How to take a train journey from Paris to Berlin

Final Destination Berlin Hbf

From December 12th the train will typically be departing Paris on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings only.
It will usually be scheduled to leave from the Gare De l'Est at around 19:10.

The train will also call at: Erfurt and Halle (Saale)

Arriving in Berlin

The train will be typically scheduled to arrive into Berlin Hbf between 08:25 and 09:15, depending on the travel date - due to the length of the journey the schedule often has to be altered due to works on the lines.

Usual onward connections:

• To Warszawa before 10:00
• To Dresden at around 10:25
• To Wroclaw, Krakow and Katowice at around 10:50

These trains will call at Berlin-Südkreuz before they arrive at Berlin's main station, Berlin hbf.

It's worth checking the lcoation of your final destination in Berlin - there are direct S-Bahn trains from Sudkreuz to FriedrichstraBe and locations to the east and west of the city centre.

Check your onward connections in Berlin on this public transport map.

Book early and save: Yes

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

The train conveys:

• Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
• Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berthsm
• Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
• Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins

The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.

Click the train details below for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains,

You can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence this step-by-step guide.

There are no direct daytime trains from Paris to Berlin.

When taking the train from Paris to Berlin there is a choice of routes, you can either

(1) Taking this route - departing from the Gare Du Nord and travelling via Koln/Cologne
A plus of taking this routing is that you SHOULD have between 30 and 35 mins to to make the connection between trains at Koln Hbf.
Which is pretty much ideal, if the Thalys train from Paris arrives on time.

OR

(2) Taking an alternative route; departing from the Gare de l'Est and travelling via Frankfurt (Main)

There is little difference in journey times and neither route is particular scenic compared to the other - and both routes involve extensive travel on high speed lines on state of the art trains.

So the deciding factor as to which route to take is likely to be price. as explained in the 'Ticket Information' below.

Book in advance and save: Yes

Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
This booking period tends to be shorter when looking up journeys between mid August and mid October.

The alternative route via Frankfurt tends to be the cheaper, because the German national rail operator, DB, offers its discounted ‘Europa-Spezial’ tickets on that route, but they’re not available when travelling via Koln/Cologne.
Though the prices of both routes can be compared on the Trainline website.

On this routing it's worth checking whether you can save money by booking separate tickets for the Paris to Koln/Cologne and Koln/Cologne to Berlin journeys.

Though be aware that if you do so - and the Thalys train from Paris arrives too late in Koln for you to make the fastest connection (of between 30 and 35 mins) into the train on to Berlin; you may have to book a new ticket in Koln for the journey on to Berlin.
However, an option is to book the separate tickets, but then take a later train on from Koln, to allow more than 1hr 30mins to make the connection at Koln Hbf station.

If you DO want to book the end-2-end journey on SNCF Connect look for the journeys that have 2 corresp. THALYS ICE' in the journey summary.
And if you book an end-2-end ticket from Paris to Berlin, in the event of the train arriving too late in Koln to make the connection on to Berlin, your tickets/reservations can be transferred to the next departure.

Rail Pass Users:

If you will be travelling with a Eurail or InterRail pass valid in both France and Germany, you will save money if you travel on the alternative route via [Frankfurt (Main) because the rail pass reservation fees are more expensive on the Paris – Koln Thalys trains.

This journey, which usually involves departing Paris at 10:55, has been singled out because it allows more than 30mins in Karlsruhe to make the connection between trains.

So making the connection is less of a gamble than making the more tightly timed connections on the alternative options, which involve departing from the Gare de l'Est and changing trains in Frankfurt or Mannheim.

However, when making connections in Germany with an end-2-end ticket(s) , it/they can be always be transferred free of charge to a later departure, in the event of a train running late.

Keep that in mind as this journey option via Karlsruhe tends to be more expensive than making the connection between trains in Frankfurt or Mannheim.

Book in advance and save: Yes

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

This particular journey option, which departs Paris at 10:55, tend to be more expensive than making connections in Frankfurt (Main) or Mannheim

It has been singled out because it allows more than 30 mins to make the connection between trains (similar to the connecting times between trains on the alternative route via Koln/Cologne).
The greater the connecting time between trains, the greater the chance of having a stress-free journey, when taking a train from Paris to Berlin.

If you book with DB two of these connections involve changing trains in Mannheim and not Frankfurt (Main).

However, if you will be booking end-2-end tickets then the slight issue with this route, is that you will only have less than 15 mins to make any of the optimum connections required in either Mannheim or Frankfurt (Main).
Delays of more than 10 mins are not unknown on these trains from Paris.

