--- title: A New Night Train Takes You From London to Lake Como While You Sleep description: From December, an afternoon Eurostar and the European Sleeper reach Lake Como by mid-morning. Times, fares, cabins and tips. author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-11-01T08:05:07.447Z updated: 2026-11-01T08:10:58.915Z canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/london-to-lake-como-sleeper-train image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-30440312.webp categories: Smart Travel, Destinations content_type: Guide region: Italy, Belgium publication: Rich Travel Magazine schema_type: Article about: - type: Organization name: European Sleeper description: Belgian-Dutch night train operator running sleeper services from Brussels to Prague, Paris to Berlin and, from September 2026, Brussels to Milan. url: https://www.europeansleeper.eu industry: Rail transport --- Leave London in the afternoon, wake up in the Swiss Alps and step off the train at Lake Como in time for a late-morning coffee by the water. From December, that journey takes one change of train, [one night in a proper bed](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/travel-while-you-sleep-back-on-track-released-its-2026-map) and no airport. Two new services make it work. Since 9th September, [the Dutch-Belgian operator European Sleeper](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/four-of-europe-s-coolest-cities-are-set-to-be-connected-by-a-brand-new-sleeper-train) has run [a night train from Brussels to Milan](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/back-on-track-8-destinations-to-discover-by-train-in-europe-this-autumn) that stops at Lugano and Como. From the European timetable change on 13th December, the train is due to leave Brussels earlier and call at Antwerp, Breda and Eindhoven on its way to Cologne. A day later, on 14th December, Eurostar starts running four direct trains a day from London St Pancras to Antwerp-Centraal. ## Two ways to catch the sleeper from London From 13th December the sleeper is scheduled to leave Brussels-Midi at 17:22 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and Antwerp-Centraal at 18:10. The Brussels route gives you the afternoon departure. On the current timetable, a Eurostar leaving St Pancras at 13:01 reaches Brussels-Midi at 16:06. That leaves just over an hour to buy a picnic and a bottle of wine and walk to the sleeper's platform in the same station. The Antwerp route asks for an earlier start but gives you a better afternoon. The direct Eurostar leaving St Pancras at 11:04 is due into Antwerp-Centraal at 14:57, about three hours before the sleeper calls. The station itself, a domed neo-baroque hall completed in 1905, is one of the most admired in Europe. The diamond district begins at its doors, and the Cathedral of Our Lady, which holds several paintings by Rubens, stands in the old town within walking distance. ## What the night looks like Between about 23:00 and midnight, the train follows the Rhine between Koblenz and Mainz, past the Lorelei rock. Passengers with a compartment on the river side can switch off the light and lift the blind. By morning the train has reached Switzerland. Daytime trains from Zurich to Milan now use the modern Gotthard Base Tunnel, but the sleeper takes the original line over the mountains. It stops at Göschenen at about 08:10, then enters the 15 km Gotthard Tunnel, opened in 1882, whose highest point sits 1,151 metres above sea level inside the mountain. After Bellinzona and Lugano, the line runs beside Lake Lugano and crosses it on a causeway. Shortly before the train reaches Como San Giovanni, due at 10:40, Lake Como appears over the rooftops of the town on the left-hand side. ## Which ticket to book European Sleeper sells four classes, and fares rise as the train fills, much like airfares. - **Budget:** a seat in a six-seat compartment, from €49. It is not a comfortable way to spend a night. - **Classic:** a couchette with sheet, blanket and pillow, from €69 in a six-berth compartment or €79 in a four-berth. - **Comfort Standard:** a couchette compartment made up with a mattress, pillow and duvet, from €119 per bed in a triple, €149 in a double and €289 on your own. Breakfast costs extra. - **Comfort Plus:** the sleeping car, with a washbasin, towels and slippers, from €139 per bed in a triple, €169 in a double and €339 in a single. Morning tea or coffee and a breakfast box are included. A couple sharing a Comfort Plus double would pay from €338 for the night train, plus from £102 for two one-way Eurostar tickets. Sleeper bookings open up to six months ahead. On busy dates, the European Sleeper Pass can cap the cost. The pass costs €149 for a month, and a reservation on top has a fixed price, for example €179 for a single sleeper, however full the train. ## At the other end From Como San Giovanni, the walk down to the main square beside the lake takes about 12 minutes. Regional trains leave hourly for Milano Centrale and take 41 minutes, which makes Como an easy first stop on the way to Venice, Florence or Rome. Travellers going straight to Milan can stay on board until Milano Porta Garibaldi, due at 11:30. ## Coming home The return needs a different plan, because Antwerp-Centraal has no UK border checks and Eurostar runs no direct trains from Antwerp to London. From 13th December, the northbound sleeper is scheduled to leave Como at 18:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and to reach Brussels-Midi at 11:25 the next morning. A Eurostar at 14:52 arrives at St Pancras at 15:57 and leaves a margin if the sleeper runs late. ## Before you book The times above come from the standard timetable, and engineering works can move them by hours. The train that left Brussels on 31st October, for example, was scheduled to reach Como at 12:31. European Sleeper publishes dated timetables on its website and notifies passengers of changes, and the train has no wifi, takes no bicycles and does not yet have wheelchair-accessible compartments. The first Tuesday on which both new services run is 15th December, ten days before Christmas.