New Sleeper Train Allows Slow Travel To South Tyrol

European Sleeper have introduced a new service that will provide travellers with an alternative way to reach South Tyrol and the Italian Alps.

This route will travel from Brussels to Venice via Eindhoven, Cologne, Munich, Innsbruck, Bolzano and Verona.
The new route was designed with the aim of connecting travellers between even more European cities and winter sports destinations.

Bolzano, a city in the South Tyrol province of north Italy, is a gateway to the Dolomites mountain range in the Italian Alps.

The overnight journey, which in total connects Brussels with Venice via Eindhoven, Cologne, Munich, Innsbruck and Bolzano has couchettes and sleeper compartments.

The European Sleeper is a private rail company also offers routes from Brussels to Berlin via Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam and from Brussels to Dresden, Saxon Switzerland, the Elbe Valley and Prague.

A great place to use as a Bolzano base is the Park Hotel Holzner, a family-run hotel located 1,200 metres above sea level on the Ritten plateau, just above Bolzano in South Tyrol.

The hotel, which blends the historic charm of its 1908 Alpine Jugendstil origins with a modern 2018 expansion, offers a balance of tradition and contemporary design.

It is a mountain retreat with a short cable car ride from Bolzano’s historical heart. With over a century of history, the Holzner family remains dedicated to preserving South Tyrol’s environmental and cultural heritage for future generations.

The hotel utilises 100% green energy from renewable sources, reducing its carbon footprint through initiatives like retrofitting 253 Art Nouveau lamps with LED technology, saving over 11 tonnes of CO2 annually. In 2023, its carbon footprint per overnight stay dropped to 10.09 kg CO2e, with ongoing efforts to minimise emissions through sustainable mobility, local cuisine, and biodiversity protection.

The hotel's support for local farmers, promotion of plant-based dining and reduction in food waste further reinforce its commitment to both guest well-being and the planet. The Green Michelin-starred restaurant, 1908, is named in honour of the visionary artists of the Jugendstil movement