On board the maiden sleeper from Brussels to Venice: we got there in the end | Rail travel

At 6.45pm on Wednesday, the Good Night Train trundled out of platform 3 at Brussel-Zuid station. It departed 40 minutes late due to trespassers on the tracks, but the train soon picked up pace, the golden lights of the Belgian capital sweeping through the carriages where groups were stashing skis, families were settling young children and solo travellers stood at the open windows swapping names and stories amid the clamour and confusion on board. This was the inaugural European Sleeper service from Brussels to Venice … only the train wasn’t going to Venice.

Two days earlier, passengers had received an email explaining that the train would be running only as far as Verona, and that a regular Trenitalia service would take us on to Venice. Then, on the evening of departure, we learned that owing to unspecified Italian bureaucracy, the train wouldn’t enter Italy at all, but would be terminating at Innsbruck, with two connections taking us to Verona and then on to Venice.

Having spent the past three years travelling on Europe’s sleeper trains, observing the renaissance of night-time travel, I remained unfazed. For me, the destination is a bonus, the journey the reason for buying my ticket to ride. Strikes, engineering works and red tape are part of the reason Europe’s railway resurgence is meeting resistance.

Chris Engelsman and Elmer van Buuren, the founders of European Sleeper which runs the Good Night Train, are all too aware of the problems, but appear to be doing their best in the circumstances – though communication could be better.

They are pursuing funding to rent more carriages and improve the interiors of what are largely refurbished German carriages from the 1950s. They know the lights and heating are temperamental, the couchettes battered and bruised, but their goal is to revive night trains at an achievable cost for everyone from students to large families, and I salute their drive and passion.

On board I spoke to Engelsman, who explained that the Brussels-Venice route has been introduced as a winter service, scheduled to depart from December to mid-March, with this inaugural journey a test-run of sorts.

As long as we arrived in Venice, I wasn’t bothered how many trains it took, and apparently nor was anyone else, most of whom shrugged and pulled out a bottle of wine when asked. Squeezing down the corridors in the direction of the dining car, I peeked into the five-person couchette compartments where mini house parties were in full swing, friends cracking open cans of Jupiler beer, the sweet smell of Ibérico ham and cheese wafting from the open doorways.

I got chatting to Sophie and Aurélien, travelling to Innsbruck with their four-year-old son Rodolphe. Hoping to show him snow for the first time, they had searched for a destination that wouldn’t involve flying, climate change driving their decision. Attracted by the €200 fare for a four-person, private couchette, they were travelling on a sleeper train for the first time. Rodolphe was happy to have space to spread out his colouring pens and books.

When I first travelled on the Good Night Train in May 2023 – the inaugural route from Brussels to Berlin – there was no dining car, only a harassed-looking attendant wandering up and down serving nachos and instant noodles. So it was a joy to receive an email with a link to book a two- or three-course dinner (€29 or €35).

I opened the email within seconds of its arrival and managed to secure a place on one of four shared tables, but was unable to book a meal for my companion as there was only one sitting with a maximum of 16 covers for the whole evening. Fortunately, we realised in advance he wouldn’t get dinner on board, so he had fried aubergine and pepian de choclo at Cantina Valentina, a Peruvian restaurant at The Hoxton hotel in Brussels.

The Hoxton group has fast become my go-to hotel while travelling on sleeper trains owing to its policy of allowing guests to check in at any time of day – perfect for dawn arrivals. As part of its climate-friendly initiatives, the group also offers The Good Rate for guests travelling between hotels by train, knocking £20 or €20 off the stay at each end, enough for a meal before embarking on an onward rail journey.

On board the Good Night Train, over a starter of beef goulash, followed by chicken curry and rice then tiramisu, I spoke to other passengers. Although some were irritated to receive a link to reserve meals only to find the slots were already booked, others were content to pack food or buy toasted sandwiches and stand around drinking and chatting in the carriage, the windows soon steaming up from the heat of packed-in bodies.

Like Jouni, a Finnish passenger, most had booked the train for the sake of travelling by train, curious about the service and keen to support the European Sleeper initiative, charmed by the old carriages which reminded them of youthful Interrailing.

By midnight, the parties had died down and the train was rattling along, curtains drawn across darkened compartments. Climbing up to my berth, I pressed in earplugs – a must-have on board a rattling train this old – and made a concerted attempt to sleep. I surfaced at 8am, bleary-eyed but pleased to find the dining car busy, with stories of the previous night’s antics being shared over laughter and strong coffee.

An hour before arriving in Innsbruck, sunlight flooded through the windows as the train curved around the Inn River, with the Ellmauer Halt peak rising up from the Kaiser mountain range.

At Innsbruck, we were soon on board the ÖBB Railjet service to Verona, which wound its way through the Brenner Pass.

From Verona, it was a swift change on to the final leg to Venice and, as the lagoon’s waters came into view, the old city aglow from the sunset, I felt a rush of pleasure and achievement that we’d made it this far by rail. As we ambled out of the station, I realised we were only two hours behind schedule – no bother. A 10-minute walk brought us to the contemporary Avani Rio Novo hotel in Dorsoduro, a comfy boutique hotel with beautiful views across sunkissed rooftops.

On recommendation from a friend, we walked for 15 minutes to Santa Croce and the La Zucca, a family-run osteria that’s been around since 1980. It serves a menu that changes daily with everything from spiced lamb and radicchio lasagne to fried chicory and glazed carrots in sesame.

Here, we bumped into fellow passengers from the train, swapping stories of railway exploits over chocolate mousse and hoping that European Sleeper can cut through the red tape before its next departure.

A one-way ticket from Brussels to Venice starts at €89 a seat. Standard couchette from €179pp for up to six people. There are two services a week in February and March – visit europeansleeper.eu for details. Doubles at The Hoxton start at €165. Doubles at The Avani Rio Novo start at €190 B&B