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All aboard the sleeper to Cornwall
It's the most time-effective way from London to Cornwall, making short breaks possible without a 6-hour drive or a domestic flight. If you live in Devon or Cornwall, it makes trips to central London or even Paris easy. Every night except Saturday night, a sleeper train with private 1 & 2-bed compartments and lounge car links London's Paddington Station with towns, cities & resorts in Cornwall. It's run by GWR (Great Western Railway), and had a makeover in 2018 with many improvements including free WiFi. Last updated January 2023.
Timetable westbound
( ) = times in brackets are an arrival/departure by connecting branch line train or bus link, not the Night Riviera itself.
The sleeper runs daily except Saturday nights & 24, 25 December.
Paris & Brussels connection by Eurostar Scilly Isles ferry connection Eden Project bus connection Land's End buses
London Underground map: www.tfl.gov.uk/maps. Tourist information for Cornwall: www.visitcornwall.com
Timetable eastbound
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How much does it cost?
Quick answer, London to Penzance by sleeper.
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From £125.40 one-way or £228.40 return in a single-bed sleeper all to yourself.
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From £114.90 one-way or £207.40 return per person for two people sharing a twin-bed sleeper.
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These are Super-Off-Peak fares + the cheapest possible sleeper supplement.
Detailed answer...
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To travel in a sleeper, you need a travel ticket and a sleeper supplement.
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The sleeper supplement starts at £42.50 for a single-berth room or £32 per person for a twin-berth room.
The berth supplement varies in price according to demand, so it might be £42.50 mid-week in February, £50 on a Friday in March or £70 on a busy Sunday night in May. Check prices online.
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The travel ticket can be any walk-up ticket valid for the journey you're making, for example, Super-Off-Peak, Off-Peak or Anytime, with any Railcard discount to you are entitled applied as normal. Or you can use a Britrail, Eurail or Interrail pass. You cannot use a sleeper berth with Advance fares.
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Children under 5 travel free, though they don't get their own bed. Children under 16 pay the child fare, but there's no reduction in the sleeper supplement. More about children in sleepers.
How to buy tickets
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Buy tickets online at GWR's website, www.gwr.com.
Bookings normally open up to 12 weeks before departure, but often less than this. You can't book before reservations open!
Run an enquiry, find the train marked Sleeper service and select it. Then select the cheapest fare with Cabin options above it.
On the next page, select the sleeper supplement rather than a seat. If no sleeper option is shown, just the seat, then sleepers have sold out - they often do on Friday or Sunday nights, especially in summer.
Tickets can be collected from the self-service machines at most main British stations or sent free by first class post to any UK address.
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403 error from outside the UK? In March 2024, www.gwr.com is inaccessible from locations outside the UK, you get a 403 error. Unclear whether this is deliberate or a temporary glitch. Please use a VPN set to a UK IP address, then you can access it.
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Overseas credit cards: www.gwr.com may reject some non-UK credit cards. Unfortunately, it's the only website that can sell Night Riviera sleeper tickets and it normally won't accept non-European cards. By all means try! One user had their card rejected on GWR's desktop site, but successfully bought Night Riviera tickets when he accessed the mobile version of the GWR website on his phone. Feedback appreciated! Alternatively, try calling GWR telesales on +44 345 7000 125, although they also have problems with non-UK cards.
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Interrail, Eurail & BritRail passes: If you want a sleeper reservation to go with a pass, this cannot be done online, call GWR telesales.
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To buy tickets by phone, call GWR telesales on 0345 7000 125, lines open 0700-2200 Mon-Fri, 0800-1900 weekends.
Book a break to Cornwall with Byway
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Byway (Byway.travel) is a UK-based eco-holiday firm with a 5-star TrustPilot rating. Byway offer short breaks to St Ives & Penzance as a package including travel by sleeper train, starting from London or any other British railway station. Byway includes package protection, a 100% Covid refund guarantee, free disruption & re-planning and on-demand WhatsApp support while you're away. See example 5-day trip London-St Ives-Penzance-London. Trips can be adjusted to your requirements, call 0300 131 7173 (open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, from outside the UK call +44 300 131 7173) or email them or use this contact form. Please say you heard about them from Seat 61.
What's the sleeper to Cornwall like?