Though if you do miss the booked connection in Mannheim or Frankfurt (Main) due to late running, then tickets/reservations can be transferred free of charge to a later departure on to Berlin.
Though be aware that there are more frequent trains between Frankfurt (Main) and Berlin, than between Mannheim and Berlin.

Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date - but this period of time is shorter when looking up journeys in August to October.

A choice of tickets

Four types of ticket are typically available:
Two types of discounted tickets, which will be cheaper the further ahead you book - Sparpreis Europa and Super Sparpreis Europa
Two types of non-discounted ticket - Flexpreis Europa and Flexpreis Plus Europa.

A key difference between these types of tickets is refunds:

• Super Sparpreis tickets are cheapest, but they can't be refunded at all.
• Sparpreis tickets can be refunded for a fee, but the refund will be in the form of travel vouchers to be used for alternative / future journeys.
• Flexpreis Europa and Flexpreis Plus Europa tickets can be refunded at no additional charge.

The other key difference is that both types of Sparpreis tickets are only valid on the specific departures selected when booking, but both types of Flexpreis tickets live up to their name, as they can be used on any departure on your travel date.

Note that none of the tickets can be exchanged to a different departure.
There's no need for this to be available for Flexpreis Europa tickets, as they aren't train departure specific.
If you book a Sparpreis Europa ticket and want to travel by a different departure you can refund it and then use the travel voucher towards the cost of the new booking.
Super Sparpreis Europa tickets can't be exchanged or refunded.

The Sparpreis, Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport from Berlin Hbf to locations in Berlin city centre.

Seat reservations

Reservations are mandatory on the train from Paris, so will be included, when booking tickets, but if you will be using a rail pass you will need to make a reservation.

Seat reservations are optional on the ICE train on Berlin.
They cost €4.90 when travelling in 2nd Class and €5.90 when travelling in 1st class -
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans - you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.

They are included within the cost of booking 1st class Flexpreis tickets and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.

On this journey which involves two trains on which seat reservations are available, the fees cover all trains - if reservations are added when initially booking.

When booking Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and 2nd class Flexpreis tickets, you have the option of purchasing seat reservations later.
It can be worth re-looking up a journey a week or two ahead of travel, because the DB website will indicate how busy a departure will be.
Though if you opt to add reservations later you will have pay the fees per train.

Booking on the DB website

To see all the combinations of trains and journey options, some of which may be cheaper, take off the 'fastest connections' default.

Making the connection or extending the transfer time:

These journey times and the associated train specific tickets are are all dependent on making a transfer between ICE trains in Frankfurt (Main) station of around 15 mins.

This connection is not guaranteed - it is not particularly unusual for the trains from Paris to arrive late into Frankfurt (Main) hbf station.

IF the ICE does arrive too late - then tickets/reservations can be swapped free of charge to subsequent connections at the Reisezentrum travel desk

OR minimise your chances of encountering this stressful scenario, by using the transfer tool on the DB home page

You can then book journey options which allow more than 30min to make the transfers between trains; though the connections you will then be offered can involve making the transfer between trains at other stations than Frankfurt (Main() hbf.
And these alternative routings can be more expensive.

Rail Pass Users:

Travelling with a rail pass

If you will be making this journey with a Eurail or InterRail pass then make reservations on a train to Frankfurt (Main) and make the connections there.
It's an exceptionally easy station in which to change trains and you won't have to make any reservations on trains between Frankfurt (Main)
Meaning that if the train from Paris arrives on time you can often gamble on making a 3-4 minute connection into a different ICE service on to Berlin, the tightly timed connection means that ticket bookers aren't given this option.
If you gamble and lose there will be another train on to Berlin within 15 minutes.

Reservations when using rail passes:

If you have a rail pass the best option is to book the reservation on a DB-SNCF train from Paris to Frankfurt (Main) – you’ll need to do this before you board this train

And then on arrival in Frankfurt (Main) you can either:

(1) hop on the next ICE train to Berlin – and hope that can find spare seats on the train (it’s more likely that you will, than you won’t).

(2) Use a DB ticket machine or stop by the Reisezentrum travel desk at Frankfurt (Main) and book reservations on the next ICE to Berlin

(3) Book the reservations on the Frankfurt to Berlin ICE before you leave Paris; and then IF you miss the connection you are booked on to, because the train from Paris is delayed, you can then transfer your reservation to the next ICE train, free of charge at the Reisezentrum travel desk.