2 February 2012. Train times valid from 11 December 2011
to 9 June 2012.
Travelling to Germany by train...
London to Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt or anywhere in
Germany from 49 euros(£43) each way...
It's
so easy to travel from London to anywhere in Germany by train. Take
Eurostar
from London to Brussels in just 1 hour 55 minutes, switch to a
high-speed
Thalys or
ICE
high-speed
train from Brussels to Cologne in 1 hour 57 minutes, then
take a superb ICE high-speed train
from Cologne to just about anywhere in Germany. Fares
start at 49 euros (£43) each way if you book online at
www.bahn.de, and you simply print out your own ticket. Or
take an afternoon Eurostar from London to Paris then
the overnight City Night Line sleeper train to
Munich or Berlin, city centre to city
centre,
arriving in time for breakfast. Some private sleepers
even have their own toilet & shower. Or head for
Paris then take a high-speed train from Paris to Frankfurt, Stuttgart &
Munich taking just a few hours. This page will help
you find the best option and buy the cheapest tickets. It's centre to centre,
with no baggage fees, no airport taxes, no expensive
journeys to and from airports, children under 4 go free, and
you can bring your own bottle of wine for the journey if you
like (try doing that on Ryanair!).
On this page...
...you'll find
a route map and train times, fares & how to buy tickets from:
Taking an afternoon Eurostar to Paris then the overnight
City Night Line sleeper train to Berlin is an excellent
time-effective option. The deluxe sleeper
compartments even have en suite toilet & shower, with
breakfast next morning included. If
you'd prefer a morning Eurostar from London and daytime trains to Berlin,
see
here. If you'd rather use the overnight
Harwich-Hoek van Holland with a comfortable en suite cabin,
then daytime trains on to Berlin next day,
see here.
London ► Berlin
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving
London St Pancras at 16:01 (15:31 at weekends), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
19:17 (18:47 at weekends).
It's then a
10 minute walk
from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est. By
all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend
some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.
Travel from Paris to Berlin
by the City Night Line sleeper train 'Perseus', leaving
Paris Gare de l'Est daily all year round at 20:05 (20:20 at
weekends) and arriving at Hanover
06:30, and Berlin Hauptbahnhof
at 08:26 next morning. The 'Perseus' has sleepers, couchettes,
and ordinary seats, see the photos & information below.
Breakfast is included in the fare for sleeper passengers,
served in your compartment.
Map of Berlin showing Hauptbahnhof.
More
pictures & information about this City Night Line train.Always
check exact times when
booking, as they can occasionally vary.
Berlin ► London
Travel from Berlin to
Paris by City Night Line sleeper train 'Perseus', leaving
Berlin Hauptbahnhof
daily all year round at 20:07, Hanover at 22:16 and
arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 09:24 next morning. The
'Perseus' has ordinary seats, couchettes (4-bunk or
6-bunk) and modern sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-berth standard
rooms with washbasin or
deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, highly
recommended).
Breakfast is included in the fare for sleeper passengers.
Always check exact times when
booking, as they can occasionally vary.
More
pictures & information about this City Night Line train.
Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at
11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.
On board Eurostar from London to Paris:
See the Eurostar page
for photos & information about on-board facilities.
Introducing the City Night Line sleeper train from
Paris to Berlin...
The Paris-Berlin
overnight train is one of the
German Railway's excellent 'City Night Line' sleeper trains.
Called the 'Perseus', it
has modern 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars
(1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower &
toilet, 1, 2 &
3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, shower at
the end of the corridor, all rooms with power-points for
mobiles & laptop computers),
modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in
a 4- or 6-berth compartment), and ordinary seats (not
recommended, as a couchette is far better). Inclusive fares are charged covering
travel plus sleeping accommodation. The
sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast served in
your compartment.
More
pictures & information about this City Night Line train.
Travel tip: For a good meal in a classic
Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper train in
Paris, why not catch the earlier 14:02 Eurostar from
London & dine at the
Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road
from the Gare du Nord.
