After a nine-year hiatus, the first night train on the Berlin-Paris route will start on Monday evening, offering travelers an alternative to flying. Nightjet Berlin-Paris night train will stop in Halle, Erfurt, Mannheim, Strasbourg, reports Guardian.

The service, considered by many to be the crown jewel of European rail travel, was canceled in 2014 despite furious protests.

Nicky Gardner, co-author of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide, said the new Nightjet service was a vital contribution to European infrastructure and integration.

“It strengthens the ties between two European capitals that have so much to do with each other, and it’s just a great way to travel. You can leave Berlin in the evening and be in Paris around 10am the next morning, then get on the Eurostar mid-morning and be in London by lunchtime,” she said.

The fully booked train, which includes sleeping compartments from standard to luxury, with individual or shared seats, some with showers and toilets, will depart on Monday evening at 20:18 and arrive in Paris at 10:24 with stops in Halle, Erfurt, Mannheim and Strasbourg.

“It kind of changes the geography of Europe”

The night train will be operated by Austrians from UBB and will run three times a week for the time being. From the fall of next year, the service will work every day.

Gardner said the time saved traveling at night was a factor that made train travel attractive, but in addition, night trains would also have the effect of opening up mainland Europe.

“It kind of changes the geography of Europe, because the time spent on the night train is actually time saved. You can take the train and get a good night’s sleep, so traveling around Europe is really worth it.”

The OBB Nightjet Paris-Berlin night train will stop in Strasbourg, Mannheim, Erfurt and Halle, depart from Paris with 12 carriages, and in Mannheim six carriages will be detached to Vienna and six will arrive in Berlin. In 2022, OBB also launched a direct train between Paris and Vienna.

Currently, those looking to travel by train from Paris to Berlin have to make between one and three transfers, depending on the route chosen, and the journey takes just under nine hours, but costs between €110 and over €200, he wrote. HotNews in September.

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