European Sleeper will travel to Venice next Tuesday, 4 March 2025. Previously, on 5 and 14 February, the night train was scheduled to reach Venice in Italy, but the journey ended in Innsbruck in Austria instead, as the Italian carrier declined to operate the final leg.

The company has now secured access to the Italian rail network for the remaining two trips to and from Venice. However, it is still unclear which station in Venice will serve as the final stop.

“We now confirm that our two March departures will travel all the way through the scenic Brenner Pass, stopping in Bolzano/Bozen and several other fascinating destinations in Italy. Passengers on our first trains unfortunately had to change trains in Innsbruck”, the European Sleeper websites says. 

On Tuesday 4 March, the train will depart from Brussels-South/Midi in Belgium and travel via Breda and Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Innsbruck, and Bolzano before reaching Venice at 3 PM. 

The return journey is set for Saturday 8 March. European Sleeper will make its final trip from Brussels to Venice on 12 March, with the return leg scheduled for 16 March.

February farce

In February, European Sleeper was informed just one day before departure that the train could not enter Italy. 

As a last-minute solution, arrangements were made with the Austrian ÖBB to allow passengers to continue their journey from Innsbruck to Venice. The 14 February journey also terminated in Innsbruck instead of Venice.

The issue arose due to a missing signature on an agreement with the Italian train operator Arenaways. Although European Sleeper had reached an agreement with the Italian side, the signing was repeatedly delayed, preventing the train from entering Italy.

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