1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper:
The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with
washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.
4-berth couchettes:
Ideal for families, much more space per person than
6-berth couchettes.
6-berth couchettes:
A very economical option, far better than a seat for
just a few euros more...
The Night train to Berlin... The
'Comfortline' sleeping-car of City Night Line
sleeper train 'Perseus' boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est...
* If you have children aged 4- 5 or 12-14,
please read this note
before booking the City Night Line sleeper train.
** This is
the supplement you pay if you have a railpass. A 1st
class ticket or pass is required for deluxe sleepers.
Savings fare =
cheap fare, price varies, limited availability so book in advance
for the cheapest tickets, no refunds, no changes to travel
plans.
Full price =
fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
Youth fares:
25% discount on the full price (but not Savings
fares) using
www.raileurope.co.uk
if you're under 26 years old, but Savings fares are usually cheaper!
Senior fares:
20% discount on the full price (but not Savings
fares) using
www.raileurope.co.uk
if you're over 60 years old, but Savings fares are usually cheaper!
How to buy
tickets online...
The cheapest
way to book this journey is online. You can book at
either
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents only)
which uses the French reservation system, or
www.bahn.de
which uses the German system. Using
www.raileurope.co.uk
has the advantage that you can book both the London-Paris Eurostar
and the Paris-Berlin sleeper on the same website and can pay
for them together as one transaction. It's often the
cheapest option. However, Rail Europe's French system won't book 4-berth
couchettes on this train, and also prices any child over 12 as an adult an
any infant over 4 as a child, whereas
www.bahn.de offers the full range of accommodation
including 4-berth couchettes, and allows infants under 6 to go free,
children under 15 at the child rate, which are the correct
age limits for this German-run train. However, if you book the sleeper at www.bahn.de, you'll need to book the
Eurostar separately at
www.eurostar.com. I strongly recommend trying both
websites to see what offers the cheapest price.
This booking form links to
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £2.25 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2.5% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
When do bookings open?
Reservations for the Paris-Berlin train open 90 days before
departure, but this train can sometimes open
further ahead so give it a go.
Eurostar opens 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend
waiting and booking all tickets together in case the sleeper
arrival/departure times are altered for any reason. Be aware that the booking period is often
squeezed to as little as 60 days for travel immediately
after the European timetable changes in mid-June &
mid-December.
Resist the temptation to book from 'London' to 'Berlin'.
Instead, you should treat this as two
separate journeys, London to Paris and
Paris to Berlin. This gives you more control, and
allows you to mix and match (for example) 2nd class Eurostar
with 2-berth deluxe sleeper (1st class). It also allows
stopovers in Paris if you like.
Step 1, enter 'Paris' in the 'from' box and
'Berlin' in the 'to' box, enter dates of travel, select
an evening departure and look for the direct train with 0
changes
in the search results. On the
confirmation page, clicking 'show itinerary details' shows the
specific coach number & berth or seat number
you've been given. Check the sleeper train times
before booking the Eurostar, as engineering work
occasionally affects arrival times, requiring a different
Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Berlin & back, click 'continue shopping' and book the
Eurostar from London to Paris & back. Use the Eurostar
times on this page as a guide, but feel free to choose an
earlier Eurostar from London or a later Eurostar back from
Paris if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like
to stop off in Paris. Don't forget that on your return
journey, your departure date from Paris to London will be
the day after your departure date from Berlin!
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.
Anyone from any
country can buy tickets this way.
www.bahn.de offers the full range of
on-board accommodation including 4-berth couchettes, though
for some reason won't book solo passengers in 3-berth
sleepers (though Rail Europe will). In addition, child age limits are different if you book
using bahn.de (in fact, they are the correct ones for this
train!): Children under 6 go free sharing a
berth, children under 15 get the child rate. Booking
this way involves two websites, so do a 'dry run'
first on both sites to check prices and availability before
booking for real.
Step 1, go to
www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book from Paris to
Berlin & back looking for the direct CNL train with 0
changes.
