From 2023 we can take the night train from Amsterdam to Barcelona

In my opinion, I'm far from the only one who finds train travel so much more relaxing than flying. Sure, it takes a lot longer, but especially in Europe, that's still quite manageable. If you at least count the time to be at Schiphol on time (and that's already a long time, of course) and the waiting for your checked luggage at your destination. Train travel is much more relaxing: you don't have to worry about the number of kilos you're taking with you; you just sit down and that's it. At your destination, you only have to get off again. If you don't have a transfer, which is a requirement for me because I hate transfers.

From the end of next year, this will at least be possible to Barcelona, and I think that's great news. The company European Sleeper expects to run the first night trains then, and they will (expectedly) depart three times a week. How nice: you board in Amsterdam in the evening and wake up the next morning in Barcelona. In the Netherlands, the train will make a few stops, but then it goes straight to the Spanish city. Love it.

By the way, Barcelona will not be the only destination of European Sleepers, which was founded in 2021: Prague is also on the agenda. The starting point will be Brussels, and you will then go via Amsterdam and Berlin to the Czech capital.

And, are you going skiing? Good news, because European Sleepers has a partnership with Sunweb to transport as many skiers as possible by train to the French Alps. Super convenient, because a destination like Val Thorens is quite difficult to reach by plane. And of course, it's even better for the environment too.

The only thing I'm afraid of is the prices. There is a full-on promotion that train travel is so much better than flying – and that's certainly true – but why is it then at least as expensive or often even more expensive? Do something about those prices, and we'll all become train travelers.

Source: Parool