Germany by train

There are direct day and night trains to choose from when travelling between Berlin and Basel.
By day you will be travelling on ultra-smart ICE trains, but if you opt to travel overnight you won't miss out on seeing fabulous scenery; it's a pleasant but not spectacular journey,

Beds in sleeping cabins and bunks in couchettes are available on the overnight train.

Despite the distance, the only direct trains from Berlin to Bern are the daily daytime ICE trains.
If you want to travel overnight, the best option is to take the Nightjet train from Berlin to Basel SBB station; and then connect there for Bern.

Despite the distance there is a daily direct train available between these capital cities.

There aren't any direct trains between the German and Belgian capitals, but despite the connection being required, this is typically a straightforward journey across northern Europe by swish high speed trains.

You can travel overnight by train between Berlin and Brussels, but the route is little different to the daytime service, as the overnight train from Berlin to Koln is a train designed for travel by day, so it doesn't convey sleeping cabins or couchettes.

The daytime train between Berlin and Budapest has been restored so travellers can now once again choose between travelling overnight or during the day, when making the journey between the capitals of Germany and Hungary

How to make the easy day trip by train from Berlin to Dessau in order to explore the city's Bauhaus architecture and design

There's no getting away from the fact that taking the train from Berlin to Dresden is something of an anomaly.
Once you're on board its a very easy trip, it's the timetable that's odd, as it tends to alternate between two departures in one hour and then nothing in the next, so there can be big gaps between trains.
Scenically it's a dull journey, but what can make this trip an interesting experience is that Dresden is on an international rail route from Berlin, so some of the departures are by Austrian, Czech and Hungarian trains.

Erfurt is a great location for a holiday, particularly for those with an interest in railways, and thanks to a relatively new high speed line, it's never been so easy to reach the city from Berlin by train.

What won't be obvious when looking up a journey by train from Berlin to Frankfurt (Main) is that the ICE trains between the two cities now take three different routes:

1. Berlin - Halle - Erfurt - Frankfurt (these fastest services are known as 'Sprinter' services)
2. Berlin - Halle - Leipzig - Erfurt - Fulda Frankfurt
3. Berlin - Braunschweig - Kassel - Fulda - Frankfurt (this route is longest in terms of distance, but much more of this journey is on high speed lines, so journey times are comparable with the second route).

However, the departures are not evenly distributed, there can no departures at all in certain hours, while in others there are trains leaving on all three routes, though two trains per hour is most typical.

The cheaper tickets on the faster trains inevitably sell out faster, but other factors worth keeping in mind when planning this journey are:

• The trains all arrive at the same station in Frankfurt (Main), the main hauptbahnhof (there are some other ICE trains from Berlin to Frankfurt (Main) Sud station, but avoid those if you will be heading to the city centre).
• The trains all depart from the main central station in the capital, Berlin Hbf, but the other stations they call at in the city depends on the route; the trains on that third route via Kassel also depart from Berlin Ost and Berlin Spandau; while the trains on the other two routes also call at Berlin Sudkreuz.
• If you want to travel with a non-folding bicycle you will need to take the ICE 4 trains.

Also note that Frankfurt (Oder) is a different town, which also has direct trains from Berlin, so make sure that you are looking at trains to Frankfurt (Main) when booking tickets online and ignore any info you see for Frankfurt (Oder) when you're at the station.

There isn't high speed railway between Berlin and Hamburg as the line has always been engineered for higher than average speeds, but over the years €billions have been spent on improving it, so that trains can spend the majority of the journey travelling at 200 km/h.

Slower than the maximum speed of the ICE trains; which is why the IC and EC trains can come close to matching their journey times.
It's the number of station calls made which has the greater impact on the journey times.
The fastest trains are non-stop between Berlin-Spandau and Hamburg hbf, while other trains make up to three additional calls.

The timetable is arranged so that there is at least once ICE train departure in every hour, with most hours also having an additional ICE or an EC train, or an IC train

Though which type of train you travel by tends to make no difference to the ticket prices; the most popular departure times will be more expensive, irrespective of what train is used.

If you want to travel with a non-folding bicycle you will need to take the IC or EC trains, or now the ICE 4 trains, but need to avoid the ICE 1, ICE 2 or ICE 3 trains.

The ICE trains from Berlin to Hannover spend the majority of their journey between the two cities on a high speed line, so they're the fastest option.

It can be possible to save money by taking the slower, but less frequent IC trains

There are no direct trains from Berlin to Innsbruck, but it's typically easy journey with four things in particular in its tick box:

1. The first part of the journey will be on a swish ICE train
2. Only one train of change is required
3. Munchen HBf is a super-easy station in which to make a connection
4. And if you set off early enough in the day to arrive in Berlin before dusk falls, the final hour of the trip is rather lovely,

Rather remarkably there are direct ICE trains which make the epic journey from the German capital to the stunningly beautiful Bernese-Oberland in Switzerland.

On Mon - Fri a journey by train from the German capital to The Rhine Gorge is made easier by taking a direct afternoon train from Berlin.

If its timings don't suit then Koblenz is a simple journey from Berlin with one change of train required in Koln/Cologne.

Every hour during the day a swish ICE train travels from Berlin to Koln / Cologne so this is an exceptionally easy journey.
And now there are also three 'Sprinter' services per day which are non-stop from the German capital to Koln.
Then for travel overnight, sleeper trains aren't available on this route, but one of the ICE trains is made available.

Cities including Aachen, Bonn and Koblenz have less frequent trains from Berlin, so when the timings of those trains don't suit, connections are available in Koln hbf.

This newly re-introduced direct daytime train from Berlin to Krakow has transformed for the better, the rail journey between these two fabulous cities.

Now that Danish trains are used for the daytime rail journeys from Germany to Denmark, direct journeys by day are no longer an option when travelling by train between Berlin and Copenhagen/København.

Though from early April to mid September and overnight train will be an option, thanks to the new summer Snalltaget train from Berlin to Sweden, which will be arriving at Hoje Taastrup station on the outskirts of Kobenhavn at 06:20.
Connect there for local 'S-Tog' trains to multiple stations in the city centre.

The journey by train from Berlin to Leipzig has been transformed for the better in recent years, with a big increase in the number of direct connections between the two cities

The German capital and the charming city on The Danube are now linked by a daily direct ICE train, so taking this journey is super easy, despite the distance.

What won't be obvious when looking up a journey by train from Berlin to München / Munich is that the ICE trains between the two cities now take four different routes:

1. Berlin - Halle - Erfurt - Nurnberg - München (the fastest services on this route with the fewest station calls are known as 'Sprinter' services)
2. Berlin - Halle - Leipzig - Erfurt - Nurnberg - München (diverting off the direct route to serve Leipzig only adds around 40 mins to the journey time)
3. Trains that have taken either of the two routes above to Nurnberg can be diverted off the direct route between there and Munchen in order to serve Augsburg; this adds around 30 mins to the journey time.
4. Other trains take a Berlin - Leipzig - Erfurt - Frankfurt - Stuttgart - Munich route, which is much longer, so it has been excluded from the options below.
   Take care to avoid these trains if you will be travelling with a rail pass.

However, the departures are not evenly distributed, aside from trains travelling via Leipzig typically departing only in even hours, there is no pattern.
So if you need to be in Munich/Munchen by a specific time then be guided by that and don't pay too much attention to the journey time.

The cheaper tickets on the faster trains inevitably sell out faster, so if you won't be booking weeks ahead, the slower a particular departure is, the more likely it is that you'll save money by travelling by it.
But if you'll be using Eurail or InterRail passes you may as well target the faster trains.

Another unusual feature of this route is the variety of the types of ICE trains used.
If you want to have a meal in the restaurant car during the journey, you'll need to take the ICE 1 or ICE 4 trains, if you want to travel with a non-folding bicycle, you'll need to take an ICE 4 train.