The results will show cheap 'Savings' fares (if available) and
fully-flexible fares for each type of
seat, couchette & sleeper. You pay by credit card and
simply print out
your own ticket. Easy! The prices shown on
www.bahn.de are in euros, and are the
total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.
I recommend registering when it asks you before completing
the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings later. Always book the
sleeper first and check its exact arrival & departure times before booking
the Eurostar connection, as times can vary.
Step 2, go to
www.eurostar.com to buy your Eurostar
ticket between London and Paris, using the Eurostar times
above as a guide. By all means book an earlier
Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if
this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop
off in Paris for a while. Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK
address, self-printed, or collected at the station.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
To book both
the Eurostar and the sleeper train by phone, call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no
booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit
cards), or a booking agency such
as
European Rail
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday to
Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee per transaction).
Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. US
residents can call them on (646) 770 2894 (please
quote seat61) and Canadian residents on (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'). Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free. They get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested holiday itineraries &
prices.
It's easy to travel by train
from London to Berlin in one day, and from just 49 euros
(£44), using a morning Eurostar
to Brussels, a high-speed
Thalys or
ICE train to Cologne,
then Germany's
luxurious high-speed
InterCity Express (ICE) onwards to Berlin.
The ICE is the pride of
the German Railways, travelling at up to 280km/h (175 mph).
This route is served by second-generation ICE2s, with a
cafe-bar and restaurant serving
proper sit-down meals. Breakfast
in the
ICE restaurant car costs about £8, a three-course meal
with a couple of glasses of beer about £25. Treat
yourself!
* = On Thursdays and Fridays there's also a 15:56
Eurostar from Brussels to London, arriving17:03.
** = Until 15 February 2012, and on Mondays &
Tuesdays from 18 February to 3 April, the Eurostar
connection runs later, leaving Brussels at 19:52 arriving
London 21:03.
Always check
these train times using
www.bahn.de, as they can vary on certain dates. If you have a
1st class
ticket you can use the
DB Lounges at
Cologne, Berlin Hauptbahnhof & Hanover.
Berlin, Hanover
► London
ICE train to Cologne
Mondays to Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Note A
Berlin
(Hauptbahnhof)
depart
06:49
07:48
10:49
11:48
06:49
07:48
10:49
11:48
06:49
06:49
10:49
11:48
20:07
Hanover
depart
08:31
09:31
12:31
13:31
08:31
09:31
12:31
13:31
08:31
08:31
12:31
13:31
22:16
Bielefeld
depart
09:22
10:22
13:22
14:22
09:22
10:22
13:22
14:22
09:22
09:22
13:22
14:22
|
Cologne
Hbf
arrive
11:09
12:32
15:09
16:09
11:09
12:32
15:09
16:09
11:09
11:09
15:09
16:09
|
Change at Cologne onto a
high-speed Thalys train to Brussels (trains marked 'c' are German ICE trains)
Sleeper
Cologne
Hbf
depart
11:43
c
12:43
15:43
c
16:42
11:43
c
12:43
15:43
c
16:42
11:43 c
12:43
15:43 c
16:42
via
Brussels
Midi/Zuid
arrive
13:35
c
14:32
17:35 c
18:32
13:35
c
14:32
17:35 c
18:32
12:35 c
14:32
17:35 c
18:32
Paris
Change at Brussels onto
Eurostar. Remember the 30 minute check-in...
|
Brussels
Midi/Zuid
depart
14:56
16:56*
18:56**
19:52
14:52
16:56
19:52
19:52
14:52
15:56
18:56
19:52
|
London
St Pancras
arrive
16:03
18:12*
19:57**
21:03
16:03
18:06
21:03
21:03
16:03
16:57
19:57
21:03
12:30
How much does it cost?
1. London to
Cologne
by
Eurostar + Thalys or ICE:
Fares for Eurostar+ICE start at 49 euros (£43)
each way.
