July 30, 2025, 6:40 am | Read time: 10 minutes

Traveling by train instead of flying is especially beneficial for the environment. The demand for good train connections across Europe is increasing, and the offerings are expanding. Night trains, which seemed to have disappeared for a while, are experiencing a new popularity boost. There are several reasons for this–among them, traveling by night train saves the cost of a hotel stay. Ideally, you can start exploring the city upon arrival.

Now Green City Trip is entering the competition. The provider already operates from its Dutch home and plans to depart from several German train stations with its night trains starting May 25, 2022. And just in February, to the delight of winter sports fans, the company Train4you launched, connecting Hamburg and Berlin with ski resorts in Austria.

Also interesting: Mini-train “Flexy” aims to bring passengers right to their doorstep

The options for train travel are rapidly increasing–travelers can quickly lose track of which destinations are accessible by rail. Many connections are not operated by Deutsche Bahn and therefore do not appear in the DB travel information. To ensure you still reach your destination smoothly, TRAVELBOOK has compiled a list of particularly good train connections in Europe and where to book them.

From Cologne, Dortmund or Bad Bentheim to Italy with Green City Trip

The subsidiary of the Dutch travel provider Flywise started in 2021 with “regular” trains and now plans to operate more night services. Green City Trip offers a wide range of attractive travel destinations in countries such as Italy, Austria, and Sweden, most of which are still departing from Amsterdam or Utrecht. However, starting May 25, 2022, departures from Cologne, Dortmund, and Bad Bentheim in Lower Saxony are planned. More train stations within Germany are expected to be added in the future.

On the company website, the different booking classes are presented. For night train users, it’s interesting to note: In the economy class, you would need to convert your seat into a sleeping area yourself, while in the premium and luxury classes, you get a ready-made bed.

Hamburg and Berlin to St. Anton am Arlberg with Train4you

The private train operator Train4you connects ski resorts in Bavaria and Austria with Berlin using the so-called “Urlaubs-Express.” The new night train starts in Hamburg and travels via Berlin, Kufstein, Wörgl, Jenbach, Innsbruck, Öztal, and Landeck-Zams to St. Anton am Arlberg. However, this winter, the direct connection is still rarely offered. The train first departed on January 28, 2022, and will run a second and last time for this season on February 5 towards the Alps. In the 2023 ski season, the night train offerings are expected to be significantly expanded, as a company spokesperson told the “Berliner Zeitung.” More connections with car trains are also conceivable in the summer.

Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Cologne to Verona and Villach

From Hamburg, Train4you already offers significantly more night train connections. Vacationers can travel to Innsbruck, Lörrach, Verona, and Villach. These connections are also seasonal and offered only three to four times a month. Generally, night trains to Innsbruck run only in winter, while the others operate between May and mid-October.

Those wanting to travel from NRW to the Alps can board in Düsseldorf or Cologne. Innsbruck, Villach, and Verona are partially accessible from here as well. In the other direction, the company offers an exciting summer connection: from Basel via Munich to the Baltic resort Binz.

Best booked online at: www.urlaubs-express.de

Vienna to Paris (via Munich) with ÖBB and SNCF

Comfortably cover 1,400 km from Austria to France in one night. This is possible with the new night train connection from Vienna to Paris. Even better: the night train stops along the way in Munich, Karlsruhe, and Strasbourg. Tickets for seats are available from 29 euros. For more comfort, you can stay in a sleeper compartment starting at 49 euros. Departures from Vienna are every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday at 7:42 p.m., and the return trip from Paris is every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

Best booked through: www.nightjet.com

Zurich to Amsterdam (via Cologne)

Board the train in Cologne or Frankfurt in the evening and wake up in Zurich or Amsterdam in the morning. Sounds good, right? Since December 13, a new night train has been launched, connecting Switzerland and the Netherlands overnight–and stopping at quite a few German cities along the way. In addition to the ones already mentioned, you can also board in Oberhausen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Koblenz, Mainz, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, and Freiburg. Tickets are available from 38 euros, and a sleeping berth from 50 euros. Particularly cool: The train runs every day.

Best booked through: www.nightjet.com

Munich to Rome (via Florence) with ÖBB

Travel comfortably from Germany to Italy by train: This is possible without changing trains, at least if you depart from Munich. From there, a night train operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the so-called “Nightjet,” runs. The journey from the Bavarian capital to Rome takes 13 hours and passes through Salzburg, Bologna, and Florence. Tickets for a place in the sleeper car are available from 50 euros.

Best booked through: www.nightjet.com

Munich to Zagreb with HP night trains

Depart Munich after 11 p.m. and wake up in the Croatian capital Zagreb just before 9 a.m.–also possible! And with a ticket on the Croatian night train HZPP. The railway has a cooperation with the provider, so Bahncard discounts apply on the route. Seat tickets cost 34.90 euros, and a place in a sleeping compartment is available from 70 euros.

