Paris to Berlin by Night Train
The Revived European Sleeper

The journey begins at Paris-Nord, the Gare du Nord, one of the great railway stations of Europe and already familiar to Railero travellers as the Eurostar terminal. It is right in the centre of Paris on the metro and RER, so it is easy to reach, and boarding a night train is relaxed: there is no airport-style check-in, so arrive in good time, find your coach and settle in for the evening as the train pulls out north toward the Belgian border.

It is worth being clear about what this train is. It is the revived Paris to Berlin overnight service, but it is no longer the ÖBB Nightjet, which was withdrawn; since March 2026 it has been run by European Sleeper, the independent operator that also runs the Brussels to Prague and Brussels to Milan night trains. You book it with European Sleeper rather than the national railways, and the experience is its own: seats and berths for a slow, comfortable night across three countries.

From Paris the train runs north across Picardy, calling at Aulnoye-Aymeries and Mons before reaching Brussels-Midi in the evening, the same station where Railero's Eurostar and Brussels to Milan sleeper routes call. Beyond Brussels it stops at Liège-Guillemins and crosses into Germany, and here the route becomes leisurely: as currently scheduled it loops north through the country, with a stop at Hamburg, before turning south-east for Berlin. That long way round is part of why the journey takes around sixteen hours rather than the eight or so of a daytime dash.

The point of a night train, though, is that the hours pass while you sleep. You board in the evening, have a drink and settle into your seat or berth, and wake as the train runs across northern Germany toward the capital. It is a genuinely different way to travel between Paris and Berlin: no airport, no hotel night, and the distance covered in your sleep. Because European Sleeper can adjust the stops and timing, and individual departures change for engineering works, it is worth checking the current timetable for your date.

A night train is not the fastest way from Paris to Berlin; it is the one where you go to bed in France and wake up in Germany, having saved a hotel night and skipped the airport entirely.

The train arrives the next morning at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the vast glass central station on the Spree and the hub of the German network. It is fully equipped and step-free, and it sits right in the middle of the city: the government quarter and the Reichstag are a short walk away, and the S-Bahn, U-Bahn and trams run from the station for the short hop to Mitte, the Brandenburg Gate and the rest of the centre. You step off rested and already in the heart of Berlin.

Berlin is also a hub for Railero's wider network, so the night train pairs naturally with onward journeys: fast trains south-east to Prague, north to Hamburg, and the overnight Nightjet on to Zurich. Arriving in the morning gives you a full day in the city or a clean connection onward.

European Sleeper offers three levels, and choosing the right one is the main decision when you book. Budget is a reclining seat, the cheapest way to travel and fine for a shorter night if you can sleep upright. Classic is a couchette berth in a compartment, either a place in a shared compartment or the whole compartment booked privately, with simple bedding. Comfort is a proper sleeper compartment with more space, made-up beds and washing facilities, the most restful option and the one that sells out first.

On this route you get a seat for the evening and a bed for the night, and the fare you pay is for the specific accommodation you choose. Because it is an overnight service across a long, leisurely route, most travellers find a couchette or sleeper berth well worth it over a seat; if a good night's sleep matters, book Comfort or a private Classic compartment early.

Reservations are simple to understand here because the accommodation is the reservation. Every ticket is for a specific train and a specific place, a seat, couchette or bed, so there is no separate seat reservation to add; you simply book the accommodation you want. Tickets are sold by European Sleeper on its own site, europeansleeper.eu, rather than the national-railway engines, and have been on sale a long way ahead, into September 2027 at the time of writing. Fares vary with demand and rise as trains fill, so book early for the cheapest prices and for the beds and private compartments, which go first.

As a guide to prices rather than a fixed fare, a berth in a shared Classic couchette has been advertised from around €80 one way and a private Classic compartment from around €280, with cheaper Budget seats available; treat these as starting fares that change. For pass holders, Interrail and Eurail are accepted, but a pass alone does not let you board a night train: you book a compulsory paid accommodation reservation on europeansleeper.eu, choosing a seat, couchette or bed, and places are limited and sell out, so book as early as you can. For the wider picture, see the rail passes and seat reservations guides linked below.

On which nights it runs, the service operates around three times a week rather than daily: as a rule Paris to Berlin (train ES 475) on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and Berlin to Paris (ES 474) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Individual departures can change, for engineering works or seasonal adjustments, and the stopping pattern has already been revised once, so treat the days and times as a guide and check the current timetable for your date before you plan around it.

On borders, France, Belgium and Germany are all in the Schengen area, so ordinary internal border controls are generally absent and the train is not routinely checked overnight, though you should carry the valid travel documents your nationality or status requires and keep them reachable. There is no airport-style security: you carry your bags aboard and keep them in your compartment. Paris-Nord and Berlin Hbf are both large, staffed, step-free stations, and if you need boarding assistance it is best arranged in advance with European Sleeper.