Single & twin sleepers. See the video
Following a major makeover in 2018, this excellent sleeper train is a travelling hotel, with private single or twin sleeper compartments & lounge car. The sleepers are compact but cosy, with an upper & lower berth in twin rooms or just a lower berth in single rooms, plus a washbasin with hot & cold running water. The beds have a snug duvet (a welcome replacement for the traditional blankets), fresh clean sheets & plump pillows. Soap, towel & a small bottle of mineral water are provided for each passenger. The compartment doors can now be locked from the outside with a hotel-style card-key while you go to the toilet or lounge car - your door will be secured open when you board, you'll find your card key on the table on top of the sink. There are two toilets at the end of the corridor in each sleeping-car which you can use even when the train is standing in a station. A light breakfast with tea or coffee & bacon roll or cereal is included in the fare, served by your steward in your compartment at the time you specify. There's free WiFi in both the sleepers and lounge car. The Night Riviera also has regular seats, but a sleeper berth is recommended. Like all British trains, the Night Riviera is all non-smoking. Watch the video.
Bed sizes: The lower berth is approximately 197cm (6'5") long & 67cm wide. The upper berth is around 192cm (6'3") long & 67cm wide.
The lounge car
There's a lounge car for sleeper berth passengers with tables & chairs and a buffet counter selling wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks & snacks. Tea, coffee & water are complimentary for sleeper passengers. The lounge opens as soon as the train starts boarding and remains open all night. A separate bar counter at the other end serves the seats passengers, who must take food & drink back to their seats.
Video: London to Cornwall by sleeper
Children
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Children under 5 go free, although they don't get their own bed. Cots can't be provided as there's insufficient room, but a Deryan 3158 infant babybox should just about fit on the floor for babies up to 18 months and is great for hotel rooms, too. A 2 or 3 year old can sleep reasonably comfortably head-to-toe with an adult in the lower berth, if you can get the little so-and-so to sleep when he's so excited about being on a sleeper train, of course.
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If you want a separate berth for a child under 5 you'll need to pay for a child-rate ticket plus the adult sleeper supplement. Two children under 5 can share a bed for the price of one child-rate ticket plus the adult sleeper supplement.
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Children under 16 pay the child-rate fare plus the adult sleeper supplement. Two children 5-15 sharing a bed must pay two child fares plus the adult sleeper supplement.
Luggage, bikes, dogs & pets
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Luggage: Sleepers are very compact, but there's room for small & medium-sized bags and suitcases under the lower bed or on the floor if necessary, though very large suitcases are best placed in the guard's van free of charge.
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Bicycles: You can take bikes on the Night Riviera sleeper train free of charge, placed in one of the three special bike racks in the guard's van. A bike reservation must be made as the number of bike spaces is limited. To reserve your bike, call Great Western on 0345 7000 125, lines open 07:00-23:00 every day. In theory tandems aren't carried, but contact GWR and ask, it's reported they may be allowed.
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Dogs & pets: You can take up to 2 dogs with you in your sleeper. There's a £30 cleaning fee (per sleeper compartment not per dog), paid on board on the day. The dogs must remain on the floor, they mustn't lie on the beds. Dogs are not allowed in the lounge car. Guide dogs travel for free.
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Cars & motorbikes: The Night Riviera no longer carries cars or motorbikes.
Station lounges in London, Truro & Penzance
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At London Paddington, sleeper berth passengers may use the GWR First Class Lounge from 21:00 onwards. It's located half way up platform 1, the platform normally used by the Night Riviera. The lounge has complimentary soft drinks, fruit juice, tea & coffee, biscuits, crisps & fruit. It has easy chairs, tables, and workstations with charging points for laptops and mobiles and free WiFi. One quiet section of the lounge (around to the right as you enter) features leather armchairs and occupies what was originally Queen Victoria's waiting room, beautifully restored, although this section usually closes from 21:00 onwards. It's dog-friendly. It also has a shower, ask the staff if you want to use it.
The lounge opens 05:00 to 23:30 Monday-Friday, 05:00-21:00 Saturday, 10:00-23:30 Sundays & holidays.
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Dinner before you board? In London, there are many restaurants near Paddington. For something special, try the Frontline Club, a stone's throw from the station, www.frontlineclub.com/restaurant. There's a story behind this restaurant, read about it at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontline_Club.
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At Penzance & Truro there are lounges for sleeper berth passengers (newly opened in 2018) which can be used before or after your sleeper journey, see www.gwr.com for opening hours. The lounges have free WiFi, complimentary tea, coffee, juice & snacks and free hot showers.
Showers, toilets, power sockets, WiFi...
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There are two toilets at the end of the corridor in each sleeping-car which you can use at all times, even when the train is standing in the station. There are no toilets in the sleeper compartments.
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There are no showers on the sleeper train itself, but there are showers in the GWR lounge at London Paddington platform 1 which is free if you have a sleeper berth ticket. You can book a shower slot with the staff on board the train.
