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.
Final Destination: Berlin Ostbahnhof station, which lives up to it name with a location to the east of the city centre.
All trains also call at: Bielefeld, Hannover and Berlin-Spandau*
*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 reguklar ICE trains do not call there.
Check your onward connections in Berlin on this public transport map.
1 x train per hour
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
Reservations are highly recommended for this journey, book a 1st class ticket and your seat will be assigned, but not if you book 2nd class or will be travelling with a rail pass.
When looking for tickets from Köln on DB Bahn type ‘K‘ or 'COLOGNE' into the ‘from‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
Check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.
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.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB | from €17.90 | |
Trainline | from €17.90 | |
Happy rail | from €17.90 | |
Save A Train | from €17.90 |
This a journey on which we recommend having something to do on the trip, as it's a train ride with few wow moments.
A highlight of the train comes near the beginning, with the views over the city of Wuppertal, on the left hand side.
Between there and Bielefeld, the train will pass through an industrial landscape.
The train will travel at more than 250 km/h on a high speed line between Wolfsburg and Berlin-Spandau.
These 'Sprinter' services are typically schedule to depart daily from Koln at 06:17, 12:17 and 18:17.
In addition to Berlin Hbf and Berlin Spandau, which are served by all of these ‘Sprinter’ services, the trains go on terminate at different stations in the German capital.
Final Destinations:
Berlin Sudkreuz - the first two trains of the day
Berlin Ostkreuz - the final train of the day
Though what’s particularly noteworthy is that final departure of the day from Koln is the first ICE service in more than 10 years to call at Berlin Zoologischer Garten station, the main station in West Berlin.
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 06:17, 12:17 and 18:17; 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 | from €17.90 | |
Omio | from €17.90 | |
Save A Train | from €17.90 | |
Happy rail | from €17.90 |
These 'Sprinter' trains take the same route from Köln to Berlin 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 an ICE from Bruxelles will get into Koln, only 3 mins after the 12:17 ‘Sprinter’ will leave for Berlin.
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 Koln/Cologne to Berlin route on which non-folding bicycles can be taken on board.
Final Destination: Koln Hbf or Koblenz Hbf
All trains also call at: Berlin-Spandau; Wuppertal
The train will commence its journey at Berlin Gesundbrunnen.
At Berlin Hbf the train should depart from the lower level (tief) platforms/gleis.
The train heading to Koln or Koblenz will be joined to another train heading to Dusseldorf.
The trains are seperated on arrival at Hamm (West).
So check the electonic departure screens on the gleis/platform at Berlin Hbf, so that you're waiting in the right zone for easy boarding into the train heading to Koln/Cologne
Final Destination: Berlin Sudkreuz or Leipzig
Most trains also call at Berlin-Spandau
Monday = 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 | * |
Final Destination: Koln Hbf or Koblenz Hbf
All trains also call at: Berlin-Spandau; Wuppertal
The train will commence its journey at Berlin Gesundbrunnen.
At Berlin Hbf the train should depart from the lower level (tief) platforms/gleis.
The train heading to Koln or Koblenz will be joined to another train heading to Dusseldorf.
The trains are seperated on arrival at Hamm (West).
So check the electonic departure screens on the gleis/platform at Berlin Hbf, so that you're waiting in the right zone for easy boarding into the train heading to Koln/Cologne
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