European Sleeper Reviews 

We had a very bad experience with this train from Belgium to Prague. There was something wrong with the train. The passengers were not kept informed. In Germany it started with 3.5 hours. When the train finally drove again, it stopped for 2x 2 hours at the next 2 stations without communicating it with the passengers. Fortunately, the train drove to Berlin without delay, where we were told at the last minute that the train was not going further to Prague, and we had to figure out which train to take to Prague. Sorry for the inconvenience we were only told. We all had to pay for a train ticket for an extra 227 euros. The ticket is reimbursed by Europian Sleeper, but what a misery this trip was. Finally we arrived in Prague in the evening instead of the afternoon. We will never book a trip through this company again.

We had a very good travel Brussel-Praag two ways. The train is comfortable. We could sleep very well. The breakfast was excellent. Although there was a problem with the departure time in Brussels, the company solved it properly. Thank you European Sleeper we will see each other next time.

I booked the Milan to Brussels sleeper to travel in the Comfort Plus compartment with me and my wife, celebrating a big anniversary. I received an email a day or so before departure letting me know i was being downgraded to 'Classic' compartment and would receive 100 euros if I decided to travel. There were contradictory emails sent about time of departure, stating that it would be an hour or more early, but on arrival at Milan, the message board said we would be 2 hours waiting while the train was being cleaned. This was a new route only the second day running.
On entering the train, it had not been cleaned - it was like a budget hotel on wheels. A stinking airplane type toilet for all our carriage with no soap, and two small 'cupboards' with basins for washing in, which only had frosted windows, no curtains. We got going and about 10 minutes outside Como, we stopped for over an hour and then got moving again. Unfortunately it was dark going through the Alps, so didn't see anything. The heating on board was from 1980s, cold during the night and warm in the morning and no way to switch off. We felt every movement of the train and got only a few hours sleep. What an experience!!! Never again!!! Definitely think twice about this way of travel unless you are a backpacker. I'm 64 and fit and this was not what I expected from the website info. We will end up laughing about it, but if I knew what I know now, I would have avoided this train and booked my own travel up through the Alps.

Sadly, our trip on the European Sleeper was dreadful, after we had loomed forward to it ages. The carriage we had was comfort plus, it was dirty. Our breakfast was not chilled so we had warm yoghurts and conjealed cheese. It was disgusting. Worse still at least 5 toilets near us were out of order, so we had to queue to use one along way from our carriage which was also filthy. I've complained and sent in photos. I've been offered 15% refund. My bank are also looking into this matter as a fraudulent payment as the service was so poor.

Two rides, same experience: very bad

The train is very old, it was too hot, shaking and making rattling noises. Half of the toilets were out of service.

Not enough vertical space where 3 people sleeping.
Bed linen was just one piece(an envelope to tuck yourself in)?!

When leaving from Paris, our train station was changed to be somewhere FAR outside of the city.
AND the time was moved to EARLIER. The situation was confusing - no signs pointing to the correct platform, nothing. Only seeing other confused travellers reassured us that we were (probably) in the right place.

And that all for >100eur price tag.

The first time I travelled with them the way to Prague went well. In the way back, my train stopped in the middle of the night somewhere in Germany and we were told we had to leave the train and arrange our own transport resulting into 5+ hours delay and missing half a night of sleep. Now half a year later I wanted to try again from Milan, we adapted our holiday plans by taking a ferry from Sardinia and travelling to Milan, to travel environmentally conscious. Whilst on the way to Milan, received a message the train was cancelled and we had to find our own alternative transport. By this time we could not reach cologne on time anymore and we had to book a flight, leaving our tickets from cologne to home useless. We will get the flight ticket reimbursed, but I will never book with this unreliable transport company again. Even though I strongly support travelling by train, there should be a better way of organising this.

First train had 4 hours of delay, resulting in losing half a day of visits. Train to go back was canceled hours before we were supposed to go, with no solution to go back home. Horrible experience, do not recommend

Want to ruin your vacation? Take this train. What a terrible experience!!

We were supposed to spend 1.5 days in Prague (which is already very short), but that wouldn’t really be a problem if the train actually departed and arrived at the times stated on the website.

We travelled from Amsterdam to Prague. On the way there, we already had a 3-hour delay, which is a huge amount of time when you’re only staying in Prague for 1.5 days. We received no apology, no explanation and nothing whatsoever.

Now, on the way back, we suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere. There was absolutely no announcement or explanation about why we had stopped. Only after we asked ourselves and had already been waiting for an hour were we told that there was a technical problem — in other words, the train was broken.

We have now been standing at the exact same place for almost 3 hours, and the staff are not communicating anything with the passengers. We have no idea what is happening or how much longer we will be stuck here.

We have also tried to order drinks three times, but the staff simply don’t come to help us.

