Incredible 540-mile train between 2 tourist hotspots returning in 2026 | World | News

A new train service will take tourists overnight between Europe’s two largest cities, ensuring visitors don’t miss out on valuable holiday time in either place. Sleeper trains travel between many cities in Europe and are generally a cost-effective and sustainable way to get from one place to another. Rail travel across Europe remains popular, with many people using things like parade passes to get from place to place, seeing as much of the continent as possible in just a few weeks.

Passengers will be disappointed with the news that a popular sleeper train operator will end its service in 2025, with another rail company taking its place. A new sleeper train service will be operated between Paris and Berlin via Brussels. In a blow to European rail travel enthusiasts, Austrian national railway company ÖBB announced in October that it would stop night services between these two major capitals. The service was withdrawn following the withdrawal of funding from the French government and services were said to be discontinued from mid-December 2025.

However, it is also good news that another train operator will connect the two cities with nightly services starting from March 26, 2026. The new route, operated by European Sleeper, will run three times a week.

It is expected to depart from Paris Gare du Nord on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and arrive at Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof. Return flights are expected to depart on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Nightjet’s current route passes through Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Erfurt and Halle before arriving in Berlin. However, the route that will replace the European Sleeper will pass through Brussels, with exact details yet to be announced.

European Sleeper co-founder Chris Engelsman told The Guardian: “As we offer higher capacity than Nightjet, we will also be able to increase passenger numbers. ÖBB operates 12 buses from Paris, but branch off to Vienna and then Berlin. On the other hand, we have 12 to 14 buses with a capacity of 600-700 passengers, all going to Berlin.”

Many new train routes across Europe have been announced in recent weeks. A new £2 million train will connect Madrid and Barcelona in 2026, with journeys taking just three hours.

Meanwhile, a new train route will connect Prague, Berlin and Copenhagen next year, giving tourists more options to visit these places in one trip from 2026.