The journey by train from Berlin to Nürnberg / Nuremberg has been transformed for the better in recent years by the opening of a high speed line.
So this journey is not only faster than it ever has been, there's also never been so many departures to choose from.

Though many trains divert off the direct route in order to serve Leipzig and this adds around 20 minutes to the journey time for those departures.

What may not be obvious when looking up the train journey from Berlin to Paris on the ticket booking websites is that the journey options follow two routes:

1. An ICE train from Berlin to Koln hbf and then connecting there for a Thalys train on Paris, the Thalys trains arrive at the Gare Du Nord.

2. An ICE train from Berlin to a station where connections are possible into the 'DB-SNCF trains to Paris, which arrive at the Gare de l'Est.
   Connections between trains can be a available at different stations including Frankfurt (Main) hbf, Mannheim hbf and Karlsruhe hbf -as per the route guide below.
   The ticket agents will offer a combination of connections which provide for the fastest end-to-end journey time.
   However, it's easier to make the transfer between trains at Frankfurt (Main) hbf, at that station all the platforms/tracks are on the same level, so making the connection there simply involves walking from one train to the other.

In times of distance travelled this combination of trains is further than the options via Koln/Cologne, but the high-speed lines and the fastest connections mean that journey times can be similar; if you're willing to gamble on making connections of under 30 minutes.
However, DB offers its 'Europa Spezial' ticket deals on this route, so this routing is usually cheaper
DB doesn't do this on the route via Koln as it doesn't operate the Thalys trains.

In Berlin the local commuter trains are the S-Bahn trains, and they're included on the Metro-style map along with the U-bahn (subway trains).
Potsdam station is on this map, but if you'll be heading to see the palaces on a day trip, the Regio trains will not only get you there faster, they also go to a more convenient station.
And they call at multiple stations in central Berlin.

Not only is the train journey from Berlin to Praha / Prague very straightforward the second half of the train ride is wonderfully scenic.

There are no direct trains from Berlin to beautiful Salzburg, but it's a straightforward journey.
The connection can be made in Munchen hbf, which is a particularly easy station in which to change trains and there will be typically two trains per hour from there on to Salzburg

From early April until late September (dates have yet to be confirmed for 2023) this direct train will depart from Berlin daily in the late evening and then travel through the night to arrive in Stockholm in the early afternoon.

When taking the train to Stralsund from Berlin the most frequent option are the Regio trains, but it can be worth targeting the less frequent ICE trains.
They're faster, more comfortable and can be cheaper if you book ahead.
Also if you'll be heading to on the island of Rugen, those ICE trains provide a direct service, but if you take the Regio (RE) trains you'll have to make a connection in Stralsund

Taking the train from Berlin to Stuttgart is very straightforward thanks to the direct ICE trains which leave Berlin every other hour on a route via Leipzig.

Though something to watch out for is that there also slower direct ICE trains from Berlin to Stuttgart and they will stand out on the departure info at the station because they terminate at Stuttgart.
However, as they take a slower route via Kassel and Frankfurt flughafen (airport) DB does not sell tickets for journeys by these trains.

Taking the train from Berlin to Warsaw is blissfully simple as direct trains link the German and Polish capitals.

Not very many years ago the direct trains between the German and Austrian capitals had disappeared from the timetables, but now there are three very different options to choose from when taking the train from Berlin to Wien / Vienna
When you look up this journey on the ticket booking websites you'll also see a swathe of other journeys which involve making connections between trains.
So these direct trains can be tricky to spot amidst all of those other options, so you can use this info to find them more easily.
(1) there is an ICE train, but it spends less than 25% of its journey travelling at high speed.
(2) In the early evening there is departure by a Nightjet and this is the train to take if you want to travel from Berlin to Vienna/Wien in a bed in a sleeping cabin, or in a bunk on a couchette.
(3) The final departure is a nightly IC train, it's a train usually used for daytime services, which happens to travel through the night.

The only direct train from Berlin to Zurich is the Nightjet service, but there are two options for making the journey by day with only one connection.
The fastest and easiest of which is travel via Basel, the tick in the box for this route as there a minimum of two trains per hour from Basel to Zurich and tickets will be valid on any onward train.

The other route with one connection involves travelling via Munich, but it is typically an hour longer, which is why it hasn't been included below.
But if you can find an exceptionally cheap price on the route via Munich then book it.
The journey from Munich on to Zurich is also more scenic than the route via Basel.

When taking a rail journey from Basel to Berlin, travellers can choose between making the journey by day on a sleek ICE train, or travelling through the night on a smart Nightjet service.

Yes it's a long journey from Bern to Berlin by train, but it couldn't be easier thanks to a direct service of smart and stylish ICE trains, which also give it a wow factor.

There aren't any direct trains from Bruxelles/Brussels to Berlin (they're near the top of SMTJ's European travel wish list), but it's usually a straightforward journey, most of which is on high speed lines.

There aren't any sleeper trains available on this route.

When looking up a journey by train from Frankfurt (Main) to Berlin, it can be worth looking out for the 'Sprinter' (S) services, they live up to their name by being faster than the regular services, but they are not automatically more expensive.

There isn't a high speed line between Hamburg and the German capital, but the 'classic railway' has been re-engineered to enable the ICE trains to travel at up to 230 km/h; which is the highest speed in Europe achieved for a sustained length of time on a line that hasn't been specifically constructed for high-speed.

As is the norm when travelling between major German cities by train, smart ICE trains provide hourly direct connections throughout the day on this route, so this is typically a very straightforward journey.

And now there are also three additional 'Sprinter' services per day which are non-stop from Köln to Berlin
Then for travel overnight, sleeper trains aren't available on this route, but one of the ICE trains is made available.

Cities including Aachen, Bonn and Koblenz have less frequent trains from Berlin, so when the timings of those trains don't suit, connections are available in Koln hbf.

How to buy tickets, what's on board the trains, how to use the stations, plus tips for making the journey.

Thanks to a relatively new high speed line in Germany the train journey from Munchen / Munich to Berlin has never been faster and it's more frequent too!

What won't be obvious when looking up a journey by train from München / Munich to Berlin is that the ICE trains between the two cities now take four different routes:

1. München - Nurnberg - Erfurt - Halle - Berlin (the fastest services on this route with the fewest station calls are known as 'Sprinter' services)
2. München - Nurnberg - Erfurt - Leipzig - Halle - Berlin (diverting off the direct route to serve Leipzig only adds around 40 mins to the journey time)
3. Trains which follow the two routes above after Nurnberg but divert off the direct route in order to serve Augsburg; this adds around 30 mins to the journey time.
4. Other trains take a route via Stuttgart and Frankfurt (Main) which is much longer, so it has been excluded from the options below.
   Take care to avoid these trains if you will be travelling with a rail pass.

What may not be obvious when looking up the train journey from Paris to Berlin on the ticket booking websites is that the journey options follow two routes:

1: Taking Thalys train services from the Gare Du Nord in Paris to Koln hbf and then connecting there for an ICE train on to Berlin

2: Taking A DB-SNCF train service from the Gare de l'Est in Paris to one of several stations in central Germany; from where connections by ICE train are available on to Berlin.
Connections between trains can be a available at different stations including Frankfurt (Main) hbf, Mannheim hbf and Karlsruhe hbf.

The ticket agents will offer a combination of connections which provide for the fastest end-to-end journey time.
However, it's easier to make the transfer between trains at Frankfurt (Main) hbf, at that station all the platforms/tracks are on the same level so making the connection there simply involves walking from one train to the other.

From April 7 until September 23rd this direct train will depart from Stockholm daily in the late afternoon and then travel through the night to arrive in Berlin before 09:00.

This train service between the Polish and German capital cities is the primary east to west rail link across northern Europe.

