Europe’s night train revival has a new headline route. On September 9, 2026, European Sleeper launched a direct overnight service connecting Milan and Brussels — the first direct rail link between northern Italy and Belgium, with no changes required along the way.
The route was originally slated for a June launch but was pushed back to September after summer track works in Germany and a certification process for Switzerland, a country new to European Sleeper’s network, delayed things.
The route:
Milan-to-Brussels trains depart Milano Porta Garibaldi in the late afternoon and arrive at Brussels-Midi the following morning. Along the way, the train crosses the Gotthard Pass through the Swiss Alps, stopping near Lake Como, Lugano, Bellinzona, and Zurich before continuing through Cologne, Aachen, and Liège into Belgium. The service runs three times a week in each direction.
From December 2026, the route will extend further, adding stops in Antwerp, Breda, and Eindhoven, with connections toward the Netherlands to follow.
Booking and pricing:
Fares start from around €30 for a shared seat in Budget class, with Classic shared compartments from roughly €50. Comfort Standard cabins start around €100, and Comfort Plus — which includes breakfast — from about €130. Women-only compartments are also available.
European Sleeper is a Dutch-Belgian cooperative founded in 2023 and owned by its own community of supporters — one of the few independent international night train operators in Europe. The Italian leg of the Milan route is operated in partnership with Arenaways.
For anyone weighing a slower, lower-carbon way to move between northern Europe and Italy, this is a genuinely new option — swap a short-haul flight for a night’s sleep through the Alps and wake up in a different country.
