January 2, 2026, 1:50 pm | Read time: 5 minutes

Whether it’s comfortable night connections, new family-friendly trains, or high-speed travel over the Alps–2026 shows how versatile and modern train travel in Europe has become. More and more routes are turning travel itself into an experience and opening up new opportunities to sustainably discover cities and regions.

1. Paris – Berlin: The Night Train Makes a Comeback

Board in the evening in Paris, wake up in Berlin–that’s exactly what will be possible again in 2026. The private rail company European Sleeper is taking over the traditional night train connection between the two metropolises after the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) discontinued their night trains between Paris, Vienna, and Berlin on December 14, 2025. The background was the withdrawal of French subsidies.

The first train is scheduled to run on March 26, 2026, and will operate three times a week. Departures are expected on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday evenings from Gare du Nord in Paris. Return trips start on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof.

2. Paris – Munich: Faster Connection by Late 2026

Daytime train travel between France and Germany will also become more attractive. According to “Sortir à Paris,” a new, faster high-speed connection between Paris and Munich is set to launch by late 2026. The route will be jointly operated by Deutsche Bahn and the French SNCF. Currently, one TGV runs daily in each direction. In the future, trains are expected to run more frequently and take less time. There are no specific details on schedules or prices yet.

3. Prague – Copenhagen: Direct Train with Children’s Cinema

One of the new international direct connections leads from Prague to Copenhagen. As reported by “rbb24,” Deutsche Bahn, the Danish State Railways, and the Czech Railways will launch a new direct connection from Prague to Copenhagen via Berlin on May 1, 2026. The year-round daytime connection runs in both directions. The travel time between Berlin and Copenhagen is about seven hours, and between Prague and Copenhagen about eleven hours. Additionally, the operators will extend an existing summer night train, which currently connects Hamburg and Copenhagen, to Prague.

The new ComfortJet trains from Czech Railways will be used, accommodating 555 passengers. They feature a dining car, Wi-Fi, and bicycle storage. Additional amenities include wheelchair lifts, a children’s cinema, and radio-wave permeable windows to improve cell phone reception. Planned additional stops include Dresden and Hamburg.

4. London – Stirling: Scotland’s Underrated City

New direct connections are also emerging in the United Kingdom’s rail network. According to “BBC,” the British rail company Lumo plans a new direct connection from London Euston to Stirling, about an hour north of Edinburgh. The start is expected in mid-2026. The train will stop in Lockerbie, Carlisle, Preston, and Nuneaton along the way. Stirling is considered one of Scotland’s underrated cities, attracting visitors with an impressive medieval castle on a volcanic rock and the National Wallace Monument honoring Scottish national hero Sir William Wallace.

5. Munich – Milan & Munich – Rome: Direct Connections

Traveling south will also become significantly easier by late 2026. According to Deutsche Bahn, a close cooperation has been agreed upon with Italian Trenitalia and the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) to introduce new direct connections from Munich to Milan and Rome–without transfers and using Italian Frecciarossa high-speed trains. This brings not only northern Italy but also the Italian capital significantly closer to German long-distance travel.

Planned travel times are around six and a half hours to Milan and about eight and a half hours to Rome. Innsbruck serves as a central hub–from there, the journey continues over the Brenner Pass into Italy. Stops on the way to Milan include Bolzano, Trento, Rovereto, Verona, and Brescia, while trains to Rome will additionally stop in Bologna and Florence. The prerequisite for the start is the timely approval of the trains. From December 2026, initially one daily round trip per route is planned.

More on the topic

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6. Amsterdam/Brussels – Milan: Night Train to the City Center

In parallel, another night train offering is expanding: According to European Sleeper, a new night train connection from Amsterdam and Brussels to Milan is planned for June 2026, which will pass through Bern and Stresa on Lake Maggiore. This creates a direct rail link between the Benelux region, Switzerland, and northern Italy–without transfers. The operator has set June 18, 2026, as the specific start date. Departures from Amsterdam and Brussels are scheduled for Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while return trips from Milan are planned for Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Ticket sales are expected to start in January or February 2026.

7. Germany – Switzerland: Direct Connections to the Alpine Region

Cross-border rail traffic between Germany and Switzerland is also set to become more comfortable in 2026. According to SBB, new direct connections without transfers will be established from major German cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, and Dortmund to the Alpine region of Switzerland. The destination of the new lines is Brig in the canton of Valais–particularly relevant for travelers because the city serves as an important starting point for mountain regions with hiking areas and winter sports resorts. Travelers from Germany will be able to reach the Alps without transfers and with significantly simplified travel planning.