Not very many years ago the direct trains between the German and Austrian capitals had disappeared from the timetables, but now there are three very different options to choose from when taking the train from Wien/Vienna to Berlin.
When you look up this journey on the ticket booking websites you'll also see a swathe of other journeys which involve making connections between trains.
So these direct trains can be tricky to spot amidst all of those other options, so you can use this info to find them more easily.

(1) The daytime service is an is an ICE train, but it spends less than 25% of its journey travelling at high speed.
(2) In the early evening there is a nightly IC train, it's a train usually used for daytime services, which happens to travel through the night.
(3) The final departure is a Nightjet and this is the train to take if you want to travel from Berlin to Vienna/Wien in a bed in a sleeping cabin, or in a bunk on a couchette.

Until March 30th the only option for a direct journey by train from Zurich to Berlin is to travel through the night on the Nightjet service.
However, from April 1st to December 9th the ICE trains which usually head to Hamburg from Zurich, are being temporarily replaced with trains going to the German capital, due to maintenance work on the German rail network.

This is the only direct train service from Frankfurt (Main) to destinations in southern France.

These swish ICE trains provide an easily managed link between central Germany and the multiple Swiss destinations which can be easily accessed from Basel

When looking up a journey by train from Frankfurt (Main) to Berlin, it can be worth looking out for the 'Sprinter' (S) services, they live up to their name by being faster than the regular services, but they are not automatically more expensive.

Some of the ICE trains on the route to Basel very conveniently travel on to central Switzerland

This is one of Europe's longer railway journeys on which the train will be whizzing along a high speed line

Some of the ICE trains to Switzerland from central Germany head for Chur, where connections are available to multiple Alpine resort towns and villages.

When taking the train from Frankfurt (Main) to Heidelberg there is a choice of services:
(1) The express trains are inevitably faster and if you can book ahead online, they can be cheaper too.
(2) Though if you want to take a spontaneous day trip by train and book walk-up tickets at the station, you'll save money by taking one of the more frequent Regio trains.

Some of the ICE trains on the route to Basel very conveniently travel on to central Switzerland

Don't be put off by the distance, few lengthy railway journeys are as fabulous as this, and the direct trains ensure it is as simple as can be too.

When taking the train from Frankfurt (Main) to Koblenz there is a choice of services:
(1) The express trains are inevitably faster and if you can book ahead online, they can be cheaper too.
(2) Though if you want to take a spontaneous day trip by train and book walk-up tickets at the station, you'll save money by taking one of the more frequent Regio trains.
Though the Regio trains take two routes, the faster journey along the west bank of the River Rhine through Bingen (which they share with the express trains), and a slower journey along the east bank through Weisbaden.
So if you will making a day trip to Koblenz in fine weather, the trip will even be even more delightful if you travel one way and then return by the other.

When taking a train from Frankfurt (Main) to Cologne / Köln there are three things to keep in mind.

1. The route: Most of the trains rush along Germany's fastest high speed line, but some trains still take the slower, but much more beautiful route through the Rhine Gorge and Bonn.
2. The location of your ultimate destination: Many of the fast trains which take the high-speed route arrive at a secondary station in Cologne / Köln, located on the east bank of the River Rhine.
   Other trains, including all those on the slower route, arrive at the city's main station, Koln Hbf.
3. Price: The popularity of a departure and not the route it takes, or the station it arrives at, are what most greatly affects the cost of taking each specific train.

Thanks to these direct trains, it's a straightforward journey from central Germany to the city on The Danube.

Thanks to this direct service it's a simple, and lovely, journey by train from central Germany to beautiful Slovenia.

This is the only direct train service from Frankfurt (Main) to the second largest city in France.

This is the only direct train service from Frankfurt (Main) to destinations in southern France.

This fascinating journey on the only direct train from central Germany to Italy includes rushing down a German high-speed line, a passage across Switzerland with views over five lakes and a travelling through the world's longest railway tunnel.

This journey guide focusing on taking the direct trains as there is no need to make a connection when travelling by train from Frankfurt (Main) to Salzburg.
However, if their timings don't suit, it's possible to set off in any hour during the day and make a comparatively straightforward transfer in Munchen hbf.

These direct trains means that travelling by rail from central Germany to the Austrian capital is wonderfully straightforward.

Step on board for the fabulous train ride from central Germany to Croatia.

The Austrian national rail operator OBB has added a new route taken by its ultra-smart Railjet trains which provides a new epic direct rail journey from Frankfurt (Main) to Innsbruck.

What won't be obvious when looking up a journey by train from Berlin to Frankfurt (Main) is that the ICE trains between the two cities now take three different routes:

1. Berlin - Halle - Erfurt - Frankfurt (these fastest services are known as 'Sprinter' services)
2. Berlin - Halle - Leipzig - Erfurt - Fulda Frankfurt
3. Berlin - Braunschweig - Kassel - Fulda - Frankfurt (this route is longest in terms of distance, but much more of this journey is on high speed lines, so journey times are comparable with the second route).

However, the departures are not evenly distributed, there can no departures at all in certain hours, while in others there are trains leaving on all three routes, though two trains per hour is most typical.

The cheaper tickets on the faster trains inevitably sell out faster, but other factors worth keeping in mind when planning this journey are:

• The trains all arrive at the same station in Frankfurt (Main), the main hauptbahnhof (there are some other ICE trains from Berlin to Frankfurt (Main) Sud station, but avoid those if you will be heading to the city centre).
• The trains all depart from the main central station in the capital, Berlin Hbf, but the other stations they call at in the city depends on the route; the trains on that third route via Kassel also depart from Berlin Ost and Berlin Spandau; while the trains on the other two routes also call at Berlin Sudkreuz.
• If you want to travel with a non-folding bicycle you will need to take the ICE 4 trains.

Also note that Frankfurt (Oder) is a different town, which also has direct trains from Berlin, so make sure that you are looking at trains to Frankfurt (Main) when booking tickets online and ignore any info you see for Frankfurt (Oder) when you're at the station.

These direct trains from Bern to Frankfurt (Main) can offer a swathe of straightforward connections on to other German cities without direct trains from Bern, including Dresden, Leipzig and Nurnberg

Travelling by train from the Belgian capital to central Germany and beyond is wonderfully simple thanks to the comparatively frequent service of smart high speed ICE trains.

Frankfurt (Main) hbf is a very straightforward major station in which to change trains and connections are available there into a swathe of other destinations including Dresden, Leipzig, Linz, Munich, Nurnberg, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zurich.

One of the daily ultra-smart Railjet trains from Innsbruck on the beautiful route to far-western Austria, has had its journey extended into Germany, thereby providing a new direct rail journey from Innsbruck to Frankfurt (Main).

There are two options for a taking a direct train from Cologne/Köln to Frankfurt (Main).

1. The fastest and most frequent option for a daytime journey are the swish ICE trains, though though around half of these trains depart from Koln Messe-Deutz station and not the city's main station, Koln hbf.
2. For those who favor a scenic journey over a train ride with a wow factor, you can also take the beautiful route through the Rhine Valley.

Ride the only direct train service from central France to central Germany.

Ride the only direct train from the south of France to Germany, travelling overnight is not an option on this route.

One of the most welcome additions to the European rail timetables of recent years was the re-introduction of the direct train from northern Italy to central Germany.

The train is usually scheduled to depart daily from Milano Centrale at 11:20, at a time convenient for connections from:
Bologna - departs 09:26
Firenze S.M. Novella - depart 08:55
Genova Piazza Principe - depart 09:18
Napoli Centrale - depart 05:45
Pisa Centrale - depart 06:42
Roma Termini - depart 07:10
Torino Porta Susa - depart 09:05
Verona Porta Nuova - depart 09:02

The usual scheduled arrival time in Frankfurt (Main) hbf is 18:44 convenient for connections on to:
Berlin - depart 19:02 and 19:14
Dresden and Leipzig - depart 19:20
Dusseldorf via Koblenz, Bonn and Koln/Cologne - depart 19:44
Hamburg via Hannover - depart 18:58 and 19:58

Both Milano Centrale and Frankfurt (Main) Hbf are among the easiest European large stations in which to make connections, you'll simply have to walk from one train to the other.