Best booked through: www.international-bahn.de

Munich to Budapest with EuroNight Kálmán Imre

The EuroNight Kálmán Imre travels from Munich via Zurich to Budapest. The journey crosses Austria with stops in Salzburg and Vienna, among others. From Munich to Budapest, the trip takes about 10 hours, arriving in Budapest at 9:20 a.m.

Reservations are mandatory for the EuroNight Kálmán Imre, and tickets can be purchased 120 days in advance. Sleeping berths are available from 49 euros (discount price in a six-person compartment).

Best booked through: www.international-bahn.de

Also interesting: 4 insider tips for a weekend in Budapest

Berlin to Vienna (via Breslau) with ÖBB

This connection has been available since December 2018 and is also a night train. The route, like many night trains departing from Germany, is operated by ÖBB. On the way from Berlin to Vienna, several Polish cities are served, including Wroclaw (German: Breslau), as well as several cities in the Czech Republic, such as Bohumin (German: Oderberg). Tickets for the sleeper car are available from 49 euros.

Best booked through: www.nightjet.com

Berlin / Hamburg to Stockholm with Snälltåget

The “Berlin Night Express” already connects Berlin with a transfer in Malmö to Stockholm, and since March 31, 2021, there is even a direct connection from Berlin and Hamburg to the Swedish capital. After passenger numbers fell significantly short of the operators’ expectations this year, schedule adjustments were made in the fall: Since September and October, the trains now depart from Berlin two and a half hours later than before, and in 2022, they will regularly depart at 9 p.m. The night train from Snälltåget is the only direct rail connection from Germany to Sweden and offers another unique feature: It is the only train connection in Europe where you travel across the Baltic Sea by train ferry.

Important note: You need a valid passport for the train ferry.

Best booked through: www.snalltaget.se/de

Hamburg to Copenhagen with DB

From Hamburg to Copenhagen, you can comfortably travel with the IC of Deutsche Bahn. The journey takes 4 hours and 40 minutes; tickets start at about 30 euros. Advantage of traveling with DB: If you have a Bahncard, you can apply the discount here.

Best booked through: www.bahn.de

Hamburg to Zurich with DB or ÖBB

Since 2020, there has been a connection from Hamburg to Zurich. The route also serves the following cities: Frankfurt, Mannheim, Freiburg, Karlsruhe, and Hanover.

A special feature: Although ÖBB night trains are used on the route, the seats on board are sold as IC seats by DB. This means that DB tariffs and discounts, such as those from Bahncards, apply to these seats.

Best booked through: www.bahn.de (seats), or www.nightjet.com (sleeping berths)

Basel to Locarno with Treno Gottardo

If you’re already in Switzerland, you might want to explore the country further–and no other train connection in Europe is as suitable for this as the route from Basel to Locarno. Normally, you travel through the Gotthard Tunnel, which means you mostly see dark, gray concrete walls.

That’s different since 2020. Since then, the Treno Gottardo, a cooperation between SBB and SÖB, runs hourly over the Gotthard Panorama route, through Bellinzona to Locarno. The journey takes 4 hours and 20 minutes, which is a bit longer, but it’s also much more scenic.

Best booked through: www.unterwegs.sob.ch/

Dortmund to Paris with Thalys

The Thalys, which departs from Dortmund, offers a fast connection to the French capital. If you start in the Ruhr area, you can be in Paris in less than 5 hours. On the way, the Thalys stops in the following German cities: Essen, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Aachen. Brussels is also on the route. If you book early, tickets are available from 32 euros.

Best booked through: de.oui.sncf/de/

Tip: If you feel like traveling further after your visit to Paris, you can easily continue to Spain from there. For example, from Paris Gare de Lyon to Barcelona with the TGV. The journey takes about 6 hours and 40 minutes. Tickets are available from 59 euros.

Best booked through: de.oui.sncf/de/

More on the topic

Are the trips worthwhile? ADAC tests Europe’s night train services – these are the results

City Trips, Scenic Routes, Adventure Trails The 12 Most Beautiful Destinations for a Train Journey From Germany

Vienna to Brussels with ÖBB

The connection from Brussels to Vienna with ÖBB stops in many German cities: Aachen, Bonn, Koblenz, Mainz, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Regensburg, and Passau. The trains run every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Best booked through: www.nightjet.com

Tip: For those who want to see even more: Brussels is the ideal starting point for further train connections through Europe, such as a trip to England. From the Belgian capital, the Eurostar travels to London in just 2 hours.

Best booked through: www.eurostar.com/uk-en/train

Planned Route–from Berlin to the Mediterranean

Traveling from Berlin to (almost) the Mediterranean–this could soon be possible by train quite comfortably. At least, the Czech train operator Regiojet has plans of this kind. Starting in December 2022, night trains are expected to run from the German capital via Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Graz, Maribor in Slovenia to Zagreb and Ljubljana, reports the “Berliner Zeitung.” Another direct train connection through Europe is also planned, which will take passengers from Berlin to the Netherlands and Belgium–a start date has not yet been set.