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Night trains linking Paris with Vienna and Berlin will be discontinued from mid-December, Austrian national rail operator ÖBB has announced.
It follows the French government’s withdrawal of funding.
The NightJet services launched in 2023 in partnership with France’s state railway SNCF, Germany’s Deutsche Bahn and Belgium’s SNCB.
“Night trains can only be operated with the participation of international partners,” ÖBB said in a statement, expressing regret for the discontinuation.
Nightjet discontinues Paris-Berlin-Vienna sleeper trains
Nightjet services connecting Paris, Berlin and Vienna will no longer be offered as of 14 December 2025.
“Operating night trains is indeed a huge economic challenge,” French operator SNCF said in a statement.
It added that even with an average occupancy rate of 70 per cent, cross-border night services “are not economically viable without state subsidies”.
“While a seat on an aeroplane can be sold up to five times a day and a seat on a day train up to four times, a seat on a night train can only be sold once a day,” SNCF said.
“In addition, the personnel costs are higher on night trains (more service staff are needed, more cabin crew due to border crossings, and the cost of night services is higher). Long journeys incur costs related to accessing infrastructure in several countries and high energy costs.”
ÖBB has confirmed it will maintain its thrice-weekly Nightjet service linking Vienna and Brussels into 2026, as well as on popular routes such as Vienna-Amsterdam and Munich-Rome.
Alternative night trains between Paris and European capitals
If you’re looking for a sleeper experience from the French capital, there are plenty of alternative routes.
Italy’s Thello operator runs services between Paris and Dijon in France and Brescia, Bologna, Florence, Milan, Padova, Venice, Verona and Vicenza in Italy.
Passengers can choose from 6-berth and 4-berth couchette cabins – both of which are air conditioned and include a bottle of water - and 3-berth, 2-berth and single sleeper cabins.
Sleeper cabins have a washbasin with hot and cold water, a real bed, a complimentary toiletry kit and a bottle of water.
On arrival, passengers receive a welcome drink. In the morning, attendants serve a continental breakfast together with the newspaper of the day in the dining car (both included in the cost of the ticket).
Within France, there are dozens of Intercités de Nuit trains between Paris and cities including Briançon, Nice and Toulouse.
Passengers can choose between a berth in a 4-bed couchette in first or second class.
If you want to travel from Paris to Berlin, you can do so with a combination of the Eurostar and the European Sleeper.
To do that, travellers should take the Eurostar to Brussels, from where the Good Night Train connects to Berlin. You can also take the sleeper to several other destinations, including Amsterdam, Dresden and Prague.
Luxury sleeper trains leaving from Paris
Paris is also the departure point for two of Europe’s most magnificent rail experiences.
Golden Eagle Luxury Trains offer a seven-day odyssey of opulence between the French capital and Istanbul.
Things kick off with a champagne reception at the station, and maintain a steady level of lavishness from there.
There are stops in France’s Reims to visit a champagne house, an afternoon at Slovenia’s Postojna Cave, spirit-tasting in Belgrade, and a city tour of Sofia.
Alternatively, you can experience the time-honoured splendour of the Venice Simplon Orient Express on a journey from Paris to Venice.
Passengers spend the journey in 1920s restored carriages, between the velvet upholstered dining car and cabins with Art Deco light fittings and marble bathrooms.