In June 2026 I took the Brussels-Berlin European Sleeper Train, leaving on Sunday night and arriving Monday morning. I had a lot of questions about the experience and wanted to write a comprehensive review, with some points of improvement for the company. In general I love the concept, I have tried not to fly for holidays for the last few years, Brussels is becoming more and more connected in terms of trains and it’ s a very romantic idea to travel by train across Europe. Overall, I’m satisfied with the price-experience-expectations ratio, but again there are lots of elements that could be improved – and I share all aspects below.
For information I paid 109 EUR to be in a bed with a duvet in a 3-person Comfort Classic Women Only compartment.
Booking, options & customer service (6/10)
The website and booking (8/10): The website is quite well done, a nice vintage yet modern feel, which really starts by selling the journey. The tickets purchase is usable and relatively easy to understand, although as each train is so different, it’ quite hard to understand which type of compartment to take and what all the categories mean. I think the only real downfall is that you cannot select if you want a higher or lower bed, which is a shame, particularly for those with reduced motilities or fears.
Customer service (pre-train, 4/10): The train was supposed to leave at 21.41and arrive at Berlin HBF at 9.59. On the Tuesday before, I got an email saying the train would leave at 20.41 and arrive the same time. On the Wednesday I got an email saying the train would leave the same time but arrive at a different Berlin station at 8.32. I used the chat function on the website to ask, after 20minutes I got a reply from a real person (that’s a real benefit) and they told me to check the timetable page on the website for the latest information. I told them the arrival at 9.59 was still shown and then i was left for an hour, the website changed though. I asked again, to confirm the departure time, I was told to check again with them on Friday, which I thought was very odd. Finally I got another email on Wednesday with departure at 21.41 arrival at 8.32. Nonetheless, on Sunday night I saw the SNCB Belgian train site showed 20.41departure so I rushed to the station but indeed it left later. I tried to call the emergency number of European Sleeper but they did not reply, which was not very good. When I did get on board, I spoke with two girls who came from Paris on the same service, expect they were informed the train was replaced by a bus, they had to go 3 hours earlier and they would not receive a refund but only the metro from their homes to the bus station. I think this is one of the first signs that this is a new company, and that’ ok, but it does create stress and changes.
The train ride & night sleep (6.75/10)
The train (5/10): It’s no secret that the European Sleeper train has bought older trains and fitted them out, and also that it was hard to find the trains as there are not so many out there. The trains are old but at first quite charming, I actually quite liked the room for 3, the beds were made up with fresh sheets. I found the ladder quite funny as it had to be attached to block the door to get up, meaning getting in and out was quite the challenge. We were 3 in the room and we did manage to all sit on one side and talk (and shoutout to the lovely roommates Charlotte and Gala, really made it pleasant and quick journey), and we all also had rucksacks to we fit these under the seats. My biggest issue is that all of the toilets in the 2 carriages on the left and right of ours were out of order, either officially, or blocked or quite foul. I understand the challenge, but I really think the lack of toilets and clean services made it much less pleasant. I put 5/10 as ‘OK’, genuinely the quality of the train is ok, but for example our curtains were falling off, the ventilation didn’t work and it was hot and the toilets being out of order was less comfortable. It is however a train and I don’t expect a hostel or hotel luxury, but some maintenance would be nice.
Train conductor & communication (7/10):
I have to say my ticket was never checked, which I find a little odd. We received one to say welcome and please don’t block the toilet or create nuisance, and then no explanation that we left 20 minutes late. We heard again from the conductor at 7.30to say we would arrive on time. For a night train, it’s probably good we did not have constant announcements, but I think I would have liked to have the tickets checked and have an understanding of why we were late leaving or that we would arrive on time.
This experience (6.8/10): I was lucky to have such nice roomates, we spoke for about 2 hours before sleep, a little in the morning and had a coffee in Berlin. Meeting likeminded people is advertised on the website of European Sleeper and honestly they are right. Very interesting to hear others’ stories, and I like how the spaces encourage you to connect with strangers. I do think that the concept is lovely and considering the alternative DB day train to Brussels (6 hours if no delay, which is rare) or a long bus, I think this is a very realistic and decent option. I liked the bottle of water given to us, the duvet was comfortable and the bed was fine for a shorter person like me, but any taller would have been an issue. I think when you do such travels your experience changes and the journey is part of it, and I thought it was quick and quite efficient – but I do think the train needs to be updated, especially the washbasins and the toilets, just because it is unpleasant.
If you have any questions I am happy to have them!