And the first third of the journey by Lake Maggiore and through Switzerland is also wonderful!

Sleek ICE trains link München / Munich to Frankfurt (Main) but what's slightly odd is that they take two different routes;
1 - via Nurnberg
2 - via Stuttgart
But because the trains on the route via Nurnberg ae faster, the only trains that have tickets available online are the trains on this route.

You might then wonder why, when you're at the station in Munich/Munchen why you can see trains to Frankfurt (Main) leaving before your departure, that you weren't aware of.
However, those other trains will arrive in Frankfurt after the train you will be taking.

What won't be obvious when looking up the train journey from Paris to Frankfurt (Main) is that the trains between the two cities take two different routes.
But it makes little difference to the journey times or ticket prices.
The route via Kaiserslautern involves travelling through valleys in a forest to the east of the city, but aside from that it isn't more scenic than the route via Strasbourg.
The route via Strasbourg is longer in terms of distance travelled, but the train travels further on the high speed line.

What gives this journey its wow factor is the speed, the trains will travel at more than 300 km/h on the fastest high speed line in France.

Despite the trains from Wien/Vienna to Frankfurt spending less than 5% of the journey travelling on a high speed line, swish ICE trains are used on this route.

The German national rail operator DB provides a similar level of service to the cities of northern Switzerland as it does to many destinations in Germany, hence the latest type of the super-smart ICE trains are now used on this route.
Though only a small percentage of this journey is on a high speed line.

On this route from northern Germany to north-west Switzerland travellers can choose between travelling during the day on smart ICE trains, or travelling through the night on a Nightjet train.

There isn't a high speed line between Hamburg and the German capital, but the 'classic railway' has been re-engineered to enable the ICE trains to travel at up to 230 km/h; which is the highest speed in Europe achieved for a sustained length of time on a line that hasn't been specifically constructed for high-speed.

Despite the distance there is a daily direct train available from Hamburg to the Slovakian capital.

A mix of express trains, which are non-stop from Hamburg to Bremen, share the route, which isn't high speed, with slower Regio services; which on this route are operated by Metronom and not the national rail operator, DB.
Those slower trains are cheaper, even if you book ahead for the express trains.

The typically direct trains from Hamburg to Chur won't be available until at least Dec 9th 2023

Dresden is located along the main rail route from northern Germany to Czechia and beyond into Slovakia and Hungary; which is why you'll be riding a Czech or Hungarian train when making this journey.

There isn't an high speed line between Hamburg and Hannover but the 'classic railway' was largely constructed across flat farmland, so the trains are able to travel at up to 200 km/h.

The only direct daily train from northern Germany to The Tyrol is an overnight Nightjet service, but travelling through the day involves making a straightforward connection.

Head from northern Germany to Koblenz by train and on arrival you can explore Germany's most beautiful railway routes through The Rhine Gorge and The Moselle Valley.

Despite this being one of Germany's busiest railway routes there is no high speed line between Hamburg and Köln / Cologne.
Hence a wide variety of trains both share the route and have comparable journey times.

Take the typically straightforward journey by train from Hamburg to Danish capital and connections will be available in København to trains on to Sweden; and to ferries on to Norway.
Though early booking is recommended, particularly during June to September, when some departures can sell out days in advance!

This end-to-end journey is less complicated than you might have supposed, with only two easily timed connections required.
Though travelling overnight is not an option on this route.

Due to the distance between Germany's second and third cities, travellers have a choice of travelling by day or overnight when taking a train from Hamburg to Munich / München.

From April 8 until September 24th this direct train will depart from Hamburg nightly around midnight and then travel through the night to arrive in Stockholm in the early afternoon.

When travelling by train from northern Germany to the Austrian capital, there is a choice between travelling by day on an ICE train, or through the night on a Nightjet.

When travelling by train from northern Germany to Switzerland's largest city, there is a choice between travelling by day on an ICE train, or through the night on a Nightjet.

When taking a rail journey from Basel to Hamburg, travellers can choose between making the journey by day on a sleek ICE train, or travelling through the night on a smart Nightjet service.

There isn't high speed railway between Berlin and Hamburg as the line has always been engineered for higher than average speeds, but over the years €billions have been spent on improving it, so that trains can spend the majority of the journey travelling at 200 km/h.

Slower than the maximum speed of the ICE trains; which is why the IC and EC trains can come close to matching their journey times.
It's the number of station calls made which has the greater impact on the journey times.
The fastest trains are non-stop between Berlin-Spandau and Hamburg hbf, while other trains make up to three additional calls.

The timetable is arranged so that there is at least once ICE train departure in every hour, with most hours also having an additional ICE or an EC train, or an IC train

Though which type of train you travel by tends to make no difference to the ticket prices; the most popular departure times will be more expensive, irrespective of what train is used.

If you want to travel with a non-folding bicycle you will need to take the IC or EC trains, or now the ICE 4 trains, but need to avoid the ICE 1, ICE 2 or ICE 3 trains.

There are no direct trains from Brussels/Bruxelles to Hamburg, but there is typically a very straightforward journey with only one connection required,

There are typically two daily direct trains from Bern to Hamburg, though neither of them arrive in northern Germany's largest city until after 23:00.
Though it's possible to be in Hamburg before 14:00 by taking an IC train from Bern to Basel and connecting there for an ICE train on Hamburg.
There are ICE trains from Basel to Hamburg every two hours.

It's also possible to make a connection in Basel for an overnight journey to Hamburg
A Nightjet train typically departs from Basel SBB station at 21:13.
The train which typically departs from Bern at 19:36 usually offers the optimum connection at Basel into this Nightjet service, which typically arrives in Hamburg shortly after 08:00.

The only direct train from Innsbruck to Hamburg is a Nightjet sleeper service

Despite being one of Germany's busiest railway routes, there is no high speed line between Cologne/Köln and Hamburg, this part of country is so densely populated that it would send constructions costs into the stratosphere.

Though ICE trains are increasingly being switched to this route, as they have a more comfortable ambience than the IC trains and they also convey restaurant cars.

These trains provide the only year round service from the Danish capital to northern Germany.
So for most of the year if you want to travel entirely by train from Norway or Sweden to continental Europe, this is the route to take.
Though early booking is recommended, particularly during June to September, when some departures can sell out days in advance!
Though there is now a direct overnight train from Stockholm and on to Berlin via Hamburg.
It will also call at a station in the Kobenhavn suburbs, so will provide an overnight alternative to these IC trains.

How to buy tickets, what's on board the trains, how to use the stations, plus tips for making the journey

When taking the train from München / Munich to Hamburg, there is a a choice available between travelling during the day on a sleek ICE train, or travelling through the night on a Nightjet.

The construction of the European high speed rail network has warped distances, journeys which seem much longer when looking at a map, can take a lot less time than seems logical.
This is evident when looking up the Paris to Hamburg rail journey, because connections between trains will be offered in Mannheim and Karlsruhe; two cities which are some distance from the shortest straight line distance between the two cities.
The route via Koln/Cologne is much closer to that straight line, so it seems like the logical option, but those other routes are worth considering.

Also it's a long journey by train from Paris to Hamburg, but an overnight train journey isn't feasible.

From April 7 until September 23rd this daily direct train will depart from Stockholm daily in the late afternoon and then travel through the night to arrive in Hamburg, from where connections will be available into trains to destinations across Germany

Despite the distance it's a very simple journey by train from Wien/Vienna to Hamburg, thanks to direct rail connections between these two fabulous cities, both during the day and overnight.