The food is also terrible. The only things you can order are basically a Bifi sausage or chips. And the breakfast, which costs an unbelievable €14.50, consists of a dry cracker, a tiny yoghurt and a vacuum-packed, chemical-tasting airplane-style sandwich.

Oh, and let’s not forget the hygiene. We are sleeping in the same compartment as on the way there. On the journey to Prague, there was some kind of ball of mould on the sleeping bench. And guess what? It was still there on the way back. This means that the compartment clearly wasn’t cleaned in between — and honestly makes us wonder whether it is ever cleaned at all.

And these are just a few of the problems. There are probably another 100 things I could mention.

DO NOT BOOK THIS TRAIN!! If you want to enjoy your vacation, take a plane or choose another way of travelling. This was one of the worst travel experiences we have ever had.

Horrible experience. The staff spent their time hanging out in a room listening to loud music. Anytime anyone asked a question they were treated like they were intruding on their time. They wouldn't even stow a women's bicycle when she got on, so she had to cram it into our car which already had 5 people.

[Edit after latest reply from European Sleeper lying about a refund is on the way for a train which ruined my holiday]:

I indeed received a refund… of 50% of the train which was cancelled on the morning of the departure. No reason was given as to why European Sleeper decided to keep 50% of the amount I paid for the train which never came. Moreover despite first train arriving late (2h10 delay) I got no reimbursement for it neither despite the policy and confirmation of it in the email exchange.
[this is the end of 10/9/26 edit, initial review starts below]

End of June I booked a round trip from Brussels to Berlin with European Sleeper as a surprise gift for my wife's birthday. Not only this was a ruined gift, but it turned out to be the worst travel experience of my entire life due to European Sleeper service.

My train to Berlin ES475 arrived more or less 3 hours late with no updates about the train (which was stuck as "unconfirmed" status on the station screens). We were redirected to another station, with no information about our train and European Sleeper support was not helpful at all. The train finally came but arrived to Berlin late.

To go back home it was even worse. On the morning of the day of the departure (!) we received an email saying that our train is cancelled. No alternative route, no support, no help at all was offered. We were stuck abroad and had to find an urgent way to get home which cost me hundreds of euros of additional costs while european support wasn't responding via chat / whatsapp / calls.

To top it all up, this has happened on the trip of 25th to 29th of June.
Today, more than 2 months later I am still fighting to get a refund for a train which never came and a train which was delayed.
I have been falsely promised a prompt refund 3 times at this point while the company violates legal delays for its clients rights.
European Sleeper does not repsect their legal obligations, does not offer any support while leaving their clients stranded abroad and steals the money for the trains they don't even provide.

I will never again book a European Sleeper train and I highly recommend to stay away from this company

The dream of a night sleeper train is vey romantic and exciting. I found my return experience better than my outgoing one. On my outgoing journey I found the train, although comfortable, rather grubby round the edges. Despite requesting my bunk to be set out by 21.30-22.00, I didn't actually 'get to bunk' until about midnight, unfortunately the 2 women sharing my 3-bunk apartment were more interested in drinking their wine and chatting to each other, than being friendly.
My return journey, although I was downgraded, was much better. The train was altogether cleaner and the staff more obliging and thank goodness my companions were more friendly.

The train arrived two hours late with no explanation. We did not depart until 2 AM.Not conducive to a full night’s sleep.I booked a private compartment and was forced to share it with 4 other senior citizens who had booked private compartments .
We had to pull down our own bunks because the rude young lady wouldn’t help us.
We’re all 70 years and older.
There was NO LADDER to climb to the top bunks. We asked for one and never received it. Two senior citizens had to climb up WITHOUT A LADDER. The company is lucky no one was injured .
We had to hoist luggage to a
shelf by the top bunks or there would not have been room to pull down the bunks.Again without a ladder or assistance.
One woman is disabled and uses a walker which is why she booked a private compartment . There wasn’t room for her to turn around or manage comfortably.
The bathrooms were disgusting and the entire train smelled like urine
The staff was rude and it seemed a burden for them to find pillows, blankets and sheets for us.
The trains are old and not what one would expect from a European train.

I have contacted the company for e refund but am told I will only receive partial payment.
Read the reviews on other sites; all bad. Do not use this company.

Everything is great. Affordable night trains finally

TL;DR: no working toilets, last minute cancellations, non-existent customer services or compensation.

Booked 2 journeys: Brussels to Berlin and then Berlin to Paris - both a disaster and still waiting for refunds and compensation 2+ months after it was originally promised.

Brussels to Berlin: train was very delayed - you can basically assume this will be the case with these services. Within a couple of hours, there were *no functioning toilets onboard*. It was 30+ degrees on the train and we were having to ration water to avoid needing the toilet. This is not safe or humane, or maybe even legal?

