For twenty years, overnight trains in Europe were a dying form — too slow for business travellers, too expensive to run, and outcompeted at both ends by budget airlines. In 2016 the situation looked terminal. In 2026 the situation has, against all odds, reversed. The Austrian state railway ÖBB has built an entire brand around Nightjet. SNCF has brought back the Paris–Vienna route. European Sleeper runs Brussels to Prague three nights a week. The night train is back because flying is, quietly, over.
What nobody who hasn't done it recently realises is how civilised the new generation of night trains is. You get a bunk, a reading light, a sink, breakfast delivered to your compartment. You board at 8 p.m. in one country, have a drink in the dining car, go to bed, and wake up in another country with the entire day ahead of you. You have not lost a night; you have gained one.
Book the compartment, not the seat
The economy bunks are fine; the real experience is the single- or double-occupancy compartment with a proper door you can lock. It is three times the price and ten times the experience, and it is still cheaper than a hotel room plus a flight. Book six months ahead. The good compartments sell out within days of release.
There is also, finally, a climate case. A flight from Paris to Vienna produces roughly 250 kg of CO2 per passenger. The equivalent Nightjet journey is under 20 kg. If you have been looking for a reason to stop flying for holidays, the night train is the first option in twenty years that does not involve any material compromise on convenience.