I’ve been on more than 100 sleeper trains – my eight favourite winter journeys

As temperatures drop and nights become longer, Europe’s 125,000-mile rail network shuttles travellers around the continent to ski slopes, Christmas markets and surprisingly temperate shores. I try not to fly in Europe and often take night trains to save on accommodation – I’ve taken more than 100 sleeper train journeys. In the colder months, I enjoy hunkering down in well-heated carriages as I’m transported to my festive escape under cover of darkness. In the morning, sunrise and stunning scenery often await. From the Arctic Circle to Mediterranean winter sun, here are eight sleeper trains that are even better in the colder months… Helsinki to Rovaniemi Finland’s Santa Claus Express might be the ultimate winter travel experience. Decked in cartoon images of Father Christmas, the train departs from (often snowy) Helsinki, heading north to (almost certainly snowy) Lapland. In December, this part of northern Finland experiences just a few hours of sunlight a day, so the 12-hour journey usually takes place entirely in darkness. However, the cabins are cosy, the buffet serves reindeer burgers and salmon soup, and there is something especially magical about tucking in to bed and waking up in Santa’s homeland. I wouldn’t recommend doing what I did: leaving it too late to reserve a sleeper berth and instead booking a seated compartment – a private section with a glass door and two seats facing each other. There was plenty of legroom, but the seats did not recline. Travelling outside peak season (after Christmas) will likely mean greater availability, cheaper fares, and once you arrive in Lapland, more snow.Private cabins from €59 (£50), vr.fi/en/night-trains Berlin to Stockholm From the final week of November until late December, Berlin is a Christmas market lover’s dream, with more than 80 taking place around the city. Once you’ve had your fill of glühwein and stollen, hop on a 16-hour train to experience the festive season Scandinavian-style, with more markets, twinkling lights, and more hearty food. A long journey it may be, but you could break it up in Hamburg or Copenhagen (three hours and nine hours from Berlin, respectively). SJ and Snälltåget both serve this route; I took the latter and reserved an entire six-berth couchette cabin for myself for less than £200. Apart from being woken up on the Danish border for passport checks, I slept well. When we left Malmö in the morning, I enjoyed a coffee and cinnamon bun in the restaurant car, watching the snow-draped landscape pass by until we arrived in Stockholm around lunchtime. Private cabins from SEK 1,999 (£153), snalltaget.se/en/berlin Ankara to Kars When it comes to winter wonderlands, Turkey might not be the first country that springs to mind. But the Eastern Express, an often-delayed 26-hour train journey from the capital to the country’s easternmost city, Kars, will almost certainly change your mind. Traversing 800 miles along the Anatolian Plateau, it is certainly the slow route; but in the morning, you will see the sun rise as you chug along the bottom of the limestone Çaltı Canyon and past the Euphrates River. Temperatures plummet to -20°C in some places, and along the way you will spot tiny Turkish villages with snow-covered mosques. I have taken this train three times, twice in winter. Scoring tickets is challenging, due to the route’s popularity and the allocation of some sleeper cabins to a new tourist-focused train, so I would recommend emailing the team at Amber Travel, who check for last-minute cancellations and secured me a sleeper berth on my most recent trip. I once paid just £15 for seated class, which I found to be comfier than on most trains. However, the lights stay on all night and there is a lot of noise when passengers get on and off, so I’d suggest a berth if you can nab one. Private cabin €160 (£135), bed in a four-person cabin €40 (£35), ambertravel.com Claire in a cabin on the Night Riviera to Penzance London to Penzance The GWR Night Riviera departs from London Paddington just before midnight and takes eight hours to venture to the westernmost station in England. Yes, it’s dark, but watching the sunrise over Mount’s Bay makes this a journey worth taking – plus, tickets are cheapest in winter. Once you arrive, take a sauna and a cold dip in Penzance’s Art Deco Jubilee Pool – the UK’s largest sea water pool (check