How to take the direct journey by train from the Swiss capital to the capital of Germany

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Bern to Berlin by train

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.

Routes you can take to go from Bern to Berlin

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections?

Journey guides for travel to Bern Journey guides for travel from Berlin

Route Information

Station Guides

The platforms under the concrete roof at Bern station

Bern Rail Station Guide

Some of the escalators that link the multiple levels in Berlin Hbf

Berlin Hbf Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

from 8hr 23min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

2 x trains per day

Due to the length of this route the journey times are susceptible to being extended due top works on the railways.

Travel Information

Arriving in Berlin:

Final destination of these trains: Berlin Ost

All trains also call at: Berlin-Spandau

Note that these trains also usually call at three different stations in Berlin; Berlin Spandau, Berlin Hbf and Berlin Ost.
So before booking tickets or boarding, work out which of these stations has the optimum access to your final destination in the city.

If your final destination is in West Berlin, the fastest option is usually to leave these trains at Berlin-Spandau and connect there into S-Bahn commuter trains or Regio trains.
The station in the heart of West Berlin is Zoologischer-Garten, but these ICE trains do not call there.

If your final destination is to the east of the city centre, then it's likely that your best option is to take this train to Berlin-Ostbahnhof station.
Check your onward connections in Berlin on this public transport map.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

ICE 4 (Germany) Train Guide

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

There is no direct overnight train service from Bern to Berlin, but a Nightjet train to the German capital 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 the Nightjet service.

The train will travel on no less than three high speed lines during the course of its epic journey and during these sections of the trip the speeds should reach more than 250 km, but most of the journey is on conventional railway lines.

It is a journey of ten distinct phases, with a dramatic beginning.

Between Bern and Olten a fast straight railway has been constructed which allows trains to travel at 200 km/h, though some of the best views of the entire journey are just to the north of Bern station
The most scenic part of the journey is between Olten and Liestal, though its fairy average journey by Swiss standards.
The train will reverse direction on departure from Basel SBB station
From the suburbs of Basel until Offenburg, the railway travels through a rolling landscape.
Then from Offenburg to Karlsruhe to a high speed line has been constructed right beside the conventional route, which will be on the right.
Between Karlrsruhe and Frankfurt (Main) and the train will race through a string of towns
The train will reverse direction on departure from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.
Between Fulda and Hildesheim, the train will make use of Germany's first high speed line; this is the part of the journey with a wow factor as the trains will travel across dozens of viaducts and bridges, which occur as flashes between numerous tunnels.
Then 10 mins after departure from Braunschweig until Berlin-Spandau the train will be on a high speed line across dull farmland.
One of the highlights of the journey comes right at the end of the trip when the train travels on a viaduct across Berlin with great views over the city centre.

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