Paris–Berlin night train: European Sleeper relaunches the route (and adds Hamburg)

Written by Sophie Renassia

Published on November 12, 2025, modified on January 27, 2026

A few weeks ago, we regretfully announced that the Paris-Berlin and Paris-Vienna night trains - operated by SNCF Voyageurs and ÖBB - would be discontinued as of December 2025, due to a lack of financial support and commitment from the State. (more info in our article "Paris-Berlin and Paris-Vienna night trains: can they still be saved?). The news sparked a huge wave of mobilization: nearly 100,000 signatures on the petition the collective Yes to night trains. But despite the voices of travellers and the encouraging words of Jean Castex (the new CEO of the SNCF Group), a relaunch for 2026 now seemed unrealistic...

This was without counting the arrival of a new player in the equation: the company European Sleeper has just announced that it will be taking up the torch, with a relaunch of the Paris-Berlin night service for March 2026 ! This is unexpected news for European railways.
Updated January 27, 2026 And that's not all: the company has also announced the addition of Hamburg as a new stop from july 2026which will make it easier to travel by train to Scandinavian countries.

This is unexpected news for Europe's railways, at a time when the Paris-Berlin and Paris-Vienna night trains were due to disappear for lack of public support.

In this article, we tell you: when the Paris-Berlin European Sleeper night train will run, what its timetable will be, how much tickets will cost, what the addition of Hamburg means and why this relaunch is strategic for the European night network.

Members of the HOURRAIL! in addition to access to the Premium version of our application, will benefit from -20% on the new Paris-Berlin night service, as well as on all European Sleeper routes in 2026 ! More information at the end of the article.

TL;DR - The Paris-Berlin European Sleeper night train (l'essentiel)
Paris - Berlin
First departure: Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Frequency: 3 times a week.
Departures from Paris: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday evenings.
Returns from Berlin: Monday, Wednesday, Friday evenings.
Route: via Brussels and Liège.
Sales open: December 16, 2025.
Paris - Hamburg (new stop)
From July 11, 2026.
Stops at Hamburg-Harburg station.
Departures from Paris: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday evenings.
Returns from Hamburg: Monday, Wednesday, Friday evenings.
Easy connections to Scandinavia.
On board
3 comfort classes: seats, berths, sleeping cars.
Fares comparable to today's Nightjet.
a company
Belgian-Dutch cooperative
Already operator of the Brussels - Prague line.
Objective: relaunch a European night train network without permanent subsidies.
Update January 27, 2026: European Sleeper will add Hamburg as a new stop on the future Paris-Berlin night train line, starting July 11, 2026.

Paris-Berlin European Sleeper: when and how will it link Paris to Berlin?

Visit first departure from Paris is scheduled for thursday, march 26, 2026with a sales open december 16, 2025.

The link will be provided by three times a week :

• From Paris the Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings The next morning, we arrived in Berlin.
• From Berlin the Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings arrival in Paris in the morning.

An organization that should - according to the company - make the new Paris-Berlin connection a success. "at the same time more economically sustainable and beneficial to the existing night train network".. It also offers more matches for travelers (especially from the UK, thanks to an easier link with Eurostar in Brussels).

Update: January 27, 2026: the company has announced the route of its new line, which will be via Brussels, Liège and Hamburg.

European Sleeper

New stop in Hamburg on the Paris-Berlin line (updated January 27, 2026)

What the addition of Hamburg means for the Paris-Berlin line

Update January 27, 2026: European Sleeper has just announced the addition of Hamburg as a new stop on its future night train line Paris-Berlin.

From July 13, 2026Paris-Berlin night trains will make a stop at the station. Hamburg-Harburg located to the south of the city. This addition reinforces Hamburg's role as major international rail hub between Western Europe, Northern Germany and Scandinavia.

Objective: create synergy with the existing line Brussels-Berlin-Prague already operated by European Sleeper, to provide a total of six trips a week between Brussels and Berlin.

Travel times and days between Paris and Hamburg

In concrete terms :

• Departures from Paris on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings
• Arrival in Hamburg early the next morning
• Returns from Hamburg on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings

The final timetables are still being coordinated with the infrastructure managers of the countries crossed, and will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

A new direct rail link to Scandinavia

Hamburg is a major rail hub to Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway), with numerous connections to Copenhagen, Stockholm or Oslo.

