THE SLEEPER TRAINS IN MY DREAMS

London-Penzance

The Night Riviera to Penzance was nearly axed in 2005, but was saved after protests from a coalition of Cornish businesspeople, politicians and second-home owners from London. The train departs Paddington just before midnight. Make sure you secure one of the bar stools in the lounge-car for a nightcap. Throw your cabin blind open to the morning sun as the service crosses Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar, and ask for your pot of tea and bacon roll to be served at Truro. Look out for St Michael’s Mount, and breathe in the sea air before arrival in Penzance at 8am. Booking early is essential, especially in the summer. gwr.com

Paris-Venice

Independent operator Thello runs this three-class service – with couchettes, and standard or premium sleeper berths; the premium berths come with private shower. Have a long late lunch at the Gare de Lyon’s ornate Le Train Bleu restaurant before departure at 7.15pm. Next morning, make sure your bags are packed and you are in the bar car by Padua, in time for a croissant and a double espresso as you cross the bridge to Venice. Five minutes after arrival, you’ll be on a vaporetto heading down the Grand Canal. thello.com

i Perth-Sydney

A king of sleepers – 2,700 miles across Australia on the Indian Pacific. If Sydney is your destination, fly to

Perth and the three nights on board will eat up any jet lag. The route passes through mountain ranges, subtropical savannah, desert and goldfields, and includes the longest stretch of straight track in the world, 300 miles across the Nullarbor Plain. Sadly, economy-class sleepers were axed in 2016 and the service now focuses on the higher end of the market. Platinum Class offers double beds and a lounge car with sofas; barramundi and grilled kangaroo are served in the Queen Adelaide restaurant. journeybeyondrail.com.au

Trondheim-Bodo

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The first stage of Norway’s 450-mile Nordland Line opened in 1882; a stretch of its central section was built under Nazi occupation by a workforce that included prisoners of war. The route was finally finished in 1962. Travelling north, the Saltfjellet mountain range marks the start of the Arctic Circle. The train leaves the ancient university town of Trondheim at 11.27pm arriving 10 hours later at Bodo, from where ferries sail to the Lofoten Islands. Hope to see the northern lights in winter, while summer’s midnight sun allows for all-night views of fjords and forests stretching out alongside the track.

jMunich-Budapest

Kalman Imre was a Hungarian composer who dominated the world of operetta, in Budapest and then Vienna. His name has been given to the night train that departs Munich just before midnight and, after an early-morning stop in Vienna, arrives in Budapest just after 9am. There are two stops in the Hungarian capital – the first, Kelenfold, is in the suburbs but is on the underground. Better to stay on a little longer and revel in the grandeur of the Keleti terminus, with its Imperial and Royal waiting room, and statues of railway pioneers James Watt and George Stephenson adorning the facade. tickets.oebb.at

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