Shorter journeys and €10 tickets: 5 brand new European train routes

The rail revival continues at pace, with European train companies rolling out new routes every month.

Exciting new journeys are opening up in 2025, making it easier to explore the continent by rail. 

We’ve hand-picked five of the best that are sure to have you making plans for next year.

Sleep your way from Brussels to Venice

European Sleeper is a relative newcomer in the train world, with its first Brussels to Berlin service debuting in May 2023. But with the company set to launch perhaps its most exciting route yet in February 2025, it seems it’s just getting started.

European Sleeper will inaugurate the journey on 5 February, whisking passengers from Brussels to the floating city of Venice.

The trip takes around 20 hours, departing Brussels at 5pm and arriving in Venice at 2pm the next day. For the return journey, it leaves Venice at 3pm and arrives in Brussels at 11am.

En route, the service travels through four stunning European cities, including Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Munich in Germany, Innsbruck in Austria, and Bolzano in Italy, before skirting the foothills of the Dolomites to arrive in Venice. 

There’s a restaurant car on board for dinner service and a lounge bar for drinks. It will operate twice a week during February and March, perfect for spring breakers or those on their way to the region’s ski resorts. It’s also perfectly timed to coincide with Venice’s flamboyant carnival that runs from 14 February to 5 March next year.

The train has three classes of travel – sleeper cabins, couchette cabins, and upright seats. 

At the time of writing, all sleeper cabins are booked through to the end of March, when the published schedule ends. However, couchette cabins, seating five to six people with fold-out beds and priced from €139.00, are available. 

For an extra €14, you can book breakfast, served around 45 minutes before arrival.

Fall asleep with Van Gogh, wake up with Gaudi

One of the most eagerly anticipated services is the sleeper route connecting Amsterdam with Barcelona, two of Europe’s most popular cities. 

It is possible to travel between the two cities by train right now, but it takes around 17 hours and several changes along the way. European Sleeper wants to change all that with a direct sleeper service running through Brussels and Lille before reaching Barcelona.

The service was set to launch in spring 2025 but has been pushed back as the train operator navigates various challenges. Chris Engelsman, co-founder of European Sleeper, says he remains hopeful of launching in late 2025 but admits it could be 2026 or beyond.

Nevertheless, it’s a route to watch and to get excited about, as luxury travel influencer Christina Tan explained: “I’m beyond excited about the new train routes coming to Europe in 2025! I have a soft spot for night sleeper trains, and with Amsterdam and Barcelona being two of my favourite cities, I can’t wait to experience that route. Train travel just makes the journey as memorable as the destination!”

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From Paris to Berlin (and every disco you get in)

Since December 2023, the Nightjet sleeper train has been running three times a week between the French and German capitals. 

It takes just over 13 hours from Paris and around 14 and a half hours from Berlin. Trains leave early evening and arrive the following morning, and the route has proven popular for those who love to sleep their way across the continent.

But from the end of this year, there will be a new high-speed daytime connection that will cut travel time to eight hours and let you see the best of Europe as you pass through the countryside.

Mark Smith, better known as the Man in Seat 61, told Euronews Travel: “There’ll be a new direct ICE train between Paris and Berlin, the first direct daytime train in decades. Leaving Paris Est at 09:55, it reaches Berlin Hbf 18:03, providing a chill-out day with a restaurant car for lunch and free WiFi. With fares from €59.99, I think it’ll prove very popular!”

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Launching on 16 December, the service will cut travel time between the cities to just eight hours. Stopping in Strasbourg, Frankfurt, and Karlsruhe, the service passes through the beautiful German interior, where passengers are sure to be glad they’ve got daylight to enjoy the scenery.

Ultimate luxury on rails from La Dolce Vita

In a celebration of life and luxury, Orient Express La Dolce Vita might be at the pricey end of train travel, but it’s worth it if you crave a taste of the golden era. 

The new ‘vintage style’ train will have just 11 carriages for 62 guests. These include 12 deluxe cabins, 18 master suites, and one ‘La Dolce Vita’ suite. Every cabin has a double bed, sofa, armchairs, and a private bathroom, and room service is available throughout.

Most of the trips originate in Rome and have itineraries of between one and two nights onboard. Routes head both north and south and include Venice, Portofino, Matera, and Catania. La Dolce Vita is expected to add more international routes in 2025, including Paris, Istanbul and Split in Croatia.

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This is a train trip that’s much more about the journey than the destination, and the fares reflect that. Prices start at €2,500 per person per night in a deluxe cabin and €4,000 in a suite. The first departure is expected to be on April 4, 2025

GoVolta for budget big trips

Dubbed the ‘easyJet of the railways,’ Dutch company GoVolta is set to offer long-distance services for less in 2025. 

The company has plans to connect Amsterdam and Berlin starting in September, with services leaving in the early morning and arriving late afternoon. Beyond that, connections are planned from Amsterdam to Copenhagen and Basel, both of which will launch after Berlin but still in 2025.

Unlike most of the popular European services, GoVolta’s trains will not be high-speed. That means, inevitably, that journeys will take longer – Amsterdam to Berlin is estimated to be an eight hour journey rather than the six hours with Deutsche Bahn.

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But with slower speeds come cost savings, and GoVolta is keen to pass these on to its customers. Standard second-class seats on the inaugural route are priced from just €10, making it significantly cheaper than any other option.

Tickets are set to go on sale in January, and the company has promised at least 110 sub-€10 tickets on every service.