What it’s like to ride the new sleeper train to Berlin

The excitement for the inaugural departure of European Sleeper's Good Night Train from Brussels to Berlin is palpable — not least because we’re tooting out of Brussels Midi/Zuid station just one minute behind schedule.

A Dutch-Belgian co-operative two and a half years in the making, European Sleeper is the brainchild of a pair of self-confessed train freaks, Elmer van Buuren and Chris Engelsman. This first route (others to Prague and Barcelona are planned for the next two years) stops at Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam before, just under 12 hours later, reaching Berlin, where bright-eyed and bushy-tailed travellers disembark and get straight to exploring the city — well, that's the idea anyway.

From the looks of my compartment I have a smidgen of a chance. This is a Deluxe Sleeper, the poshest of the three cabin types on board — there's a maximum of three beds (although I’m lucky enough to have it to myself), each with a sheeted mattress, pillow and duvet, plus a sink, a padded seat and table, a towel and some soap. Next down are the Comfort Couchettes, which have up to six padded beds, each with a blanket, sheet and pillow. Lastly come the budget seats — liable to induce numb buttocks, these are probably best avoided if you want to have any chance of some shut-eye.

Orient Express-style luxury this is not. Thanks to a dearth of new trains, European Sleeper's carriages are decommissioned German models from the Fifties and Sixties, while interiors have been resurrected (or resuscitated, depending on your take) from the Eighties and refitted. You won't need a dinner suit, as there's no dining car (although limited snacks and drinks are available to buy); anyone wanting a shower has to make do with a quick splash at the sink. And, as in the Eighties, there's no wi-fi. Indeed, in my compartment there was only one electricity socket, precariously situated above that enclosed sink. While there is talk of newer trains in the future, for now it's a bells-and-whistles-free zone. But in many ways therein lies the charm.

Basic sleeper trains first appeared in the US in the 1830s, before George Pullman pioneered a luxurious version in 1867. Services such as the Rheingold and Orient-Express became legendary in Europe in the latter half of the 19th century and boomed in the early and mid-20th century. Improvements in roads and, crucially, low-cost air travel brought about a swift decline, however.

Since 2016, though, a resurgence in this once-revered form of long-distance transport has seen options popping up across Europe, aided by growing climate concerns and the frequent hassle involved in air travel. Be it Austrian Railways’ Nightjet or the Italian-owned Frecciarossa, new services are making it possible to cross the Continent in a more adventurous and sustainable way as they link London, via Eurostar services, with Zurich, Venice and Milan.

Keen to try this newest one, I made the direct, two-hour Eurostar journey from London to Brussels, timing it so that I had a few hours to explore the Belgian capital before setting off for Germany.

After the initial excitement of being on board the Good Night Train, everyone settled into cabin life as though sleeper train veterans. Wandering through carriages I saw couples snuggled under blankets, families eating snacks around tables, children in pyjamas ready for bed, friends (new and old) playing cards and enthusiasts catching the breeze by standing near open windows. Each compartment had a life of its own and — bar a group of male cyclists drinking into the night — a trainload of wholesome fun was on display.

My fellow passengers’ reasons for being on board varied from being train fanatics to reducing their environmental impact. Dorota from Dorset was off to see her sister in Warsaw and opted for a 20-hour door-to-door train mashup through Europe because she hates air travel. Sarah from Bristol was mainly trying to reduce her carbon emissions, but also liked the social aspect. "As there's no wi-fi I’ve been having really nice chats with people in my cabin," she said. "I don't think you do that on other modes of transport."

As I tucked myself in for the night, the train rattled over the tracks, as did its interiors (top tip: bring earplugs). The ladder for my bunk, tucked away in its little storage space, was also making a racket until I shoved in the arm of my jacket to muffle it. With the cabin a little toasty I opened its small window, only for it to bang to and fro so continuously that I had to close it again and make do with poking my legs out of the duvet. My mobile phone was also making a right din, hanging from its cable in the sink cabinet, before I scrunched up a towel to act as a cushion. But it's all part of the adventure, right?

● What it's like to ride the new sleeper train from Brussels to Berlin

We arrived in Berlin at 7.50am — ten minutes ahead of schedule, but at a station ten minutes’ north of the intended Hauptbahnhof terminus thanks to engineering works. I’d estimate that I had about three hours of sleep, but not because the bed was uncomfortable — it was more down to loo trips and some snoring in the adjoining compartment.

There were mixed reviews for the other carriage classes: Hans from Holland told me that he slept perfectly; Claire from France wearily said that her padded bed was a little hard.

Refreshed or not, Berlin beckoned. I stayed in Charlottenburg, at the newly opened Hoxton Hotel, which offers sleeper-friendly early check-ins and late check-outs; I was unpacking by 9am. Its bedrooms are elegant with an art deco twist and come with spacious rainfall showers, cloudlike beds below soft, sculpted headboards and milk in the fridge to make a much-needed brew. But I opted for brunch around the corner at Benedict, where you can have your eggs any which way, from omelettes to shakshuka — it does get busy, though, so be prepared to wait for a table (mains from £14; benedict.world).

Museum Island is one of Berlin's biggest lures, with its five gallery spaces hosting Byzantine art, Monet paintings and, at the Neues, the Nefertiti Bust (£9; smb.museum). Just opposite is the newly opened Humboldt Forum, a reconstruction of a former baroque royal palace that houses exhibitions on everything from nature to ethnology (free; humboldtforum.org).

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By the evening I’m in Papillon, the latest Berlin restaurant to hide behind an unassuming façade — in this case two railway arches beneath Zoological Garden station. Inside it's a mix of industrial meets velvet chic. The menu is Mediterranean with subtle Asian touches — my recommendation is the burrata with strawberry sofrito and macadamia biscotti, followed by the sole meunière with lemon and parsley sauce. Come 11pm a DJ fires up the decks, performers parade with fire and diners become dancers (mains from £12; papillon-berlin.com).

So was Berlin worth the journey? Those tired trains are certainly not the most glamorous way to travel, nor the fastest and, as I found, not even always the most reliable. But they are undeniably an adventure — and that part seemed really to have everyone on board.

Kate Leahy was a guest of European Sleeper, which has seats on its Brussels to Berlin service from £51 and B&B sleeping compartments from £95 (europeansleeper.eu); Eurostar, which has returns to Brussels from £78 (eurostar.com); and the Hoxton, which has room-only doubles from £147 (thehoxton.com)

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What it’s like to ride the new sleeper train to Berlin