There are also free showers for sleeper passengers in the lounges at Truro & Penzance.
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There are normal UK 3-pin plug sockets & USB power sockets in all sleeper compartments on the Night Riviera, built into the headboards of both the lower & upper berths. There are laptop & mobile charging points in the lounges at London Paddington, Truro & Penzance.
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The train now has free WiFi in the sleepers and the lounge car, since its refurbishment in 2018.
Inter-connecting doors between sleeper compartments
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There is an inter-connecting door between each pair of adjacent sleeper compartments, normally kept locked shut. You can book two adjacent 2-berth compartments with an inter-connecting door between them to make a 4-berth suite, or you can book two adjacent single-berth compartments with an inter-connecting door to make a suite with two lower berths (but 3-berth suites aren't possible because of the way the compartments are paired). You can work out which berth numbers have the connecting door like this: Berths 1 & 2 have a connecting door with berths 3 & 4. Berths 5 & 6 have a connecting door with berths 7 & 8. Berths 9 & 10 have a door with berths 11 & 12. And so on, up to berths 21 & 22 having an inter-connecting door with berths 23 & 24. Travel tip: When asking for two compartments with an inter-connecting door, ask which berth numbers you've been allocated and make sure they are indeed two communicating compartments before hanging up the phone, as telesales staff don't always get it right. However, on board staff are excellent, and can usually sort out any problem.
Wheelchair-accessible sleepers
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There's one wheelchair-accessible 2-bed sleeper compartment on each Night Riviera train, adjacent to a wheelchair-accessible toilet.
The lounge car isn't wheelchair-accessible unless your chair is under 58cm wide, but staff are happy to serve you snacks & drinks in your sleeper. There are accessible toilets & showers in the lounges at Paddington, Truro & Penzance, free for sleeper passengers. There are also wheelchair spaces in the seating coaches.
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Accessible sleepers can only be booked by phone, call GWR Passenger Assist on 0800 197 1329.
Pullman dining on daytime trains to Devon & Cornwall
There are also daytime trains between London & Cornwall, and two or three of these offer a very special experience: Pullman Dining. The Man in Seat 61 says: "If there is any better dining experience on any regular scheduled British train, I have yet to find it..."
Pullman Dining is available on Mondays-Fridays on a couple of trains between London & Plymouth, one of which starts in Penzance, see www.gwr.com/plan-journey/journey-information/on-board/pullman-dining for details.
Pullman dining is something special, and a journey along the famous sea wall at Dawlish whilst enjoying what's perhaps the best (and one of the few remaining) restaurant car services in Britain is a truly wonderful experience. First class passengers are offered places in the Pullman Dining area in the restaurant car when breakfast, lunch or dinner is called. If seats remain available, standard class passengers may also use the Pullman Dining car.
Isles of Scilly
The Night Riviera sleeper train connects conveniently at Penzance with the ferry to the Scilly Isles, some 28 miles from the Cornish mainland.
London ► Isles of Scilly
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Travel from London to Penzance overnight by Night Riviera sleeper train, daily except Saturday nights.
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In Penzance, the ferry terminal is 10 minutes walk from the station. If you've luggage, a taxi will only cost a few pounds. Map of Penzance showing station & ferry quay.
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The ferry sails from Penzance at 09:15 on Mondays to Saturdays from mid-April to early October, arriving at Hugh Town on St Mary's in the Scilly Isles 2 hours 40 minutes later, at 11:55. It also sails on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday during the two or three weeks before and after this period. Minimum check-in 15 minutes. Exact sailing dates and times vary, so check sailing times at www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk.
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Motor launches connect with the ferry at St Mary's for transfers to the other Scilly Islands, including Tresco with its famous gardens.
Isles of Scilly ► London
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The ferry sails from Hugh Town on St Mary's at 16:30 on Mondays to Saturdays from mid-April to early October, arriving Penzance at 19:10. It also sails on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday during the two or three weeks before and after this period. Minimum check-in 15 minutes. Exact sailing dates and times vary, so check sailing times at www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk.
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In Penzance, the ferry terminal is 10 minutes walk from the station. If you've luggage, a taxi will only cost a few pounds. Map of Penzance showing station & ferry quay
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Travel from Penzance to London overnight by Night Riviera sleeper train, daily except Saturday nights.
Fares
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See above for sleeper fares.
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Ferry fares start from £45 each way, see www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk for full details.