From Paris, it will be possible to reach Hamburg by night and then on to Northern Europe by train - without having to fly.

For an overview of the various European Sleeper night routes (Brussels-Prague, Paris-Berlin, Milan...), we also recommend our full article on European Sleeper.

What will be the line's timetable?

December 16 update - The French transport regulator has press release projected timetables for the line :

ART (Autorité de Régulation des Transports)

How much will the trip cost and what options are available on board?

Tickets will be offered at rates comparable to those on the current Nightjet with the three standard comfort classes (seats, 6-berth compartment, 3-bed comfort compartment : more info here).

European Sleeper

European Sleeper's ambition is clear: making night trains accessible to all Whether you're looking for economical travel or premium comfort.

European Sleeper

European Sleeper: by the way, who are we talking about?

Behind the Belgian-Dutch cooperative European Sleeper (about which we tell you more in this article), a mission as simple as it is ambitious: reconnecting Europe's major cities thanks to a model sustainable, profitable and socially responsible.

European Sleeper: the night train reconnecting Europe (Brussels–Prague, Paris–Berlin, Paris–Hamburg)

Since its launch in 2023, the company has already established itself as a one of Europe's few independent rail operators with :

• over 230,000 passengers,
• more than 750 trains operated,
• a line Brussels-Amsterdam-Berlin-Dresden-Prague booming.

European Sleeper

European Sleeper is also preparing new routes to Switzerland, Italy and Spain from 2026, with two potential new routes :

• Amsterdam/Brussels - Switzerland or Milan,
• a night train to Barcelona.

The coming months should confirm continued expansion. The objective? To create a a genuine European nightlife network from Amsterdam to Prague, Paris to Barcelona, in a spirit of slow, low-carbon travel. To be continued...

And the good news is that anyone can join the adventure! The cooperative lets you invest from €280 to support the development of the European night train network.

The company is currently seeking to raise 1.3 million euros then a further million in early December, to finance the launch of the Paris-Berlin service (access to rolling stock, preparation costs, coverage of start-up losses, etc.).

Even without guaranteed public support, European Sleeper chose to take the risk of "going anyway".. An audacity rare in the railway world.

Who does European Sleeper work with?

The project is on track thanks to a close collaboration with infrastructure managers : SNCF Réseau (France), Infrabel (Belgium) and DB InfraGO (Germany) are actively supporting the company's preparing train paths and services A powerful symbol of European railway cooperation.

European Sleeper

The company says it is ready to working hand in hand with ÖBB and SNCF Voyageurs to ensure a smooth transition between their current Nightjet trains and the new Paris-Berlin European Sleeper service.

"We are proud to launch this essential service in the European night train network. It demonstrates that an entrepreneurial approach can strengthen international rail links while contributing to more sustainable mobility in Europe." said Chris Engelsman co-founder of European Sleeper.

And where does Paris-Vienne fit in?

The relaunch of the Paris-Berlin route is excellent news, it's not all over yet for European night trains. Visit Paris-Vienne remains deleted to date.

European Sleeper

The collective Yes to night trains continues to mobilize via its petition, which has already gathered tens of thousands of signatures.

And if you haven't already done so, we urge you to sign it for the government to maintain its subsidy! Even if the European Sleeper teams are determined to take over the line, this could greatly help them get off to a good start. But it could also help them, we hope, to position themselves on Paris-Vienne!

At HOURRAIL! we hope that Paris-Berlin momentum may inspire a similar trajectory for Paris-Vienne We hope that the French and European authorities will seize this opportunity to strengthen the continental night-time network.

Exclusive offer for Club members HOURRAIL!

And because good news never comes alone, European Sleeper is offering an exclusive discount to all its customers. members of the Club HOURRAIL! : -20% on all routes (Paris-Berlin, Brussels-Prague, etc.) by 2026 !

👉 Want to make the most of it? Join the Club HOURRAIL! and take advantage of our exclusive application by participating in our participatory funding campaign on Ulule.

The offer will be valid until December 31, 2025 for all our members. In concrete terms, this means you can take advantage of :

• as of now 20% off tickets for the route Brussels-Prague,
• from the opening of sales on December 16 20% off tickets for the new line Paris-Berlin.

By participating in our Ulule campaign, you will contribute to the development of our application but you'll also benefit from many other exclusive advantages like this one.

Written by Sophie Renassia

Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).

Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.

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