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.
Final Destination: Koln Hbf/Dusseldorf Hbf or Koblenz Hbf
These trains also call at: Wuppertal
Departing From Berlin:
These trains commence their journey at Berlin Ostbahnhof station, which lives up to it name with a location to the east of the city centre.
They also usually depart from the upper most level in Berlin Hbf.
If your journey is commencing in West Berlin, the quickest option is to take a Regio train from Berlin Zoologischer Garten station to Berlin-Spandau station and join these trains to Koln there.
Check your connections in Berlin on this public transport map.
1 x train per hour
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date - usually
Reservations:
Book 1st class ticket journey tickets and your seat reservation is included, but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.
Though for this comparatively short journey the reservation fees of €4.50 in 2nd class and €5.90 in 1st class are relatively expensive.
Finding Tickets:
When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for these direct ICE trains.
On the DB booking site look for journeys that have
0 in the Chg. column
ICE (and only ICE) 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 | from €17.90 | |
Happy rail | from €17.90 | |
Omio | from €17.90 | |
Save A Train | from €17.90 |
On departure from Berlin the train heading to Koln (or Koblenz )will be joined to another train heading to Dusseldorf.
The trains are separated on arrival at Hamm (West).
So check the electronic departure screens on the gleis/platform at Berlin Hbf, so that you're waiting in the right zone for easy boarding into the part of the train heading to Koln/Cologne.
Trains travel at more than 250 km/h on the high speed line between Berlin-Spandau and Wolfsburg.
But aside from that this is an exceptionally uneventful journey, so having something to read or watch with you, is recommended.
Final destination: Bonn
These trains all continue on beyond Koln/Cologne
Heading west these 'Sprinter' services will depart from Berlin hbf daily at 05:33, 11:42 and 17:41.
In addition to Berlin Hbf and Berlin Spandau, which are served by all of these ‘Sprinter’ services, the other trains call at various stations in the German capital.
Though what’s particularly noteworthy is that first departure of the day from Berlin is the first ICE service in more than 10 years to call at Berlin Zoologischer Garten station, the main station in West Berlin.
The other two daily departures commence their journeys at Berlin Sudkreuz.
3 x trains per day
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date - usually
Reservations:
Book 1st class ticket journey tickets and your seat reservation is included, but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.
Though for this comparatively short journey the reservation fees of €4.50 in 2nd class and €5.90 in 1st class are relatively expensive.
Finding Tickets:
When making an online booking, if you want to target these 'Sprinter' services, target the usual departure times of 05:33, 11:41 and 17:41; these trains aren't typically more expensive than the slower, regular ICE trains.
On the DB booking site look for journeys that have
0 in the Chg. column
ICE (and only ICE) in the Products column.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €17.90 | |
Happy rail | from €17.90 | |
Omio | from €17.90 | |
Save A Train | from €17.90 |
These 'Sprinter' trains take the same route from Berlin to Koln as the regular ICE services between the two cities; they're around 20mins faster because they skip all the intermediate station calls.
Although what is a tad disappointing is that these new ‘Sprinter’ services don’t enhance any international rail travel opportunities.
Frustratingly the 11:41 service from Berlin will arrive in Koln hbf only two minutes after an ICE will have left for Brussels.
Restaurant cars are included on the trains used for these 'Sprinter' services, but they are not available on the regular, slower departures.
Travelling with bicycles:
As ICE 4 trains are used for these services, these are the only trains on the Berlin to Koln/Cologne route on which non-folding bicycles can be taken on board.
If you need to be in Koln/Cologne before 07:00, meaning that the daytime won't be an option, you can take this overnight ICE train.
Final Destination: Koln Hbf
Departing from Berlin:
This train is usually scheduled to depart from the upper level (tief) in Berlin Hbf at 00:22 (after midnight)
This train is also scheduled to depart from Berlin Ostbanhof a and unlike the daytime trains, it also departs from Berlin Zoologischer Garten
1 x train per night
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Berlin Hbf at 00:22, so target that time when looking up this journey.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €29 | |
Trainline | from €29 |
Note that this service is provided by a standard ICE train that happens to run overnight.
It does not convey couchette berths or sleeping cabins, so travelling in a seat is the only option.
Final Destination: Koln or Aachen
These trains commence their journeys at Berlin Sudkreuz and also call at Berlin Spandau
Monday = 1 x train
Thursday = 1 x train
Friday = 2 x trains
Saturday = 1 x train
Sunday = 2 x trains
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 3 months ahead
Something to be aware of when booking tickets for journeys by FlixTrain is that Flix is predominantly a bus operator, so the train travel options for booking tickets are listed alongside the bus travel options; also some of the info around ticket exchanges and FAQs in general can point at the FlixBus website.
To make a it easier to hone in on a train journey it can be a good idea to look up the timetables to check the departure times which suit and then keep these times in mind looking for your rail ticket(s).
Much of the general advice around booking and using rail tickets in Germany doesn't apply to journeys by FlixTrain.
Tickets booked with DB, the German national rail operator, can't be used on FlixTrains, as Flix has used its own terms and conditions and set its own policies for how its tickets can be booked and used.
What are particularly different from DB is the reservation / seat selection on FlixTrain and how tickets can be exchanged (how tickets can be exchanged on FlixTrain also applies to FlixBus).
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
Flix | * |
These trains also depart from the lower level (tief level) at Berlin Hbf
They are not high-speed trains so don't use the high speed line between Berlin and Wolfsburg.
Trains travel at more than 250 km/h on the high speed line between Berlin-Spandau and Wolfsburg.
But aside from that this is an exceptionally uneventful journey, so having something to read or watch with you, is recommended.
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