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Alternatively, Great Western offer a special combined train+ferry deal from London to the Scilly Isles for around £165 return, call them on 03457 000 125 for details and bookings. To use the sleeper you will need to add the sleeper supplement in each direction. It may be cheaper to buy separate train and ferry tickets, although the combined ticket is a flexible through ticket so guarantees connections.
How to buy tickets
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Buy your Night Riviera tickets by phone as shown above.
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Buy your Penzance-St Mary's ferry ticket online at www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk.
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You can also buy tickets on the day of travel at the 'weighbridge' office at the entrance to the quay from where the Scillonian III sails. The office is open from 08:00 on sailing days.
Short breaks to the Isles of Scilly
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The Tregarthans Hotel has teamed up with Great Western & Isles of Scilly Travel to offer short breaks by train and ferry to the Scilly isles starting in London or at any Great Western station between London & Penzance such as Reading or Exeter. See www.tregarthens-hotel.co.uk/isles-of-scilly/travelling-to-the-scillies.
Isles of Scilly tourist information
For Isles of Scilly tourist information see www.simplyscilly.co.uk.
The Eden Project
You can use the Night Riviera to make a time-effective visit to the famous Eden project near St Austell in Cornwall. For information about the Eden Project including opening times, see their website, www.edenproject.com.
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Take the Night Riviera sleeper train overnight from London to St Austell.
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Buses 28 & 31 link St Austell bus/rail station with the Eden Project every hour or two, see www.gocornwallbus.co.uk/services/SMMC/28.
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Buy your bus ticket on the bus. At the Eden Project, they give you a reduced entry price if you arrive by public transport not car.
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Alternatively, you can buy special inclusive tickets from any railway station in Britain to the Eden Project covering train travel to St Austell and the bus transfer to the Eden Project. A through train+bus ticket to the Eden Project costs £3.00 more one-way, £4.50 day return or £6.00 period return than the relevant Anytime, Off-peak or Advance fare from the station in question to St Austell. It does not include the Eden Project entry fee, but the Eden Project will give you a discount on their entry fee if you show your train tickets. You can buy tickets by phone from Great Western on 0845 678 6980 or try online booking to Eden Project Bus at www.gwr.com.
 Land's End |
Land's End
The railway only goes as far as Penzance, but buses will take you the final 10 miles to Land's End, where you'll find cliff top walks, a hotel, restaurant and bar, tourist shops and various exhibitions.
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Bus 1 or 1A links Penzance bus station (next to the railway station) with Land's End every hour or two throughout the day.
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For bus information see www.firstbus.co.uk/cornwall/plan-journey/timetables.
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A day return bus ticket costs around £6, journey time is 52-64 minutes.
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Land's End attractions website: www.landsend-landmark.co.uk
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Cornwall to Paris or Brussels
Dinner in Cornwall, lunch in Paris next day, no airports, no airlines, no flights! Take the Night Riviera sleeper train from Cornwall to London, tube or taxi to St Pancras, then Eurostar to Paris or Brussels.
Cornwall ► Paris & Brussels
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Take the sleeper from Cornwall to London, see above for times & fares. The sleeper runs daily except Saturday nights, arriving at London Paddington before 06:00. Take the Circle or Hammersmith & City Line to St Pancras. Remember there's a 30 minute check-in for Eurostar.
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A Eurostar leaves London St Pancras at 08:01 on Mondays-Saturdays arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 11:20.
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A Eurostar leaves London St Pancras at 09:01 daily, arriving Brussels Midi at 11:05.
Paris & Brussels ► Cornwall
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A Eurostar leaves Paris Gare du Nord at 20:13 daily except Saturdays, arriving London St Pancras around 21:29.
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A Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 20:22 daily except Saturdays, arriving London St Pancras at 21:33.
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Take the Circle Line or Hammersmith & City Line to Paddington.
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Take the sleeper from London to Cornwall, see above for times & fares. The sleeper runs daily except Saturday nights, leaving London Paddington at 23:45 (23:50 on Sundays).
How much does it cost?
Sleeper from Cornwall to London from £98 return with a bed; Eurostar from London to Paris or Brussels from £72 return.
How to buy tickets
You can't buy tickets online, but it's easy to buy tickets for the sleeper & Eurostar separately.
1. Buy Night Riviera sleeper tickets by phone on 0845 678 6980.
2. Buy your Eurostar ticket separately at www.eurostar.com.
By all means take a later Eurostar southbound or an earlier Eurostar northbound, if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like to stop off in London.
Hotels in Cornwall or London
Rent a cottage
in Cornwall
Renting a house or cottage for a week or two is a great option - I can recommend www.sykescottages.co.uk for this.