Revealed: the three best places to visit in Europe by sleeper train this winter

A flightless travel enthusiast has revealed the three ‘best sleeper trains to take in winter’ for Brits looking for a low-emission getaway in the coming months.

Sarah BM, passing by @sarahbmarks on TikTok said the routes offered the opportunity to visit destinations that would have been completely missed on a direct flight.

However, the fares for two of her trips were more expensive than flying once Overnight stays were taken into account for each sleeper train ticket.

All three of Sarah’s suggestions start with taking the Eurostar to Amsterdam – with the return flight costing around £80 to £120 if you book a few months in advance – before switching to a sleeper.

The first of the three destinations at the time of publication was Innsbruck, Austria, although prices are constantly changing.

The first suggested destination was Innsbruck, Austria, which you approach with views of snow-capped mountains

“You can sit cozy in your cabin and enjoy traditional Viennese pastries for breakfast as you pass by snow-capped mountains,” Sarah said.

Once you get there, you’ll be blessed with an array of options.

You can choose to stroll around and admire the beautiful 12th century town, or you can take advantage of the seasonal pleasures of skiing or tobogganing in the surrounding mountains.

A bunk bed on the 14-hour train will set you back around £70 each way, but if you’re on a budget and are confident you’ll get some kip while sitting up, a seat in a six-berth cabin can cost as little as £25. .

In contrast, a return flight from London to Innsbruck costs between £50 and £70, with two extra nights to compensate for the nights otherwise spent on the train, each costing around £40 in a budget hotel – meaning the total journey with the sleeper train will be around £70 more expensive.

Sarah’s second offer involved taking two standard trains from Amsterdam after an overnight stay to get to Hamburg – at a cost of just under £30 each way – before taking a sleeper train from there to Stockholm, Sweden.

Depending on when you book, a sleeper cabin costs just £50 for a bunk bed, or you can enjoy a cabin with two luxury double beds and an en suite bathroom.

If you choose the cheapest of these options, plus the connecting trains, a return flight from London to Stockholm – plus booking the extra nights you save – is almost £100 cheaper, although you may think the extra cost is worth it for some extra sightseeing and emissions savings along the way.

This train also has the appeal of an onboard bistro from which you can watch the snowy landscape fade by as you enter Sweden.

Stockholm has a classic Christmas market in November and December, but if you’re too late for that, you can still enjoy the old town or try your hand at ice skating.

Stockholm has a classic Christmas market (above) in November and December, but if you’re late for that you can still enjoy the old town or try your hand at ice skating

The sleeper train from Amsterdam to Zurich can be as cheap as £45 and you can take it on the same day you leave London for the Netherlands on the Eurostar

The last and cheapest suggestion was to take you again towards Austria, but stop in Zurich, Switzerland.

The sleeper train from Amsterdam to Zurich can be as cheap as £45 and the times can be so consistent that you can leave the Netherlands on the same day you arrive from London.

And on the other hand, flights to Zurich are the most expensive of all these destinations, with a return journey this winter likely to cost more than £100, and ‘budget’ nights there setting you back around £70.

This means that if you fancy a trip to Zurich, taking the sleeper train could save you up to £70.

Sarah suggested that once there, you can “take an ice-cold dip in the lake, or board one of their incredible local trains to the Swiss mountains.”