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.
Final Destination: Praha or Budapest or Dresden or Graz
All trains also call at: Berlin Südkreuz
Some trains also call at: Berlin-Spandau
Additional IC train services now operate on the Berlin > Dresden route, so the service is now more frequent than it has been in years
However, these new IC services depart in the same hour as the international EC services; which are heading on to Praha and beyond.
Meaning that in odd hours there will still be no direct trains from Berlin to Dresden.
The first departure of the day is now a new Railjet service heading to Graz in Austria.
Czech and Hungarian trains are used for the EC services.
The EC trains can be particularly busy in 2nd class during the summer; it’s a popular route for rail pass users, so if you’ll be travelling 2nd class* between May and October making a reservation is recommended.
*Book a 1st class ticket and you seat(s) will be assigned; seat reservations are complimentary when booking 1st class tickets.
Arriving in Dresden:
It is a good idea to look up the location of your ultimate destination in Dresden before booking tickets and boarding.
These trains all call at Dresden-Neustadt station before they arrive at the main station in the city, Dresden Hbf.
If you'll be heading to the historic heart of Dresden on a day trip and want to avoid making a 20 - 30 min walk from either of these stations in Dresden, taking tram line 11 (direction Zschernitz) from the stop outside of the main exit at Dresden-Nuestadt to the Postplatz stop will take you to within a five minute walk of the old town area.
12 x trains per day
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.
On the DB booking site look for journeys that have:
- 0 in the Chg. column
- EC or IC in the Products column.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day - so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €17.90 | |
Happy rail | from €17.90 | |
Omio | from €17.90 | |
Save A Train | from €17.90 |
As soon as the train leaves Berlin behind, for virtually the entire remainder of the journey, the train will be travelling across flat as a a pancake farmland, so taking something to read or watch with you is recommended.
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This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.