Berlin to Leipzig by train

How to travel from Berlin to Leipzig by train

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

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Routes

From Berlin Hbf to Leipzig Hbf

Travel Information

Final Destination: Munchen (or Leipzig)

Departing from Berlin:

These trains usually depart from the lower level (tief) in Berlin Hbf.

These trains also call at Berlin Sudkreuz - which is to the south.

Connections are available at Berlin Sudkreuz from S-Bahn trains from the eastern and western edges of the city centre, as well as S-Bahn (local) trains from Brandenburger Tor and Postdamer Platz and Anhalter stations.

Check your connections in Berlin on this public transport map.

The trains
Despite Berlin and Leipzig not being connected by a high speed line, virtually all of the departures on this route are by ICE trains.

Some of the ICE trains used on this route are the new ICE-4 trains - particularly the trains which depart in odd hours.
If you want to travel with an ordinary non-folding bicycle, you'll need to take an ICE 4 train.

ICE- T trains are also used on an few of these departures.

1 x train per hour

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date - usually

When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.

On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have 0 in the Chg. 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.

Seat reservations:

It's not a particularly long journey from Berlin to Leipzig, but the train services on these routes are among the busiest in Germany.
If you book a 1st class ticket, you will now have an automatically assigned seat(s).

However, if you will be booking a 2nd class ticket or travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass, then reservations are available for a fee, but are are optional

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from €17.90

DB Bahn Guide

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees.
It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany.

Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets.

Happy rail from €17.90

Happy rail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

Omio from €17.90

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

Save A Train from €17.90

Save A Train Guide

Save A Train from €17.90

Save A Train Guide

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