Fares
for Eurostar+Thalys start at £53 one-way (£39
London-Brussels + £14 Brussels-Cologne)
or £97 return (£69 London-Brussels +
£28 Brussels-Cologne).
Fares vary like
air fares, so book in advance to get the cheapest
prices.
Normal flexible fare 106
euros
(£85) one-way, 212 euros (£170) return
Or buy a
cheap 'London
Spezial' ticket, London to
Berlin or Hanover from 49 euros (£43) each way...
Before you do
anything else, check the German Railways website
for cheap 'London Spezial' fares between
London and anywhere in Germany, including Berlin, using the
special links below.
All you need to do is enter your date of travel. I
recommend buying a round trip as two one-ways, as it's easier to
see where the availability is. Booking normally opens
90 days before departure.
About these
London Spezial tickets: These excellent 'London
Spezial' tickets start at 49 euros each way 2nd class or 99
euros 1st class from London to anywhere in Germany.
That price includes Eurostar to Brussels, a superb German
ICE train to Cologne and onward trains to your final
destination, all on one simple print-at-home ticket.
You'll only find these London Spezial fares on services
which use the German ICE train between Brussels & Cologne
(marked with a 'c' in the timetable above), they aren't
available on Thalys trains. Availability is limited,
and the German site can't sell normal tickets for this
route, only these London Spezial fares which can sell out.
And it can't sell tickets of any sort for Eurostar+Thalys.
Incidentally, note that when using
www.bahn.de,
you often need to put 'Brussels South Stn' in the 'via' box
and either '01:00' or '02:00' in the 'stopover' box to force
the journey planner to find the ICE connection (and so offer
the cheap London Spezial fares) rather than a more immediate
Thalys connection. I've set up the 'check for cheap
tickets' links above to include the necessary 'fiddle
factor' for each specific departure, so you don't need to
worry about it, as long as you use the right link for the
right departure. Also note that you'll need to go to a
staffed check-in kiosk at St Pancras as the self-print
tickets can't operate Eurostar's automatic ticket gates, at
least not yet. If you find a cheap ticket using the links above then great,
if not (or if you want a Eurostar+Thalys service), move swiftly on to the normal 'How to buy tickets' section below...
How to buy
tickets online...
If your chosen journey includes an
ICE train between Brussels and Cologne (marked with a
'c' in the timetable above):
Step 1, buy a Eurostar ticket from London
to Brussels at
www.eurostar.com using the
train times on this page as a guide. The further ahead you book, the more
likely you are to see the cheapest fares. Tickets can
be self-printed, collected at London St Pancras or posted to any UK address.
Step 2, now buy a ticket from Brussels to
Berlin using the journey planner at the German Railways
website
www.bahn.de,
again using the
train times on this page as a guide. They have
'Belgium Spezial' tickets between Brussels and anywhere in
Germany from just 39 euros each way, and you simply print out your own
ticket. I recommend registering when it
asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily
retrieve any bookings.
If your chosen journey includes a
Thalys between Brussels and Cologne, or is a
return journey involving a Thalys one way and an ICE the
other:
Step 1, go to
the Belgian Railways international website
www.b-europe.com and book a ticket from London to Cologne
and back using the
train times on this page as a guide.
You print off your own tickets. B-europe.com can book
both Eurostar+Thalys and Eurostar+ICE, and their booking
system handles this two-leg journey well, usually seeming to
find the cheapest prices.
You print your own tickets. UK residents can
also try
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Step 2, buy a Cologne-Berlin ticket online
at the German Railways website,
www.bahn.de. You simply print out your own
ticket. Make sure the train you
book connects with the Eurostar+Thalys you have booked,
using the train times on this page as a guide. I
recommend registering when it asks you before completing the
purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
To book by phone, call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturdays & Sundays, no booking fee, 2% credit card
charge) or call www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday to
Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35
booking fee per transaction). Click
here for a list of
agencies and more information on how to buy tickets.
Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. US
residents can call them on (646) 770 2894 (please
quote seat61) and Canadian residents on (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'). Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free. They get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested holiday itineraries &
prices.
Berlin's new
Hauptbahnhof (main station) is a symbol of the new revitalised
Berlin. It's a modern glass and steel structure that
will warm the hearts of window-cleaning firms everywhere,
just 3 minutes' walk from the Reichstag, 10 minutes from the
Brandenburg Gate and Unter den Linden, or 25 minutes from
the site of
Checkpoint Charlie. It's in fact two stations in
one, with platforms 6 to 11 on the east-west elevated tracks
well above
ground level, and platforms 1 to 5 serving the north-south
tracks on a below-ground
level. Trains from Cologne & Paris arrive
at platforms 6 to 11. The ticket office,
1st class lounge
and the
left luggage office are one level up from the ground
(entrance) level, one level below platforms 6 to 11.
Cologne, or 'Köln' in German
from its Roman name, Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, was once the
largest city in Germany. Its magnificent cathedral
stands right next to Cologne's main station - the cathedral
was consecrated in 1322, but its distinctive 512 feet high
towers were only completed in 1880. You can climb them
for a magnificent view over the city and the River Rhine.
Getting to Cologne from London is really easy by train:
Hop on a high-speed
Eurostar
train from London to Brussels in just 1 hour 55 minutes,
then travel from Brussels to
Cologne by high-speed
Thalys train or German
high-speed ICE train in just
1 hour 57 minutes more. Frequent regional trains then
link Cologne with Düsseldorf, Essen, Bochum & Dortmund. Thalys is a consortium of the French,
Belgian, Dutch and German railways formed to run the
high-speed trains between Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam &
Cologne.
Take Eurostar to Brussels in 1
hour 55 minutes, then either a Thalys high-speed train...
d = The 19:28 Thalys
from Brussels to Cologne in fact runs direct to Dusseldorf (arriving
21:42), Duisburg (21:57) and Essen (22:16), so no need to
change in Cologne!
h = The 06:45 Thalys
from Cologne to Brussels in fact runs direct from Essen
(05:40), Duisburg (05:55), Dusseldorf (06:13), with no need
to change in Cologne.
* = Until 17 February 2012, and on Wed, Thurs & Fri
from 18 February to 3 April, the Eurostar connection will
leave Brussels 2 hours later, at 12:56 arriving London
14:03.
**
= On Thursdays and Fridays there's also a 15:56 Eurostar
from Brussels to London, arriving17:03.
*** = Until 15 February 2012, and on Mondays &
Tuesdays from 18 February to 3 April, the Eurostar
connection runs later, leaving Brussels at 19:52 arriving
London 21:03.
Dortmund,
Düsseldorf & Cologne
► London
Regional train...
Mondays-Fridays
Saturdays
Dortmund Hbf
depart
05:45
06:45
09:45
10:45
13:45
14:45
05:45
06:45
09:45
10:45
13:45
14:45
Düsseldorf Hbf
depart
06:40
07:40
10:40
11:40
14:40
15:40
06:40
07:40
10:40
11:40
14:40
15:40
Cologne Hbf
arrive
07:12
08:12
11:12
12:12
15:12
16:12
07:12
08:12
11:12
12:12
15:12
16:12
Change trains in
Cologne
onto a high-speed Thalys train (trains marked
'c' are German ICE trains)
Cologne Hbf
depart
07:43 c
08:45
11:43
c
12:43
15:43
c
16:43
07:43 c
08:45
11:43
c
12:43
15:43
c
16:43
Brussels Midi/Zuid
arrive
09:35 c
10:32
13:35
c
14:32
17:35 c
18:32
09:35 c
10:32
13:35
c
14:32
17:35 c
18:32
Change trains in
Brussels - remember the 30 minute Eurostar check-in!
Brussels Midi/Zuid
depart
10:56
*
12:56
14:56
16:56**
18:56***
19:52
10:56
14:52
14:52
16:56
19:52
19:52
London St Pancras
arrive
11:57
*
14:03
16:03
18:12**
19:57***
21:03
11:57
16:03
16:03
18:06
21:03
21:03
Dortmund,
Düsseldorf & Cologne ► London
Regional train...
