Germany By Train
Germany is filled with interesting destinations, like the dynamic capital Berlin, the enchanting Neuschwanstein Castle, or major cities like Cologne, Hamburg, or Munich. You can also explore the dense forests, mountainous regions, river valleys, or sea coast. In short – Germany has it all.
Train types in Germany
The German railways are run by Deutsche Bahn. You can check train times on the Eurail train timetable or on the DB website.
- Route map
- Domestic trains
- International trains
- Night trains
- Scenic trains
- Private
Popular connections
- Domestic routes
- International routes
In Germany it's not mandatory to have a seat reservation on the ICE trains. However, we recommend you to buy a seat reservation, especially if you're traveling in a group. This way you can not be asked to leave a seat, which might happen if you don't have a reservation. We'll explain more about reservations in Germany a bit further down on this page.
View approximate train travel times between Germany's key cities with high-speed ICE trains.
Route | ICE |
---|---|
Berlin to Cologne | 4h 30m |
Berlin to Frankfurt | 4h |
Berlin to Hamburg | 2h |
Berlin to Munich | 4h 30m |
Frankfurt to Cologne | 1h |
Frankfurt to Munich | 3h 30m |
Hamburg to Cologne | 4h |
Hamburg to Frankfurt | 4h |
Hamburg to Munich | 6h |
Munich to Cologne | 4h 30m |
Reservations
Eurail reservation self-service system
- Eurail
- IC, EC, ECE, ICE, TGV, RailJet, Eurostar, Nightjet, EuroNight, European Sleeper
Administration costs when booking through Eurail self-service
- € 2,- p.p.per train
- Additional € 9,- per order (for paper tickets)
With railway carriers
- DB (German railways): Domestic and international trains
- Toggle on ‘Book seat only’ for most trains
- Leave ‘Book seat only’ switched off for:
- ICE and TGV to France
- ‘Brenner’ EC/Railjet direct trains to Italy
- ÖBB (Austrian railways): Domestic and international trains
- RailJet, IC, EC, ICE, Nightjet, EuroNight
- ČD (Czech railways): Domestic and international trains
- RailJet, IC, EC, ICE, Nightjet, EuroNight
- RailJet, IC, EC, ICE, Nightjet, EuroNight
- DSB (via b-europe): Domestic and international trains
- IC, EC, ICE, RailJet
- SNCB (b-europe): Only international trains
- Eurostar, TGV to France, European sleeper and some Nightjet trains
- Westbahn (Private Railway): Only international Westbahn trains
- Snälltåget:
- Berlin – Copenhagen – Stockholm night train
- Also bookable by phone through Snälltåget's Customer Service
- SJ (Swedish Railways): Only Berlin – Stockholm Euro Night
- European Sleeper: Only European Sleeper trains, international
- ÖBB Nightjet: Only Nightjet and some Euro Night trains
Other platforms
- Rail Europe
- ICE to France, Eurostar, and TGV
By calling Deutsche Bahn
- By clicking the link above you'll find yourself on the DB contact page. There are phone numbers for English, French, Danish, Italian, Dutch or German speaking customer service representatives.
An explanation of how each booking platform works can be found here: How do I book my reservations
Locally at the train station in Germany
- At the DB ticket machines at the station
Good to Know
Which trains in Germany require reservations?
No reservations: Regional (RE, RB, IR).
Optional (but highly recommended during busy periods): InterCity (IC) / ICE / EuroCity (EC) / ECE (Eurocity Express). €5,20 2nd class and €6,50 1st class.
- Required: All international IC, EC, and ICE trains to and from Germany during summer season (June 1st until September 1st).
- Exception: To Switzerland, only trains Munich-Zurich have mandatory reservations.
- Required: All night trains, fees depend on destination and type of seat/bed booked.
Required: Supplement Eurocity (EC) trains to/from/within Italy. Optional for routes that don't start, end or run through Italy.
The ICE Paris-Frankfurt train has a limited amount of seats for Eurail Pass Holders. Our advice is to book this train well in advance, especially if you plan to travel in high season (May to September).
Eurostar trains are popular and therefore, usually sell out quickly. Make sure to get your seat reservation in time. Alternatively, find trains without seat reservations in our timetable by toggling on the ‘no reservation needed’ button.
Get your Pass for Germany
German Rail Pass
Germany is not available as a Eurail One Country Pass.
If you only want to travel in Germany, check out the German Rail Pass.
Standard prices from $ 187
Global Pass
Be free to visit Germany along with the other 32 Eurail countries.
Standard prices from $ 233
Tips and tricks for Germany
Quick facts
Capital: Berlin
Population: 81.1 million
Language: German
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Dialing code: +49
Spelling of city names
On German train timetables and at train stations in Germany, you'll usually find the local spelling of German cities and stations.
Here is the local spelling of some popular German cities:
Hannover = Hanover
Cologne = Köln
Munich = München
Nuremberg = Nürnberg
German hub stations
Germany's main hub stations are Berlin Hbf, Köln Hbf (Cologne), München Hbf (Munich), and Frankfurt Hbf. At these train stations, it's possible to connect to trains to Germany's main cities and many international destinations.
Station facilities
Stations in Germany usually have excellent facilities, often including:
Luggage lockers
Foreign exchange desks
Restaurants and cafés
Tourist information offices
ATM cash machines
Elevators and escalators
Access for disabled passengers
Get around with the S-Bahn
Eurail Pass holders can travel for free on the S-Bahn (suburban metro railways) networks that DB operates in major German cities. The S-Bahn can be recognized by its logo (a white S on a green background).
Ferry buses to and from Germany
Free bus travel (reservation only) is an extra benefit of the German Rail Pass. Travel from Germany to Italy, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and many more countries.
Get inspired
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