A cork is popped and a young woman pours the red wine into plastic cups as her boyfriend shuffles a deck of cards. In the couchette next door a single father is wrestling one child into a bunk while their sibling, crayons in hand, thumps on the dividing wall.
Further along a Belgian woman reads a novel in a dimly lit compartment that she booked just for herself. “What’s the banging?” she asks as I almost fall into her room when the train ricochets over a set of points outside Antwerp station.
Welcome aboard the first European Sleeper to travel all the way from Brussels to Prague — an overnight adventure of 807 miles which, with stops in Amsterdam and Berlin, the previous terminus, connects four capitals.
We pull out of Brussels-Midi station at 19.22 on the dot, waving to the small crowd of train enthusiasts who have come to witness this maiden journey.
The Orient Express this is not. There is no dining car, no fleet of staff in velvet jackets and no luxury showers. There is no wi-fi. This is a valiant attempt at a return to a golden age of rail travel where strangers shack up in couchettes, play games and forge unexpected acquaintances.
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My journey started six hours earlier in the Eurostar departure hall — one of the most stylish ways to leave the UK from one of its most elegant stations, St Pancras.
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Brussels-Midi does not have the same charm, but it’s a means to a more enticing end. I skip the chance for frites and frikkadel (meatballs) but manage a quick stroll to the Marollen neighbourhood for a wander around the historic district with its antique shops, brasseries and quaint bars.
Back at the station my carriage awaits. My couchette-mates are already installed for the evening. Romain, from Paris, is joined by Salim, a fellow Frenchman and rail enthusiast. Despite there being room for five, we’re lucky, the attendant tells us — there will be just the three of us all the way to the Czech capital.
The lack of a dining car — notoriously expensive to run — means either an early dinner in Brussels or a picnic, foraged from around the station. We dine together, Romain tucking into his ludicrously overpriced sushi and Japanese beer, me a pricey Carrefour salad (charged by the 100g) and Belgian Jupiler beer.
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There are three sleeping options. A section of compartments, each with three bunks and a small sink, are housed in cars built in 1954-56. These are the only European sleepers ever made in the American style with a fluted, stainless-steel body. They were overhauled in the 1990s and, from my stumble into the Belgian woman’s compartment, look comfortable (prices start at £93pp).
My five-bed couchette (from £59pp) is in former Deutsche Bahn rolling stock dating from 1997 and comes with the benefit of air conditioning. It has had some minor upgrades but retains the charm of a dog-eared travel guide that has been passed down through the generations.
At one point, passing over a particularly lively set of points on the Belgium-Netherlands border, the middle bunk comes crashing down with a loud thud. Had Salim not been in the (basic) loo at the end of the car he’d have been nursing a sore head.
The even older six-bed couchette cars — no air conditioning — are being phased out of operation. There are some seat-only cars, but you won’t get a decent night’s kip in one of those. Much more appealing are the five-bed compartments I’m in or a sleeper, both of which can be booked for solo or double occupancy for a premium.
It’s too dark to admire much of the scenery, but as we leave Amsterdam Schiphol at 22:11, we lean out of the windows (yes, they open) and wave at bleary-eyed airline passengers standing on the opposite platform. They look envious, or so we tell ourselves as Romain and I crack open a tin of European Sleeper’s white-labelled wheat beer. I neglect to tell him that even two small beers are enough to make me snore.
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Before settling down for the night, we take a stroll along the train, peering nosily into each compartment. In one, a group of thirtysomething Dutch, French and Belgian friends are cracking into their second bottle of prosecco — they are on the Aperol spritzes — and the conversation is in a medley of languages. We chat away until it becomes apparent it is bedtime.
Back at our couchette Salim is in his pyjamas. I climb into bed as my phone buzzes: “Welcome to Germany.” Country three and, earplugs in, it’s time for sleep.
I’m lucky that I can kip in anything that moves — be it boat, plane, car or train. It’s just as well, as I’m this paper’s transport correspondent. In this case, bar the odd judder awake, I don’t stir until 8.30am.
Not everyone is so fortunate. “You slept like a marmot,” Romain says, as he tucks into a croissant from the breakfast box. I take it as a compliment, but later learn he’s of the opinion that marmots (ground squirrels) snore when they sleep.
I lie in bed and watch as we meander down the Elbe valley, passing pretty villages perched by the side of the river. A member of the service team brings me a paper cup of tea and creamer.
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The train is running 45 minutes late, but it doesn’t matter. We arrive in Prague at 11.45am, more than 16 hours after leaving Brussels, and step out into the bright spring sunshine.
The Belgian-Dutch European Sleeper company aspires to open a new route every year, expanding its empire. Its sights are next set on an epic from Amsterdam to Spain, provided the French grant access to their precious tracks. The company would need to acquire a second train for the service, which could launch within a year.
For now Prague is the milestone. As we bid our farewells I’m somewhat envious of Salim, a dedicated sleeper-train fan who is heading back that evening ― although it’s hard to deny the appeal of a proper hotel bed.
Ben Clatworthy was a guest of European Sleeper, which has five-bed couchettes from £59 (europeansleeper.eu) and Czech Tourism (visitczechia.com). Take the Eurostar to Brussels
Where to stay
The Falkensteiner Hotel is ideally located by Prague’s central station and has stylish rooms, a modern spa and the Monkey Bar, a chic, dimly lit, cocktail bar that doubles as the breakfast room.
Details B&B doubles from £192 (falkensteiner.com)
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