European Sleeper to launch Brussels-Milan night train in September
By
Simone Jacobs
Olivia Logan
A new European Sleeper night train travelling from Brussels to Cologne, Zurich and Milan is set to launch in September 2026. An alternative route including Amsterdam will be added in 2027.
Night train from Amsterdam to Milan delayed
Dutch-Belgian rail company European Sleeper has announced that, starting September 9, 2026, a night train route will launch between Brussels and Milan, with stops in German cities such as Aachen and Cologne, as well as Swiss cities such as Zurich and Lugano.
Originally, the route was going to have a second starting point from Amsterdam to Milan, which would follow the same course through Germany and Switzerland before crossing into Italy. This route was set to launch in June 2026 but has been postponed until 2027.
“Starting a separate train section to and from Amsterdam is less viable during the off-peak season. Therefore, this part of the service has been postponed to 2027,” wrote the international rail company.
The Brussels-Milan route is also delayed and will hit the tracks three months later than planned due to extensive track work in Germany and registration setbacks in Switzerland. Tickets for the new route will go on sale on March 17.
European Sleeper expands night train services
Travellers on the Brussels-Milan route can expect to pay as little as 29,99 euros for "budget" seats, 49,99 euros for a "classic" compartment with a bed, 99,99 euros for a "comfort standard" or 129,99 euros for a "comfort plus" cabin.
Departures will leave Brussels on Monday, Thursday and Saturday evenings and arrive at Porta Garibaldi in Milan the following morning. Return trains will depart Milan on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday evenings.
This will be the third night train route operated by the Dutch-Belgian train company. One route currently connects Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dresden and Prague; the second connects Paris and Berlin (adding stops in Brussels and Hamburg from July 2026).
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more
Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more