Sundays
Dortmund Hbf depart:
05:45
06:45
09:45
10:45
13:45
14:45
Düsseldorf Hbf depart:
06:40
07:40
10:40
11:40
14:40
15:40
Cologne Hbf
arrive:
07:12
08:12
11:12
12:12
15:12
16:12
Change trains in
Cologne
onto a Thalys train (trains marked 'c' are German ICE
trains)
Cologne Hbf depart:
07:43 c
08:45
11:43
c
12:43
15:43
c
16:43
Brussels
Midi/Zuid arrive:
09:35 c
10:32
13:35
c
14:32
17:35 c
18:32
Change in Brussels onto Eurostar.
Remember the 30 minute check-in
Brussels
Midi/Zuid depart:
12:56
12:56
14:52
15:56
18:56
19:52
London
St Pancras arrive:
14:03
14:03
16:03
16:57
19:57
21:03
How much
does it cost?
Special inclusive fares from London to Cologne...
London to Cologne,
Düsseldorf or Dortmund
from €49
(£43)
one-way, €98 (£86) return
'London Spezial' booked
online at
www.bahn.de
(limited availability, only available on the ICE
trains between Brussels & Cologne).
London to
Cologne from £45 one-way, £79 return
www.eurostar.com
have a new special through fare, £45 one-way, £79
return, although only available on Eurostar+Thalys,
not Eurostar+ICE.
London to
Cologne from £97 return
= from £69
return London-Brussels + from £14 each way
Brussels-Cologne by either ICE or Thalys, booked at
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.b-europe.com.
Book in advance for the cheapest fares, as prices rise as cheaper seats are sold.
One-way fares start at
£39 for London-Brussels + £14 for Brussels-Cologne,
booked at
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Add 19 euros each way for a connection to Dortmund.
First, check
for cheap
London
Spezial tickets London to Cologne, Düsseldorf or Dortmund from 49 euros (£43) each way...
Before you do
anything else, check the German Railways website
for cheap 'London Spezial' fares between
London and anywhere in Germany, including Cologne,
Düsseldorf, Essen or Dortmund, using the special links below.
All you need to do is enter your date of travel. I
recommend buying a round trip as two one-ways, as it's easier to
see where the availability is. Booking normally opens
90 days before departure.
Check for
cheap tickets outward from London to Cologne (click a link, enter your date of travel,
if necessary change 'Cologne' to
'Düsseldorf' or 'Dortmund'):
Check for
cheap tickets inward from Cologne to London: (click a
link, enter your date of travel, if necessary change
'Cologne' to 'Düsseldorf' or 'Dortmund' if you like):
About these
London Spezial tickets: These excellent 'London
Spezial' tickets start at 49 euros each way 2nd class or 99
euros 1st class from London to anywhere in Germany.
That price includes Eurostar to Brussels, a superb German
ICE train to Cologne and onward trains to your final
destination, all on one simple print-at-home ticket.
You'll only find these London Spezial fares on services
which use the German ICE train between Brussels & Cologne
(marked with a 'c' in the timetable above), they aren't
available on Thalys trains. Availability is limited,
and the German site can't sell normal tickets for this
route, only these London Spezial fares which can sell out.
And it can't sell tickets of any sort for Eurostar+Thalys.
Incidentally, note that when using
www.bahn.de,
you often need to put 'Brussels South Stn' in the 'via' box
and either '01:00' or '02:00' in the 'stopover' box to force
the journey planner to find the ICE connection (and so offer
the cheap London Spezial fares) rather than a more immediate
Thalys connection. I've set up the 'check for cheap
tickets' links above to include the necessary 'fiddle
factor' for each specific departure, so you don't need to
worry about it, as long as you use the right link for the
right departure. Also note that you'll need to go to a
staffed check-in kiosk at St Pancras as the self-print
tickets can't operate Eurostar's automatic ticket gates, at
least not yet. If you find a cheap ticket using the links above then great,
if not (or if you want a Eurostar+Thalys service), move swiftly on to the normal 'How to buy tickets' section below...
