Many years ago, when I took my first big European trip, I managed to stretch my travel budget by traveling at night by train. More often than not, I simply tried to sleep in a regular compartment, however when the trip was long, such as Vienna to Venice, I would splurge on a sleeper bunk in a four couchette comaprtment. There's nothing like the thrill of going to sleep in Paris and waking up in Amsterdam. Sadly, during the 21st century most railway lines did away with sleeper carriages and night trains. But a new French start-up has announced plans for a network of overnight services out of Paris from 2024.

Midnight Trains is planning to offer a stylish and affordable  alternative to intercity European flights and a greener  way to travel with "hotels on rails". The scheme aims to connect the Paris to 12 other European destinations, including Rome, Barcelona, and Berlin.

Within a few years, Midnight Trains hopes provide night trains to at least a dozen destinations between 500 and 900 miles from Paris, including cities in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark.