Night Train Operators at a Glance

The big five

Nightjet (ÖBB) is the largest network, with routes radiating from Vienna and Munich across central and western Europe. European Sleeper is a young Belgian–Dutch cooperative running Brussels–Berlin–Prague and Brussels–Venice. Caledonian Sleeper is a dedicated UK operator from London to Scotland. Snälltåget is a Swedish private operator running Stockholm and Malmö to Berlin in summer. Intercités de Nuit is SNCF's domestic French network, mostly Paris to the south.

Comfort tier

Nightjet's newest mini-cabin stock, rolling out since 2024, offers single capsules with private en-suite — the closest you'll get to a hotel room on rails. Caledonian Sleeper's "Club" rooms include a private bathroom and double bed. European Sleeper uses refurbished older sleeper stock with shared corridor washrooms. Snälltåget and Intercités de Nuit run the most basic stock — couchettes and sleepers with shared facilities and no en-suite option.

Pricing and flexibility

Nightjet, SNCF, and Caledonian Sleeper all use dynamic pricing — book early for the best fare. European Sleeper and Snälltåget are closer to fixed-tier systems with more stable prices but less flex. Refund policies vary: Nightjet's non-flex Sparschiene tickets are non-refundable; Caledonian Sleeper allows changes for a fee; European Sleeper has narrow refund windows; SNCF allows free exchange on flex fares.

Reliability

Nightjet is generally punctual within Austria and Germany; longer cross-Europe routes accumulate more delay because they pass through multiple infrastructure managers. Caledonian Sleeper is the most punctual of the five — single operator, single network, no border. European Sleeper has had reliability issues in its first two years, particularly on the Berlin–Prague extension. Snälltåget runs reliably during its summer season.