How to buy
tickets online...
If you don't find a cheap
London Spezial ticket at
www.bahn.de
as explained above, three
websites can sell regular-price tickets from London to
Cologne, and
I recommend checking prices on all three sites to see which is cheapest.
Bookings open 90 days before departure, book early
for the cheapest fares.
(1)
www.eurostar.com
can book tickets to Cologne not just starting in London but
from over 130 UK towns & cities. They now offer a
special through fare from London to Cologne from £79 making
it potentially the cheapest option. However,
annoyingly it can only book Eurostar+Thalys, not
Eurostar+ICE.
(2)
www.b-europe.com (Belgian Railways international
website) can book both London to Cologne tickets via both Eurostar+Thalys and
Eurostar+ICE, and it frequently seems to offer the
cheapest fares (although it won't go as cheap as either DB's
49 euro 'London Spezial' or Eurostar's new £79 return
special offer). It issues self-print tickets and
accepts credit cards from anyone in any country. It's
perhaps the best way to buy London-Cologne tickets if you
can't find a cheap Spezial fare at
www.bahn.de
or
www.eurostar.com.
(2)
www.raileurope.co.uk will also book London-Cologne via
both Eurostar+Thalys and Eurostar+ICE, but accepts UK credit
cards only.
Booking tip: If no affordable fares show up, a
last resort is to
split the journey into London-Brussels and
Brussels-Cologne.
If you live in the UK, you can do this using
www.raileurope.co.uk as this can book both tickets and let you pay for
them as one
transaction. If you don't live in the UK, use
www.eurostar.com for London-Brussels then
either
www.thalys.com for Brussels-Cologne by Thalys or
www.bahn.de
for Brussels-Cologne by ICE. Remember to allow for the
30 minute Eurostar check-in at Brussels on the return
journey.
This form links to
www.eurostar.com. It can book tickets to
Aachen or Cologne from London or over 130 UK towns &
cities...
If you prefer to
book by phone, call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturdays & Sundays, no booking fee,
2% credit card charge) or call www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday to
Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee). Click
here for a list of
agencies and more information on how to buy tickets.
Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. US
residents can call them on (646) 770 2894 (please
quote seat61) and Canadian residents on (416) 800 0732
(please quote 'seat61'). Australian residents can call
their Australian office,
www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free. They get
very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.
Browse suggested holiday itineraries &
prices.
Cologne Hauptbahnhof (main station) is located right
in the city centre, right next to Cologne Cathedral
with its distinctive twin towers and a stone's throw
from the banks of the River Rhine.
Climbing Cologne Cathedral's tower: If
you've 30 minutes to spare, you can climb
the cathedral's south (right-hand) tower for a fantastic view over
Cologne & the Rhine, 475 feet high, 533 steps, no
lift. The tower is open 09:00-16:00 in winter,
09:00-17:00 or 18:00 in summer, entrance 2.50 euros,
see
www.koelner-dom.de.
High-speed
Eurostar trains
link
London with Brussels in less than 2 hours. From Brussels, high-speed
Thalys and ICE trains take less than 2 hours to reach Cologne.
Regular trains link Cologne with Bonn, Koblenz and Mainz
running via the
original scenic rail route along the Rhine Valley.
Train times...
Simply use the London-Cologne
timetable above to find train times from London to Cologne, then use
www.bahn.de to find connecting
train times along the Rhine Valley from Cologne to Bonn,
Koblenz and Mainz.
How to buy
tickets...
Option 1, buy a cheap
London Spezial ticket from London to
Koblenz, Bonn, Mainz from 49 euros (£43) each way...
Before you do
anything else, check the German Railways website
for cheap 'London Spezial' fares between
London and anywhere in Germany, including Koblenz, Bonn or
Mainz, using the special links below.
