European Sleeper First to Open Bookings for Christmas

European Sleeper is the first train operator in Europe to open bookings for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Christmas train bookings

For many rail travellers who wish to book their Christmas and New Year journeys in advance, securing tickets is often a challenge.

Historically, most European train operators only open up for Christmas bookings around mid-October.

If you search for trains around Christmas now, you’ll likely find that there isn’t even a timetable available yet, let alone the option to book a ticket.

European Sleeper night train. ©European Sleeper

European Sleeper selling Christmas train tickets

European Sleeper has now opened up their trains for bookings during the Christmas holidays as the first railway company in Europe.

In a promotional e-mail, the train operator wrote: “While others wait for timetable bureaucracy, we make festive travel easy to plan.

“Book early to get affordable fares and to secure your spot.”

European Sleeper operates night trains linking Brussels and Amsterdam with Berlin and Prague three times a week throughout the entire Christmas and New Year holiday season, with the exception of a short break on the 30th and 31st of December.

Trains from Belgium and the Netherlands to Berlin and Prague depart on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while westbound services from Prague and Berlin to Amsterdam and Brussels run on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

Why other railway companies are late with Christmas bookings

Rail operators are historically late with their Christmas train bookings because of the annual timetable change, which takes place at midnight on the second Saturday in December.

Trains are only opened up for bookings once the entire timetable is confirmed, usually by mid-October, although this varies a bit depending on the country and railway operator.

With European Sleeper operating only one night train route, it is easier for them than for large national railway companies to finalise timetables.

Obviously, European Sleeper remains dependent on the national rail authorities of Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and the Czech Republic to set the new December 2025 timetables and confirm pathways and station access.

Although European Sleeper may have a good idea of their night train’s departure and arrival times after the timetable change, final approval is still pending.

On their website, you can therefore read that “departure and arrival times may change after your booking” when searching for departures over the Christmas holidays.

That said, European Sleeper can confirm with certainty that their standalone night train will run on those days, which is why they can already open bookings.

In contrast, daytime trains operated by national rail companies like Deutsche Bahn in Germany cannot, as these services are interconnected and bookings can only open once all train timetables are confirmed.

European Sleeper couchette carriage. ©European Sleeper

AndyB says

European Sleeper opening up bookings for Christmas is good news, as it overcomes the uncertainty caused by the early December timetable change, which usually leaves travellers unsure about which trains will run and when tickets will go on sale.

For a traveller who just needs to travel between Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, or Brussels on a direct night train over Christmas, all they need is a confirmed reservation, as these passengers are unlikely to mind if the final departure and arrival times are half an hour earlier or later.

What matters most to these rail travellers is being able to book early