The rail company European Sleeper has announced that it is to launch a new sleeper train service between Brussels and the Italian city of Venice. The new service will run during February and March of next year. There will be two trains a week. In addition to its final destination Venice, the train will also call at cities including Munich and Innsbruck as well as the Italian Alpine ski resort Bolzano.
European Sleeper already operates three service per week from Brussels to the Czech capital Prague via the German capital Berlin.
The first sleeper train service to Venice will leave Brussels on Wednesday 5 February 2025. The train will travel to northern Italy via The Netherlands, Germany and Austria, calling at Rotterdam, Utrecht, Cologne, Munich, Innsbruck, Bolzano and Verona. The company has chosen to operate the service in February and March as this coincides with the height of the Alpine skiing season and the world-renowned Venice Carnival.
Tickets available from next month
The Venice sleeper train service will leave Brussels at 5pm and arrive in Venice at 2pm the following day. The return journey from Venice will get under way at 3pm, arriving in Brussels at 11am the following day. European Sleeper says that an announcement concerning the cost of tickets for the new service will be made soon. Those wishing to purchase a ticket for the Venice sleeper service will be able to do so from next month.
European Sleeper also has plans for a new service between Amsterdam and Barcelona that will also call in Brussels. The company’s ambitious plans for a network of European sleeper train service is taking longer than expected to come to fruition. This is due to the complexity of regulations regarding the operation of rail services in the various European countries, the high cost of night train services and a chronic shortage of suitable rolling stock.