New sleeper train will connect four of the most beautiful cities in Europe

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Are you going to Europe this summer and are you already scouring Skyscanner and Google Flights looking for two-hour flights that will have you zigzagging like crazy across the continent like a real logistical nightmare?

Maybe you want that Hold off on booking until you read this.

Listen, we get it. If you’re going all the way to the Old World, you might as well tick off as many iconic sights as you can (reasonably) during your seven- to 10-day vacation.

We’ve all been there, and while we wouldn’t necessarily encourage you to run around entire countries like you’re collecting Pokémon or souvenir magnets,Europe is built around seamless cross-border travel.

However, in September there is a smarter way to do it.

A new sleeper train is launchedthat connects 4 of the most beautiful cities you can visit, without all the airport chaos and Ryanair’s ridiculously restrictive baggage rules:

Belgium To Germany To Switzerland To Italy

Start September 9, 2026a new night sleeper from European Sleeper will be launched, hot on the wheels of their Brussels ↔ Prague and Paris ↔ Berlin.

Which 4 major cities will offer the new route service, you ask?

• BrusselsBelgium
• CologneGermany
• ZurichSwitzerland
• MilanItaly

We believe it needs no introduction, but for the sake of tradition, Brussels is the capital of Belgium.

Here you can enjoy Belgian waffles and fries while admiring the ornate guild houses Grote Marktand taking silly selfies at the Pissing Boy statue (or the even more quirky, almost creepy Pissing Girl companion).

Skip the Atomium. Major tourist trap, and not worth the half day trip outside the city center.

Before you fly to Europe this summer for your epic Euro train trip, know that travel rules have recently changed and simply presenting a valid US passport is no longer enough.

Make sure you check the entry requirements that apply in advance to your destination, to prevent you from being denied boarding at the airport.

Back to the train route.

Cologne is Berlin 2.0. Lively beer gardensartistic hoods, Rhine cruises, a reconstructed historic center that can’t exactly recreate the medieval flair of pre-World War II Germany even if it tries, and a towering Gothic cathedral known to have survived a lot of Allied bombings.

It’s quiet and cool, and it’s one of those places that appeals to literally every crowd. It’s no wonder it’s been breaking tourism records lately.

Zurich, on the other hand, is a lot cooler.

Think cobbled streets lined with renovated half-timbered houses, flag-draped streets for historic trams to rattle through, and a picturesque lakeside promenade with church steeples reflecting on the crystal-clear alpine water.

It may not be the capital of Switzerland, contrary to popular belief, but it certainly packs quite a punch.

Zurich is also one of the safest cities to visit in Europe currently, with lower than average pickpockets, and no major incidents reported by travelers in recent months:

Finally, Milan is the most loved or hated Italian city, depending on who you ask.

Some love it for its low-maintenance, Paris-coded way of life and more cosmopolitan feel, compared to the average Italian city, others find it too pretentious, flashy and anything but authentic.

Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, there is no denying that Gothic fever dream of a cathedral is a feast for the eyes.

So give us a full museum weekend, or just a lazy morning sipping capuccino and sinking our teeth into those fluffy, generously filled pistacchio croissants, and we’ll get there first.

By the way, in case you ever wonder what precautions you should take before flying abroad, the Travel Advisory Checker is your best friend in providing concise, unbiased and clear updates on all relevant regional alerts you need to stay aware of while traveling.

From Central Europe to the Alps

The train is actually branded as a north-south ‘Alpine crossing’ night train, allowing passengers to board in the evening in Belgium or Germany and wake up the next morning in Switzerland or northern Italy.

Although originally planned for launch in June 2026, the new sleeper was postponed until the autumn period due to major railway works in Germany that took place during the summer and difficulties in obtaining a Swiss certification of serviceability.

European Sleeper’s drawing board plan was to run the train on the historic Venice-Simplon ‘Orient Express’ route.

We’re not sure why these weren’t realized, but… it has now been diverted to the Gotthard Passin the Swiss Alps.

We’re not exactly mad about it, mind you. The new morning journey includes tunnel crossings, mountain valleys and views of snow-capped peaks for days.

Frequency and schedule

The train will move 3x a weekwith departure from Brussels on Monday, Thursday and Saturday evenings.

The exact timetable has yet to be announced, but based on previous estimates, the trains could leave Brussels at 5:56 p.m.

Considering that it takes approximately 2 hours to reach Cologne, with possible stops in Liège (Belgium) and Aachen (Germany), passengers boarding in Germany will be picked up around 8:10 PM.

Arrival in Milan (Porta Garibaldi) is expected at 11:30 AM the next day.

The return journey from Milan runs on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday evenings and follows a similar pattern. General, the total travel time is approximately 17 hoursincluding stops.

Core route:

Brussels → Cologne → Zurich → Milan

Main stops:

• Liège, Belgium
• Aachen, Germany
• Frankfurt, Germany
• Frankfurt region, Germany (stops may vary depending on route)
• Zurich, Switzerland
• Zurich Region, Switzerland (Arth-Goldau, Göschenen and others)
• Lugano, Switzerland
• Chiasso, Switzerland
• Como, Italy
• Milan (Porta Garibaldi station), Italy

Experience on board

• Budget seats (cheapest option)
• Couchettes (classic bunk beds, usually 4 or 6 people per compartment)
• Comfort Standard (more privacy, more comfortable bedding)
• Comfort Plus (even more private, usually including breakfast)

Prices

• Budget seats: around €29.99
• Couchettes: from €49.99 (reserved well in advance)
• Medium sleepers: €100.00+
• Private/Comfort Plus: €180.00+

Basically, you’re combining accommodation and transportation costs into a single booking, not to mention completely skipping those insane baggage lines and long security lines at European airports right now.

There’s no need to tell us twice. Catch us on that European Sleeper, like angels in the rafters, as we whiz past fairytale city after fairytale city next fall.

Vinicius Costa

Vini, our senior head writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60 countries to his name (and is currently weaving stories from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.