Heritage Cities
Europe's cultural capitals connected by overnight sleeper trains
Europe's cultural capitals connected by overnight sleeper trains
This route revives the golden age of European rail travel: overnight journeys between great cities, sleeping through borders, waking refreshed in the heart of a new place. No airports, no early-morning scrambles, no suburban hotels. Just classical Europe delivered directly to city centers while you dream.
Prague to Vienna. Vienna to Venice. Venice to Munich. Munich to Paris. Each night train becomes a hotel room that moves, covering distance while you rest. Each morning brings a different station, a different language, a different architecture waiting just beyond the platform.
The Heritage Cities route celebrates both the destinations—places that shaped Western culture—and the journey itself. Modern sleeper cars offer privacy and comfort, dining cars serve regional cuisine, and the gentle motion of the rails provides the soundest sleep many travelers report having in years. There's something deeply civilizing about this pace: arriving without jetlag, oriented and ready to explore.
Between cities, you'll have full days and evenings to wander. No rushing to see highlights. Time for coffee that lasts hours, museums visited at your own speed, evenings at concert halls or simply watching city life from sidewalk tables. This is how travelers once moved through Europe, and how it's meant to be experienced.
Arrive by midday. Three nights in Malá Strana, the baroque quarter below the castle. Days for exploring Charles Bridge at dawn before crowds arrive, Kafka's city of labyrinths, Jewish Quarter synagogues, and beer halls where Havel's dissidents once gathered. Evening concerts in churches with perfect acoustics.
Evening departure from Praha hlavní nádraží. Dinner in the dining car as the train follows the Vltava south, then crosses into Austria. Sleep in your private compartment. Wake to coffee and pastries as the train rolls through Austrian countryside toward Wien.
Morning arrival at Wien Hauptbahnhof. Four nights in Vienna allows proper immersion: the Kunsthistorisches Museum (budget half a day), Schönbrunn and Belvedere palaces, coffeehouse sessions with Sachertorte and newspapers, the Naschmarkt for people-watching. Optional evening at the Staatsoper. Vienna rewards slow appreciation.
Late evening departure. The train crosses the Alps overnight—you sleep through passes you traversed slowly on the Alpine route. Wake to see the Alps receding behind as the train descends toward the Adriatic and the Venice lagoon.
Early morning arrival at Venezia Santa Lucia. Step out to find the Grand Canal at your feet. Three nights in Venice provides time beyond the obvious tourist circuit: Scuola Grande di San Rocco for Tintoretto, Giudecca island for quiet walks, Rialto market at dawn, and crucially, time to simply get lost in the maze.
Midday departure on a day train for the scenic journey: back across the Alps through the Brenner Pass. Watch the landscape transform from Mediterranean to Alpine to Bavarian as you travel. Evening arrival in Munich, Germany's relaxed southern capital.
Two days for Munich's pleasures: the Alte Pinakothek's collection, the Englischer Garten for strolling and surfing waves, traditional beer gardens, and the contrast between Bavarian tradition and contemporary culture. The city that proves Germany can be gemütlich.
Evening departure eastward through southern Germany into France. The night train to Paris revived in 2023, returning this classic connection. Sleep through Stuttgart and Strasbourg, wake somewhere in Burgundy with morning light on vineyard rows.
Morning arrival at Gare de l'Est. Two days in Paris to synthesize all you've seen: how the artistic innovations you saw in Vienna and Munich filtered to Paris, how Czech literature relates to French existentialism, how Venice influenced Impressionism. Or simply eat croissants and watch the Seine. Both are valid approaches.
Depart from Paris by train to wherever home or adventure calls next. The Eurostar to London, TGV south to Marseille, or rail onward deeper into Europe.
This route operates year-round. Extensions to Budapest, Krakow, or other cities available.
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