Due to the distance it's possible to choose between travelling during the day or overnight when taking a train from Zurich to Hamburg.
This is route when you won't miss out on experiencing stunning scenery if you take the Nightjet instead of the ICE trains, though taking the ICE trains makes for a very pleasant trip.

Taking the train from Cologne / Köln / Koeln to Amsterdam is usually blissfully simple, as the cities are usually linked every other hour by swish ICE trains.
Though what's a tad odd about this route is that the ICEs are high speed trains, but they only have the opportunity to travel at more than 270 kmh south of Köln/Cologne.
On this route to The Netherlands there are no high speed lines for them to whizz along.

There are three options for a taking a direct train from Cologne/Köln to Basel:

1. The fastest and most frequent option for a daytime journey are the swish ICE trains.
2. For those who favor a scenic journey over a train ride with a wow factor, there are the EC trains which take the beautiful route through the Rhine Valley.
3. Or if you need to be in Basel in time for breakfast, there is also an overnight train

All of these trains call at two stations in Basel, the first stop is the Basel Bad Bf, which is managed by DB, the German national rail operator, which therefore creates the illusion that you won't have left Germany.
The trains then continue on to Basel SBB station where connections are available to a swathe of Swiss destinations without direct trains from Cologne/Köln, including Luzern, Lugano, Locarno, Brig and Biel (for Lausanne and Geneva)

What matters about this is that the tickets to Basel Bad Bf will be cheaper as DB classifies this is a national journey, but the journey on to Basel SBB becomes an international journey.
So if you will be heading to Basel city centre, book tickets to Basel Bad Bf.

As is the norm when travelling between major German cities by train, smart ICE trains provide hourly direct connections throughout the day on this route, so this is typically a very straightforward journey.

And now there are also three additional 'Sprinter' services per day which are non-stop from Köln to Berlin
Then for travel overnight, sleeper trains aren't available on this route, but one of the ICE trains is made available.

Cities including Aachen, Bonn and Koblenz have less frequent trains from Berlin, so when the timings of those trains don't suit, connections are available in Koln hbf.

What's fairly unusual about taking the journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Brussels/Bruxelles to is that alternative services operate on this route; the Thalys trains managed by the French & Belgian national rail operators and the ICE trains operated by Germany's national rail company.

They depart from Köln hbf in different hours so if you need to depart from Cologne/Köln or arrive in Brussels/Bruxelles at a specific time, you'll be travelling on an ICE or a Thalys train.

Though if travelling at the cheapest price is your key criteria, be guided by that; it is timings rather than the type of train, which have a bigger impact on prices, the cheapest tickets inevitably sell out faster on the more popular departures.
SMTJ prefers the on the board ambience of the ICE trains, but it's not worth paying more to travel by them, particularly on such a comparatively short route.

Though rail pass users should take the ICE trains and ignore the Thalys trains.

There are two options for a taking a direct train from Cologne/Köln to Frankfurt (Main).

1. The fastest and most frequent option for a daytime journey are the swish ICE trains, though though around half of these trains depart from Koln Messe-Deutz station and not the city's main station, Koln hbf.
2. For those who favor a scenic journey over a train ride with a wow factor, you can also take the beautiful route through the Rhine Valley.

Despite being one of Germany's busiest railway routes, there is no high speed line between Cologne/Köln and Hamburg, this part of country is so densely populated that it would send constructions costs into the stratosphere.

Though ICE trains are increasingly being switched to this route, as they have a more comfortable ambience than the IC trains and they also convey restaurant cars.

There are two options for taking the train from Cologne/Köln to Hannover:
1: the ICE trains which are more frequent and faster; despite the lack of a high speed line between Cologne/Köln and Hannover
2. Slower IC trains, which are typically cheaper.

There are three options for taking a train from Cologne/Köln to Innsbruck:

1. The direct daytime option is the IC train which takes one of Europe's most epic rail journeys; it is the only train which travels through both the Upper Rhine Valley and the Arlberg Pass.
2. A much faster daytime option is to take a different route via Munich/Munchen on a combination of two trains.
3. The direct overnight train

Koblenz is close enough to Köln/Cologne to be served by Regio trains and if you will be buying tickets at the station for a spontaneous day trip, they are the logical option, they provide both the most frequent and cheapest service.

There are no direct trains from Cologne/Köln to Denmark, but is typically a straightforward journey with only one connection required.
Though travelling overnight is not an option on this route.

The journey by train from Cologne/Köln to London involves making a transfer between high speed trains at Bruxelles-Midi station.
Eurostar provides the services on to London from the Belgian capital, but ICE and Thalys trains share the route between Köln and Bruxelles.
The split between these two services impacts on the end-to-end journey times and the ticketing; in terms of both price and availability.

Though due to the current reductions in the number of timetabled trains as a consequence of the pandemic, the departure and arrival times have become more important, due to the more limited options for making the end-to-end journey.

When taking a combination of ICE + Eurostar trains or Thalys + Eurostar trains, up to 8 connections per day are usually available, but for the time being there are only 3 or 4 departure options per day.

When looking up a journey by train from north-west Germany to central and southern France most of the options on the ticket booking services will involve taking a Thalys train from Köln to Paris and then a TGV on from Paris to Lyon.
However that routing involves an awkward cross Paris transfer, which can be avoided when following the two journey options set out below.
So they're worth looking out for when travelling by train between these areas of Europe.

Taking the train from Cologne/Köln to Milano is typically a fabulous experience, with only one easy transfer required between two of Europe's smartest trains.
When looking up this journey you will see other options which require additional conditions, but there is no need to make more than one transfer.

Travelling overnight is a tad more awkward, despite a sleeper train now being available for the first part of the journey between Koln and Basel.
However, it is typically due to arrive in Basel SBB station only 8mins prior to the departure of an EC express train on to Milano; so a better option is to remain make the connection there.
There aren't any overnight trains available from Switzerland to Milano

Taking a train from Cologne/Köln to Munich/München is very straightforward but there is an unusually high number of options for taking a direct train, and in summary they are:
1: the most frequent service of high speed ICE trains, which happen to depart from Köln Messe/Deutz station.
2. faster 'Sprinter' ICE services which also depart from Köln Messe/Deutz station
3: other ICE trains which depart from the city's main central rail station, Köln hbf.
4. taking a more scenic, but slower route.
5. Travelling in a bed or a bunk on a Nightjet train
6. Travelling through the night on an ICE train

There are two very different routes taken by direct trains from Cologne/Köln to Nuremberg/Nürnberg.

1. The faster ICE trains which use the high speed line between Cologne and Frankfurt, depart from Koln Messe/Deutz station and not the city center station, Koln Hbf
2. The slower trains do depart from Koln Hbf and they take the more scenic route between Cologne and Frankfurt.

These Thalys high speed services are the only direct trains from north-west Germany to the French capital

There are no direct trains from Koln to Praha, but it's a straightforward journey with only one connection between express trains on the easiest route via Berlin.

There are three optimum routings to choose from when taking a a journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Salzburg.

1. Boarding the only direct daytime train
2. The fastest option, but it involves departing from Koln Messe/Deutz station
3. Departing from Koln Hbf and also making a connection between trains in Frankfurt.

There are three options for taking a journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Stuttgart:

1. The ICE trains which depart from the main city centre rail station.
2. Alternative ICE trains, which leave from Messe/Deutz station.
3. Slower trains which take a more scenic route.

There is no getting away from the fact that this is a long journey which predominantly involves travelling across the flat plains of northern Europe.
Though despite the distance it is comparatively straightforward, with only transfer between trains to negotiate.

The journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Vienna/Wien is one of those routes on which travellers have a choice between:

1. making a long, but scenic journey during the day, or
2. travelling through the night on an overnight train

When looking up a daytime Cologne/Köln to Zurich journey by train on the ticket booking websites there will be a swathe of options available, most of which involve making connections between trains.
Of these journey options, SMTJ's recommendations is to opt for the routing which involve making connections in Basel, because if the train from Germany is delayed, you will then be able to simply hop on any train on to Zurich.

However, there is usually a daily direct train available, so if the timings suit and you'd rather avoid making any connections, it's then becomes the obvious best option for making this journey by.
It also takes a scenic route.

If you want or need to travel overnight there is a newly introduced Nightjet train available which conveys sleeping cabins and couchettes.

There are theree options available when taking a direct train from Basel to Cologne/Köln:

1. Taking the scenic option of travelling through the gorgeous Rhine Gorge on an EC train.
2. The fastest option of travelling during the day on an ICE train, which rushes along Germany's fastest railway during its journey.
3. Taking a new sleeper train, though it has an early arrival time.

Departing from Basel:

All three services depart from Basel SBB station, the main station in the city, and then call at Basel Bad bf.
Though if you'll be commencing an end-to-end journey in Basel city center, the quickest option is to join these trains at Basel Bad bf.
It will be cheaper too as the German national operator classifies the journey from Basel Bad bf as a national journey, but the trip from Basel SBB is classified as international route.

Though join the trains at Basel SBB station if you will be connecting from other destinations in Switzerland.
Rail pass users are also more like to find unoccupied seats on these trains, on which reservations are optional, when boarding at Basel SBB.

Every hour during the day a swish ICE train travels from Berlin to Koln / Cologne so this is an exceptionally easy journey.
And now there are also three 'Sprinter' services per day which are non-stop from the German capital to Koln.
Then for travel overnight, sleeper trains aren't available on this route, but one of the ICE trains is made available.

Cities including Aachen, Bonn and Koblenz have less frequent trains from Berlin, so when the timings of those trains don't suit, connections are available in Koln hbf.

When looking up a journey by train from Bern to Cologne/Köln on the ticket booking websites most of the travel options will involve making a connection in Basel, or at a station in Germany.
However, there is a daily direct train available and it also happens to take a much more scenic route!

What's fairly unusual about taking the journey by train from Brussels/Bruxelles to Cologne/Köln is that alternative services operate on this route; the Thalys trains managed by the French & Belgian national rail operators and the ICE trains operated by Germany's national rail company.

They depart from Bruxelles/Brussels in different hours so if you need to depart from Brussels/Bruxelles or arrive in Cologne/Köln at a specific time, you'll be travelling on an ICE or a Thalys train.
The ICE trains typically offer the quickest connections from the arrival of a Eurostar from London.

Though if travelling at the cheapest price is your key criteria, be guided by that; it is timings rather than the type of train, which have a bigger impact on prices, the cheapest tickets inevitably sell out faster on the more popular departures.
SMTJ prefers the on the board ambience of the ICE trains, but it's not worth paying more to travel by them, particularly on such a comparatively short route.

Though rail pass users should take the ICE trains and ignore the Thalys trains.

When taking a train from Frankfurt (Main) to Cologne / Köln there are three things to keep in mind.

1. The route: Most of the trains rush along Germany's fastest high speed line, but some trains still take the slower, but much more beautiful route through the Rhine Gorge and Bonn.
2. The location of your ultimate destination: Many of the fast trains which take the high-speed route arrive at a secondary station in Cologne / Köln, located on the east bank of the River Rhine.
   Other trains, including all those on the slower route, arrive at the city's main station, Koln Hbf.
3. Price: The popularity of a departure and not the route it takes, or the station it arrives at, are what most greatly affects the cost of taking each specific train.

Despite this being one of Germany's busiest railway routes there is no high speed line between Hamburg and Köln / Cologne.
Hence a wide variety of trains both share the route and have comparable journey times.

There are typically three optimum options for taking a train from Innsbruck to Cologne/Koln:

1. The direct daytime train, which also happens to take the most scenic possible route between the two cities.
2. The fastest daytime option is to travel via Munchen/Munich and make a connection there.
3. Travelling through the night on a direct Nightjet service.

How to buy tickets, what's on board the trains, how to use the stations, plus tips for making the most of the journey

There are multiple options for travelling from München/Munich to Köln/Cologne by train during the day and overnight

During the day ICE trains take two different routes from München/Munich to Köln/Cologne.
The more frequent services (and new fastest 'Sprinter' services) take a route via Nurnberg and Frankfurt, but they don't arrive at the main station in Köln/Cologne as their route takes them through a station named Köln Messe/Deutz.
However, other ICE trains from München/Munich do arrive at the main station, Köln hbf.

So check the location of your final destination in Köln/Cologne and use the station info below, to see which route will suit you better.
Köln Messe/Deutz is further from the city centre, but if your ultimate destination is located along the U-Bahn (metro) routes; 1, 3, 4 or 9 then connections are available to these lines at Messe/Deutz.
While U-Bahn lines 5, 16 and 18 have stations linked to Köln hbf.

If your final destination is within walking distance of Köln hbf and you won't be travelling with luggage etc and you can find a cheaper price for train Messe/Deutz; or if the arrival times of those trains suit you better, then take the trains heading to Messe-Deutz.
You can then hop on a local S-Bahn train at Messe-Deutz (if you book to Koln hbf) and can be at the main station less than 10 minutes after you have stepped off the train at Messe/Deutz.

However, if you will be heading to a location near Koln hbf and will have luggage etc, or making an onward connection in that station, then do target the direct ICE trains to Koln hbf.
That's because the interchange between the ICE and S-Bahn trains at Messe/Deutz involves walking up a staircase.

When travelling overnight you will arrive at Koln hbf, but can choose between travelling in a bed or bunk on the Nightjet train, or travelling on the same ICE trains as used for the daytime services.

The only direct trains between Paris and north-east Germany are the high speed Thalys trains, so this is a straightforward journey.

Köln hbf, the main station in Cologne, offers connections on to a swathe of destinations with no direct trains from Paris, including Berlin, Bonn, Hannover, Koblenz and Wuppertal.

Look up a journey from Salzburg to Cologne on a ticket booking service and most of the options will involve making a connection in Munchen hbf (the main station in Munich) into an ICE train on to Köln / Cologne
Not only is it fairly frequent it's also the fastest option, but take care that Koln hbf and not Koln Messe/Deutz is the station that you will be arriving at.

However, there is one daily option for taking a direct train from Salzburg to Koln/Cologne, which can get lost amidst the alternatives, hence it being singled out.
It also takes a much more scenic route!

There are no direct overnight trains on this route.

Despite the distance it's a very simple journey by train from Wien/Vienna to Köln/Cologne, thanks to direct connections between these two fabulous cities, both during the day and overnight.

When looking up a journey by train from Zurich to Cologne/Köln on the ticket booking websites most of the travel options will involve taking two ICE trains and making a connection at a German station, but there is a daily direct train available.
It also happens to take a much more scenic route!

There is also a recently introduced overnight direct train, but this Nightjet train is on route to Amsterdam so it calls in Cologne/Köln before 06:00.

Thanks to a relatively new high speed line in Germany the train journey from Munchen / Munich to Berlin has never been faster and it's more frequent too!

What won't be obvious when looking up a journey by train from München / Munich to Berlin is that the ICE trains between the two cities now take four different routes:

1. München - Nurnberg - Erfurt - Halle - Berlin (the fastest services on this route with the fewest station calls are known as 'Sprinter' services)
2. München - Nurnberg - Erfurt - Leipzig - Halle - Berlin (diverting off the direct route to serve Leipzig only adds around 40 mins to the journey time)
3. Trains which follow the two routes above after Nurnberg but divert off the direct route in order to serve Augsburg; this adds around 30 mins to the journey time.
4. Other trains take a route via Stuttgart and Frankfurt (Main) which is much longer, so it has been excluded from the options below.
   Take care to avoid these trains if you will be travelling with a rail pass.

