The long-planned luxury Twiliner is now taking reservations for its bus service in Europe, and there are major expansion plans in place.
Europe may have some of the best passenger rail connections in the world, but when it comes to overnight transportation services, the quality level has never been high. Historically, travelers who choose overnight rail in Europe save the cost of a hotel, but their journeys might take several times longer than a flight—and might include a stop in the middle of the night for noisy and jarring engine changes or a platform change or two. Yet despite the rocky experience, night trains are frequently overbooked.
Some entrepreneurial types have been trying to introduce streamlined overnight services on the rails, the more exciting of which we've covered here at Frommer's.
This fall, a new outfit will be courting customers who want a smoother overnight travel experience by bus.
Beginning in November, the new Twiliner coach service starts rolling between Zurich and Amsterdam (stopping in Basel, Luxembourg, Brussels, and Rotterdam) and Zurich and Barcelona (stopping in Girona, Spain).
As Time Out puts it, these are not your typical buses—they're "bougie."
What are the amenities on a Twiliner overnight bus?
For speed and distance, the double-decker buses will be piloted by two drivers who switch off during the journey.
For comfort, Twiliner coaches carry a limited number of seats—18 on the top level and 3 on the lower level. Each seat has been specially engineered to lie flat at the push of a button. The lie-flat coach bed is a concept that Twiliner's owners claim is so new to Europe that the design is patent-pending.
"You find them in Asia and South America, but those buses do not comply with European safety regulations," Twiliner CEO Luca Bortolani has said. "We have now developed a system that complies with the rules."
Every seat comes with its own mini table for working or eating, USB chargers, and a reading light. Water, coffee, power, and high-speed Wi-Fi are free, and each bus has its own changing room, bathroom, and snack bar for food sales.
Unlike on an airline, passengers don't have to pay to check a piece of luggage or a carry-on.
The unique seat design was made for adults, which is one reason Twiliner does not accept any passengers younger than 5 and will only allow older kids if "they are familiar with long-distance traveling and can take the quiet, sleep-friendly environment into consideration."
Where do Twiliner overnight buses go? And what's the cost?
The prices aren't too far from many of the rail-based overnight services. To take the entire 12-hour trip between Zurich and Amsterdam, Twiliner's fare is 150 Swiss francs (CHF) or about US$186.
Twiliner buses don't depart every day for all services, but the company says it hopes to reach that level of frequency in 2026. The plan is to increase the number of destinations served to 30 cities within 3 years.
Twiliner's Instagram account, which gives a closer look at the amenities, is @twiliner.nightbus. For reservations go to Twiliner.com.