Berlin to Paris: as we waited the train was announced as more and more delayed. After 2.5 hours waiting at the station with no information, the train was cancelled late at night leaving everyone stranded in Berlin with no transport and no accommodation. Luckily me and my partner had some friends we could stay with and were forced to book a flight to Paris the following morning.

Communication from European Sleeper stated they would offer either a refund *or* compensation up to 125EUR per person. Firstly - this should not be an either/or. Secondly, 125EUR is patently not enough to cover last minute accommodation and travel costs across Europe - it wasn't enough to cover the flights alone.

Finally, it is now 2 months later and this compensation still has not been paid. I am increasingly doubtful it will ever be paid meaning I am down hundreds of Euros.

I have taken plenty of night trains around Europe and am happy 'roughing it'. Even took this service a while back when it first launched so thought I knew what to expect - something a bit rough round the edges but doable. After this experience I will sadly be telling everyone I know to avoid European Sleeper's services.

Terrible experience. The train was delayed more than 2 hours, the rooms are OLD, no AC, very small and uncomfortable. Not taking it again.

If you don’t expect a 5 star hotel, you will definitely enjoy a beautiful over-night ride.

I was looking forward to the Sleeper Train. It was the most disappointing experience and a nightmare to sleep in this extremely small compartment meant for 2 people. It was impossible to wash yourself in the wash basin. Toilets were either locked by staff on the entire journey or the ones which were working did not have lights, the same applied sadly to the communal washing facilities. This is not legal . These issues were known to the train company when I spoke to the onboard train manager because they have been experiencing difficulties with the company responsible for emptying the waste for quite some time. It is a very noisy journey during the night even when using earplugs. For the above mentioned reasons I am unable to recommend sleeper trains from Brussels Midi to Berlin and return. The breakfast sadly is nothing to write about home. Don’t ask for a second cup of coffee, you are charged Euros 3 extra for a tiny cup of coffee. The idea of having sleeper trains is fantastic but these trains need upgrading and a complete overhaul.

Wonderful experience. Good service and nice cabins.

However, the curtains are too small, causing light flickering in my eyes whilst trying to sleep. A small but important downside.

I took European Sleeper from Antwerp to Berlin in a 5-person couchette and overall the experience was alright :).
On the way there I got lucky to get a private compartment even though I paid for a shared one. On the way back the compartment was full, but I met nice people.
The trains were on time in both directions. I'm not sure how common that is, but it was nice to have a punctual train.
The bunks themselves are not super soft like a bed at home, but they're surprisingly comfortable. You get water in a nice looking water bottle made out of cardboard, a small sleeping bag I think and a blanket. The couchettes themselves were quite clean.
However, this trip wasn't perfect. On the way there I didn't sleep so well because the compartment wasn't super quiet. You could here the sounds the train made from outside. You need earplugs or headphones to sleep easily. The early arrival at 6 am in Berlin is also not my favourite because you have to make sure you don't stay asleep and miss your stop. The biggest problem I had were the toilets on the return journey. Some toilets and washing areas were out of order, but the ones that were in order were bad. The running water often didn't work or was very weak. I tried grabbing a paper tissue above the sink and ALL of the tissues just fell out. Lastly, in one of the toilets, when I wanted to throw away something, the garbage can just fell apart.
The compartment itself: 8,5/10
Toilets: 3/10
I give this a 6,5/10 for the whole experience.
I only paid 80 euros return because there was a flashsale. The tickets are often more expensive. The faulty and sometimes messy toilets are tolerable for the price I paid, but for the normal price of like 180 euros or something like that the toilets should not be this faulty.

Our journeys started with chaotic boarding; the coaches do not follow any order and there is no information and too few staff to help. There are no staff or any staff who know anything about the service at the departure stations.

We had a compulsory downgrade on the way out, we ended up on an uncomfortable train seat with an itchy blanket, I got than 2 hours sleep. The trains really rattle, the toilets are mostly blocked and the sinks ran out of water, so you can’t even wash.

On the way back the company moved the departure station and moved the departure time forward by an hour, we weren’t notified and so missed our train despite arriving at the station an hour and a half before the time it said on our ticket.

I tried to contact the company to say we would catch them up at Hamburg (thanks to Deutschebahn who managed to find out what was going on and find a way to catch the train up). However there was no phone number and the ES chat bot couldn’t respond to anything we needed. By the time we got to Hamburg they had sold our room because we had missed the train. They did find us another room, this room was more comfortable as it was the class we had booked, so that was a positive. The staff were nice but there was nowhere near enough of them. The toilets were still disgusting and the DB train cost us 180euro. It was overall a very stressful experience.

Nobody knows anything about the company or how to contact them. Staff at Brussels and Berlin spoke of regular issues and no way to contact the company. It’s a great idea but the reality was disappointing.