The direct train(s) from Munich to Bologna, which provide a highly useful connection when travelling from southern Germany to northern Italy, also happen to take a beautiful route through the Alps and Dolomites.

Bologna is the main hub of the Italian rail network, so connect there for a swathe of fabulous destinations, which have no direct trains from Germany, including Bari, Ravenna, Modena, Parma, Naples and Lecce
(In the summer months this train has its journey extended to Rimini).

Also if you'd rather travel by day to Florence and Rome than take the direct night train from Munchen, you can also connect in Bologna for those cities.

There are now two optimum choices for taking the train from München / Munich to Bruxelles / Brussels:
(1) The daytime journey requires a connection between two ICE trains at Frankfurt (Main) hbf, but it's an exceptionally easy station in which to change trains.
(2) Or if you want to travel overnight the direct Nightjet train proved to be short lived, so travelling through the night also requires a connection.
Take the Nightjet train heading for Amsterdam, which typically departs at 22:50 and leave this train when it arrives in Koln shortly before 07:00.
Within 45min an ICE train will be usually be heading on to Bruxelles.

When taking the train from München / Munich to Budapest there is a choice between travelling by day on a smart and comparatively comfortable Railjet train, or overnight on a sleeper train.
Though on this route the overnight isn't a Nightjet because the Hungarian national rail operator MAV provides the sleeping cabins, couchettes and seated coaches.

The only direct train service between München / Munich and Firenze / Florence is provided by the overnight Nightjet train, but it's also a straightforward and stunningly beautiful journey by day.

Take one of the daily EC trains through the mountains to Bologna and connect there for a high speed train on to Firenze/Florence

Sleek ICE trains link München / Munich to Frankfurt (Main) but what's slightly odd is that they take two different routes;
1 - via Nurnberg
2 - via Stuttgart
But because the trains on the route via Nurnberg ae faster, the only trains that have tickets available online are the trains on this route.

You might then wonder why, when you're at the station in Munich/Munchen why you can see trains to Frankfurt (Main) leaving before your departure, that you weren't aware of.
However, those other trains will arrive in Frankfurt after the train you will be taking.

Heading off to see the fairytale castles of Hohenschwangau and the Schloss Neuschwanstein on a day trip by train München / Munich is easily done

Heading off to the German Alps by train from München/Munich is easily done thanks to direct trains to the popular resort town, where an easy transfer is also available to Germany's highest railway, the Zugspitzbahn.

When taking the train from München / Munich to Hamburg, there is a a choice available between travelling during the day on a sleek ICE train, or travelling through the night on a Nightjet.

Every hour during the day a sleek ICE train makes the train journey from München / Munich to Hannover

There are direct trains from München / Munich to Heidelberg, though if you are willing to change trains, the journey options which involve making a connection are much more frequent

There are two routes to choose from when travelling from Munich München / Munich to Innsbruck by train.

(1) The quickest route via Kufstein and Worgl is the only route you will be offered when looking up this journey by the online booking agents, and the Austrian part of this journey has some delightful riverside views

(2) Some of the Regio services from München / Munich to Garmisch have their journeys extended over the Austrian border and on to Innsbruck.
If you favour scenic views over speed then this is the route to take as the birds eye views over the valleys to the south of Garmisch are exceptional.

This is one of Europe's most scenic city to city railway journeys, so if you will be travelling from Bavaria to the lake shore resorts on lovely Wörthersee, taking the train is definitely the way to go.

There are multiple options for travelling from München/Munich to Köln/Cologne by train during the day and overnight

During the day ICE trains take two different routes from München/Munich to Köln/Cologne.
The more frequent services (and new fastest 'Sprinter' services) take a route via Nurnberg and Frankfurt, but they don't arrive at the main station in Köln/Cologne as their route takes them through a station named Köln Messe/Deutz.
However, other ICE trains from München/Munich do arrive at the main station, Köln hbf.

So check the location of your final destination in Köln/Cologne and use the station info below, to see which route will suit you better.
Köln Messe/Deutz is further from the city centre, but if your ultimate destination is located along the U-Bahn (metro) routes; 1, 3, 4 or 9 then connections are available to these lines at Messe/Deutz.
While U-Bahn lines 5, 16 and 18 have stations linked to Köln hbf.

If your final destination is within walking distance of Köln hbf and you won't be travelling with luggage etc and you can find a cheaper price for train Messe/Deutz; or if the arrival times of those trains suit you better, then take the trains heading to Messe-Deutz.
You can then hop on a local S-Bahn train at Messe-Deutz (if you book to Koln hbf) and can be at the main station less than 10 minutes after you have stepped off the train at Messe/Deutz.

However, if you will be heading to a location near Koln hbf and will have luggage etc, or making an onward connection in that station, then do target the direct ICE trains to Koln hbf.
That's because the interchange between the ICE and S-Bahn trains at Messe/Deutz involves walking up a staircase.

When travelling overnight you will arrive at Koln hbf, but can choose between travelling in a bed or bunk on the Nightjet train, or travelling on the same ICE trains as used for the daytime services.

Taking the train from München/Munich to Leipzig has been transformed for the better in recent years by the opening of Germany's latest high speed line.

On the departure info at Munchen Hbf you may see other ICE trains heading to Berlin that will be calling at Leipzig.
Those trains take a much longer route via Stuttgart and Frankfurt; hence they're not listed when looking up this journey on DB Bahn and the other ticket booking services.
But if you will be travelling with a rail pass and opted not to make reservation, take care not to board those other trains.

There are now two distinct travel options when taking a train from München/Munich to beautiful Lindau on the shore of the Bodensee.

(1) The newly improved express train service on which very smart EEC traina now complete the journey in under two hours.
However, they arrive at a new station, Lindau-Reutin, which is a 10-15 min walk from the lovely island on which the old town is located.
Though an option is to connect there for a train to Lindau-Insel station, which lives up to its name as it's on the island.

(2) Regio trains, operated by ALX and not by DB, still provide a direct service to Lindau-Insel station.

If you book ahead you can save money, by taking the express trains, but if you will be buying tickets last minute at the station, the Regio trains will be the cheaper option.

Every other hour during the day sleek Railjet trains link München/Munich to Linz

Step on board for one of Europe's most spectacular railway journeys; once the train has departed Salzburg, you can enjoy hour after hour of beautiful views.

There is also an overnight train from Munich to Ljubljana, but we don't recommend taking it for two reasons:
(1) It is due to arrive at the painfully early time of 05:59.
(2) You'll miss out on experiencing this fabulous daytime journey.

There are two optimum route options for a journey by train from Munich/München to London:

1. Make two transfers between trains and travel via Bruxelles, thereby avoiding having to make a transfer between stations in Paris.
   On this routing the optimum end-to-end journey involves having to make the connection between trains in Koln/Cologne.

2. Travelling via Paris (not available on Saturdays) on the direct train from München to the Gare de l'Est, then heading to the Gare du Nord in order to take the Eurostar on to London.

Or if you will be departing on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, you can take the relatively new Nightjet service to the Gare de l'Est and head over Gare du Nord for the Eurostar

If you want to travel direct from München/Munich to Milano/Milan/Mailand by train you will need to travel overnight by Nightjet.

By day a connection between trains is required in Verona Porta Nuova station, but the end-to-end journey will be faster; and it's also a stunning train ride.

There is only one daily direct daytime train from München/Munich to Paris, but when looking up the journey you will see numerous other options which involve making connections.
Of those target the routings with only one change of train in Stuttgart.

On Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays a new Nightjet train provides an alternative direct connection between München/Munich and Paris; though it departs from München Ost, a secondary station in the city.

