agreement signed between the FS Group and European Sleeper, the night train will be able to cross the Brenner Pass without any problems on the Brenner-Venice route.

We'll be sure to keep you posted (and if you'd like to stay informed, don't hesitate to subscribe to our free bi-monthly newsletter)!

Dates, schedules and frequency

© European Sleeper - Attention, horaires pas encore définitifs (à vérifier sur le site d’European Sleeper)

Mind you, the 2025 season is still a pilot project, with an initial plan for seven round trips. “The main challenges have been finding a suitable schedule in five countries and ensuring reliable operations in Italy, a brand-new destination for us,” explains European Sleeper in its newsletter.

In the Brussels-Venice direction, this new European Sleeper night train will leave Brussels Midi station at 6pm, arriving at Venice Santa Lucia station at 3pm the following day on the following dates:

• February: Wednesday February 5, Friday February 14 and Sunday February 23, 2025.
• March: Tuesday March 4 and Wednesday March 12.

In the Venice-Brussels direction, departures from Venice Santa Lucia will be at 4:15pm, arriving in Brussels around 1pm the following day, and traffic will run on the following dates:

• February: Sunday 9 and Tuesday 18.
• March: Saturday March 8 and Sunday March 16.

Cities served

The train will stop in several cities, including :

• Brussels (Belgium)
• Breda (Netherlands)
• Cologne and Munich (Germany)
• Innsbruck (Austria)
• Verona (Italy)
• Venice (Italy)

How long is the journey?

To get to the “Serenissima” and enjoy the Venice Carnival in February, stroll around St. Mark's Square, visit the Doge's Palace (or any other atypical discovery during a day in Venice), you'll need to allow around twenty hours.

How much do tickets cost?

• From €119 for a seat
• From €189 for couchettes
• From €219 for sleeper car

What level of comfort can we expect?

In ascending order of comfort, you can choose between :

• a seat in a 6-person or open compartment,
• a couchette in a 5 or 6-person compartment,
• a sleeper in a 3-person maximum compartment.

Seating

This is the most affordable option. You can choose between a seat in a 5-person compartment, or a seat with tables in the open lounge areas. Toilets are located in the corridor, breakfast can be added, and drinks and snacks are available as an option (additional cost).

Sleeping cars

There are two levels of comfort in sleeper cars:

• Sleeper cars - Standard: made up of compartments with 6 berths, these cars are ideal for meeting new people, or for travelling with friends or family... Bedding is included on board, and you make your own bed. However, the compartments are not air-conditioned.
• Sleeper cars - Comfort: since March 2024, European Sleeper has also been offering a slightly more comfortable service with air-conditioned compartments for 5 people.

There is also a compartment reserved for women.

Sleeper cars

This is the most comfortable option, with a maximum of 3 beds per compartment (which can be folded to transform into real armchairs). The bed is prepared on request by the steward in charge of the sleeper car, and each compartment is air-conditioned. Each compartment has a washbasin (and the toilet is in the car).

The dining car

And as a bonus, the company offers a dining car so you can dine on board and enjoy breakfast while watching the Alpine crossing over the Brenner Pass through the window!

© European Sleeper

How do I book tickets?

• On the European Sleeper website
• On the SNCB International website
• On the Trainline website (if you see “For information” and the ticket is not available, this probably means that the train is fully booked on the chosen dates).

When to book for the best prices?

To get the best prices, there's only one golden rule: anticipate. So we advise you to book your tickets as far in advance as possible! Sales open on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

What are the other options for getting to Venice by night train?

To discover all our itineraries from France (Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice...), click here 👇