winter schedules – and note that the geothermally heated section is now closed for winter). At low tide, walk the causeway to the island of St Michael’s Mount, with its medieval castle. After dark, nearby West Penwith International Dark Sky Park is perfect for winter stargazing. Sleeper compartments on the Night Riviera are for single or double occupancy, with no cabins shared between strangers. I have taken this train twice and found the beds comfy and cosy; I also appreciated the in-room sink and abundant lighting and charging facilities. A basic breakfast, plus lounge access and showers at Paddington, Truro and Penzance, are included in the price of a sleeper ticket. There is a seated carriage, too, which is far cheaper but much less comfy – I have tried to snooze on it on the three-and-a-half-hour leg from London to Exeter before – I’d splashout on the upgrade. Single fares start at £49.50 plus £49 cabin supplement, gwr.com Amsterdam to Innsbruck As I often travel solo, I couldn’t wait to try ÖBB NightJet’s mini cabins, which launched at the end of 2023. These lockable, private sleeping pods cost a fraction of the price of a cabin and are installed on the Amsterdam to Innsbruck trains, along with modern cabins for two to four people. You will leave behind the flat plains of the Netherlands and spend the night trundling through Germany, waking up to Alpine views (all the better in winter) as you cross the Austrian border and arrive in Innsbruck. Here, the Nordkette cable car connects the city to local ski slopes, plus Christmas markets in December. For an entirely flight-free journey from the UK, you could first take the Eurostar to Amsterdam before changing to the night train. Couchettes from €100 (£84), private cabins from €215 (£180), nightjet.com The beautiful centre decorated for Christmas in Innsbruck (Photo: Innsbruck Tourismus/Thomas Steinlechner) Paris to Nice For another sleeper route that can be reached by Eurostar, try Paris to Nice. Day trains between these French cities take less than six hours (roughly half the duration of the sleeper), but travelling through the night means you can save on accommodation and enjoy a full day in both cities. Start with an early train from London St Pancras and store your baggage at Paris Gare d’Austerlitz while you explore. In the evening, the Intercités de Nuit train departs Austerlitz, with seats, second- and first-class couchettes (with options for female-only cabins or private bookings). After travelling through the night, you will reach the Mediterranean coast, where temperatures can reach the mid-teens in January. In the morning, take in views of the Côte d’Azur from the window of the train, which stops in Toulon and Cannes before terminating in Nice. Private cabins from €40 (£34), sncf-connect.com Vienna to Bucharest This journey is a 19-hour odyssey that spends a lazy morning winding through the peaks of Transylvania. Cabins aboard the Communist-era carriages have been modernised but are still a little dated, although they are atmospheric and – most importantly – very warm. Temperatures can drop well below freezing during winter, but I was cosy in the top berth of a six-person couchette compartment. The train departs Austria’s capital in the early evening and rolls in to Budapest before bedtime. Overnight, the train enters Romania – and with the nation now part of the Schengen Zone, nighttime border checks should be a thing of the past. In the morning, it trundles through Romania’s medieval mountain cities, Sighișoara and Brașov. You could disembark here and explore, or continue to the Romanian capital. Private cabins from 629 Lei (£90), cfrcalatori.ro/en/ The views from Brussels to Milan (Photo: European Sleeper) Brussels to Milan One of Europe’s newest sleeper trains, this route launched in September and is run by European Sleeper. Ideal for flight-free skiers, it calls at Göschenen in Switzerland, the gateway to the Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis ski area. Brussels is two hours from London on Eurostar. In the evening, the European Sleeper train leaves Bruxelles Midi/Zuid, with refurbished compartments sleeping three, four or six people (all of which can be privately booked). Arrival into Göschenen is around 7.30am, or stay on the train four more hours to Milan, as the rails twist around the Alps and past Northern Italy’s majestic lakes. Private cabins from €70 (£59), europeansleeper.eu