Two of Europe's must-see cities are linked by direct trains, so it's an easy journey, but what can take travellers by surprise is that express trains aren't used, despite the distance.
Instead this is a contender for Europe's longest journey by regional trains.

The only direct train service between München/Munich and Roma/Rome is provided by the overnight Nightjet train, but it's also a straightforward and stunningly beautiful journey by day.

Take one of the daily EC trains through the mountains to Bologna and connect there for a high speed train on to Roma

Salzburg may be over the border in Austria, but it's one of the closest cities to München/Munich hence the service of frequent trains.

Because of the relatively short distance the express trains, the Railjets and EuroCity trains aren't particularly faster, but they do allow the option to reserve seats; and can be cheaper if you want to book ahead and commit to a specific departure.

There are also hourly Regio trains operated by Meridian.

During the day the timetable is arranged so that:

• odd hours = a Railjet and a Meridian train.
• even hours = an EC train and a Meridian train.

Something worth knowing is that the railway line to Salzburg is on the opposite side of München/Munich to its main hauptbahnhof railway station.
So after departure from München hbf the trains have to travel in a semi-circle around the city centre, but aside from the fast Railjet trains, the other trains from München/Munich to Salzburg also call at Munchen Ost station.

Munchen Ost station offers straightforward connections from local, S-Bahn, trains which call at multiple stations in the heart of the city, they use a tunnel to cross the city centre.

If you will be travelling by train from Munich Airport/Flughafen to Salzburg, the quickest option is to take a train on line S8 to Munchen Ost and make the connection on to Salzburg there.

When taking the train from München/Munich to Venezia/Venice you can either opt to take the fantastically scenic daytime journey, or travel overnight on a sleeper train

When travelling from München/Munich to Verona by train, you can choose between making the stunning daytime journey, or to travel on the overnight train.

Despite the distance it's super easy to travel from München/Munich to Wien/Vienna by train.
The daytime trains are smart and comfortable, the stations at both ends of the trip are very passenger friendly and the journey is easy on the eye.

Or if you need to be in Wien/Vienna before breakfast there is an overnight train, but note that it isn't a Nightjet train.

When travelling by train from München/Munich to Zagreb you can travel during the day on of Europe's most stunning railway journeys, or if the timings don't suit there's also an overnight train available (for now).

Thanks to recently completed major construction work, including a new station in Germany, and the introduction of sleek tilting trains, there has never been such a fabulous rail service between München/Munich and Zurich.

What won't be obvious when looking up a journey by train from Berlin to München / Munich is that the ICE trains between the two cities now take four different routes:

1. Berlin - Halle - Erfurt - Nurnberg - München (the fastest services on this route with the fewest station calls are known as 'Sprinter' services)
2. Berlin - Halle - Leipzig - Erfurt - Nurnberg - München (diverting off the direct route to serve Leipzig only adds around 40 mins to the journey time)
3. Trains that have taken either of the two routes above to Nurnberg can be diverted off the direct route between there and Munchen in order to serve Augsburg; this adds around 30 mins to the journey time.
4. Other trains take a Berlin - Leipzig - Erfurt - Frankfurt - Stuttgart - Munich route, which is much longer, so it has been excluded from the options below.
   Take care to avoid these trains if you will be travelling with a rail pass.

However, the departures are not evenly distributed, aside from trains travelling via Leipzig typically departing only in even hours, there is no pattern.
So if you need to be in Munich/Munchen by a specific time then be guided by that and don't pay too much attention to the journey time.

The cheaper tickets on the faster trains inevitably sell out faster, so if you won't be booking weeks ahead, the slower a particular departure is, the more likely it is that you'll save money by travelling by it.
But if you'll be using Eurail or InterRail passes you may as well target the faster trains.

Another unusual feature of this route is the variety of the types of ICE trains used.
If you want to have a meal in the restaurant car during the journey, you'll need to take the ICE 1 or ICE 4 trains, if you want to travel with a non-folding bicycle, you'll need to take an ICE 4 train.

Step on board the only direct trains from Bologna to Germany.
Connect in Bologna when travelling to Germany by daytime trains from the likes of Firenze, Napoli and Roma.
Connect in München/Munich for ICE trains to a swathe of German cities without rail connections with Italy including Berlin, Koln, Nurnberg and Stuttgart

This is typically a straightforward journey as direct trains are available whether you want to travel by day or overnight

The only international rail service from Florence/Firenze is the Nightjet train which serves both Munich/München and Vienna on routes which travel through the night.

Due to the distance between Germany's second and third cities, travellers have a choice of travelling by day or overnight when taking a train from Hamburg to Munich / München.

Taking a train from Cologne/Köln to Munich/München is very straightforward but there is an unusually high number of options for taking a direct train, and in summary they are:
1: the most frequent service of high speed ICE trains, which happen to depart from Köln Messe/Deutz station.
2. faster 'Sprinter' ICE services which also depart from Köln Messe/Deutz station
3: other ICE trains which depart from the city's main central rail station, Köln hbf.
4. taking a more scenic, but slower route.
5. Travelling in a bed or a bunk on a Nightjet train
6. Travelling through the night on an ICE train

There are two optimum routes when taking a train from London to Munich/München during the day:
1, Travelling by day via Paris
2. Travelling by day via Bruxelles

The daytime connections via Paris are sold as end-to-end journeys by ticket agents, but the daytime route via Bruxelles can be a good option if you will making this journey with a Eurail or InterRail pass; or if won't mind book separate tickets for different parts of the journey.
Making the effort to do so can be worth it if you'd rather avoid what can be an awkward transfer between stations in the French capital.

Though on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays it is possible to take the 14:31 Eurostar from London and connect into the Nightjet train which typically departs from Paris at 19:58; though think twice, as the train is due into Munchen Ost station (and not the main station) before 06:00.

München / Munich is some distance from the high speed line which links Paris to eastern France, so most of the international high speed trains which use it travel no further than Stuttgart.
Hence there only being one direct train per day from Paris to München/Munich, but when the timings (and price) of this service don't suit, there are other journey options available, the easiest of which is to make one connection in Stuttgart.

Taking an overnight train journey from Paris to Munchen/Munich is now an option on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday evenings, but it isn't recommended as the train is due to arrive at Munchen Ost station at around 05:45.

The only international rail service from Rome is the Nightjet train which serves both Munich/München and Vienna on routes which travel through the night.

Salzburg is one of the closest major cities to Munich, hence a comparatively frequent service of two trains per hour being available on this route.

One of these trains is a faster express service, on which seat reservations and advance discounted tickets will be available; though multiple different types of trains are used for these faster services.
The other hourly service is a slightly slower regional train, on which tickets won't cost any more when booking last minute at the station.
This regional service is operated by Meridian.

When taking the train from Venezia/Venice
to München/Munich you can either opt to take the fantastically scenic daytime journey, or travel overnight on a sleeper train

This wonderfully useful service of direct trains from northern Italy to Bavaria in southern Germany also involves travelling on one of the most spectacular European railway routes.
But if the timings of the daytime journey don' suit there is also the option of taking the night train.

Despite the comparatively short distance it's possible to travel by day or night when taking the train from Wien/Vienna to München/Munich.
The first daytime train of the morning, a Westbahn service, is usually scheduled to arrive in München/Munich around 09:50, but the overnight train will take you there in time for breakfast, with an arrival before 06:30.

There are also now two options for travelling during the day by train as Westbahn services now provide an alternative to travelling on the Railjet trains and they also depart from a different station in Wien/Vienna.

Thanks to recently completed major construction work, including a new station in Germany, and the introduction of sleek tilting trains, there has never been such a fabulous rail service between Zurich and München/Munich.

Connect in München hbf for destinations in Germany without direct trains from Switzerland including Augsburg, Nurnberg and Leipzig.