We tested Europe's luxurious new business-class' sleeper bus between Amsterdam and Zurich

"I feel my travel-scrunched spine start to straighten as I stretch out on the plump mattress, a quilted blanket wrapped around me and a pillow beneath my head. As bedtime routines go, however, this one involves a novel step placing my lower legs in a mesh bag and clipping it into seatbelt-style buckles on either side; the bed will be travelling at around 50mph for the next 12 hours and there are safety regulations to consider."

"Last month Swiss startup Twiliner launched a fleet of futuristic sleeper buses, and I've come to Amsterdam to try them out. Running three times a week between Amsterdam and Zurich (a 12-hour journey via Rotterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg and Basel), with a Zurich to Barcelona service (via Berne and Girona) launching on 4 December, the company's flat-bed overnight sleeper buses are the first such service in Europe."

"Flying is one of the main drivers of climate change. We wanted to design an alternative that people would actually want to use, the company's co-founder and CEO, Luca Bortolani, told me before Twiliner's launch. Their solution is a seat that turns into a genuinely comfortable bed. Manufactured by Greater Manchester-based Airline Services Interiors, it's similar to a business class plane seat. Hoping for more shut-eye than red-eye, I lean into that luxury."

Swiss startup Twiliner launched Europe's first flat-bed overnight sleeper-bus service, operating three weekly Amsterdam–Zurich runs and a Zurich–Barcelona service starting 4 December. The buses travel about 12 hours via Rotterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg and Basel, featuring seats that convert into full beds manufactured by Greater Manchester-based Airline Services Interiors, comparable to business-class plane seats. Passengers secure lower legs in mesh bags clipped into seatbelt-style buckles for safety at speeds around 50mph. The fleet runs mostly on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), offering a lower-carbon alternative to flying and aiming to make flat-bed bus travel viable in Europe.

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