All you need to do is enter your date of travel. I
recommend buying a round trip as two one-ways, as it's easier to
see where the availability is. Booking normally opens
90 days before departure.
Check for
cheap tickets from London to Koblenz
(select a link,
enter your date of travel, change 'Koblenz' to
'Bonn' or 'Mainz' if you like):
About these
London Spezial tickets: These excellent 'London
Spezial' tickets start at 49 euros each way 2nd class or 99
euros 1st class from London to anywhere in Germany.
That price includes Eurostar to Brussels, a superb German
ICE train to Cologne and onward trains to your final
destination, all on one simple print-at-home ticket.
You'll only find these London Spezial fares on services
which use the German ICE train between Brussels & Cologne
(marked with a 'c' in the timetable above), they aren't
available on Thalys trains. Availability is limited,
and the German site can't sell normal tickets for this
route, only these London Spezial fares which can sell out.
And it can't sell tickets of any sort for Eurostar+Thalys.
Incidentally, note that when using
www.bahn.de,
you often need to put 'Brussels South Stn' in the 'via' box
and either '01:00' or '02:00' in the 'stopover' box to force
the journey planner to find the ICE connection (and so offer
the cheap London Spezial fares) rather than a more immediate
Thalys connection. I've set up the 'check for cheap
tickets' links above to include the necessary 'fiddle
factor' for each specific departure, so you don't need to
worry about it, as long as you use the right link for the
right departure. Also note that you'll need to go to a
staffed check-in kiosk at St Pancras as the self-print
tickets can't operate Eurostar's automatic ticket gates, at
least not yet. If you find a cheap ticket using the links above then great,
if not (or if you want a Eurostar+Thalys service), move swiftly on to the normal 'How to buy tickets' section below...
Option 2, if
you can't find a London Spezial and your journey involves an
ICE between Brussels & Cologne...
Step 1,
buy a ticket from London to Brussels and back at
www.eurostar.com. You print your own ticket, or can
collect it at St Pancras.
Step 2, buy
an onward ticket from Brussels to Bonn, Koblenz or Mainz at
the German Railways website
www.bahn.de.
This will book 'Belgium Spezial' tickets from Brussels to
anywhere in Germany from 24 euros, but only if you
use one of the German ICE trains (not Thalys) between
Brussels and Cologne. Bookings open 90 days before
departure, the further ahead you book, the more likely you
are to see the cheapest fare.
Option 3, if
you can't find a London Spezial and your journey involves a
Thalys between Brussels & Cologne...
Use this method if
your journey involves a Thalys between Brussels & Cologne, or
a Thalys one way and ICE the other, or you're not sure which.
Step 1, buy a ticket from
London to Cologne and back at the
Belgian Railways international website
www.b-europe.com. B-europe.com can book
both Eurostar+Thalys and Eurostar+ICE between London &
Cologne, and their booking
system handles this two-leg journey well, usually seeming to
find the cheapest prices.
You print off your own tickets. Bookings open 90 days before
departure, the further ahead you book, the more likely you are to see
the cheapest fare. UK
residents can also try
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Step 2, buy an onward ticket
from Cologne to Bonn, Koblenz or Mainz at
www.bahn.de.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
If you prefer to buy tickets by
phone, call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card
charge) or call www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday to
Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee). Click
here for a list of
agencies and more information on how to buy tickets.
You can travel from London to Frankfurt either via Paris
or
via Brussels. The route via Brussels is
more frequent, but with the opening of the new TGV-Est high-speed line
in June
2007, direct German ICE trains link Paris &
Frankfurt in just 3 hours 50 minutes with cheap fares
available, making the route via Paris just as simple (one
change in Paris with a short walk between stations),
marginally cheaper and almost as fast. The route via
Paris is a bit easier to book online, the route via Brussels
is more frequent and slightly faster. The choice is yours...
The new TGV-Est high-speed line opened
in June 2007, and direct 175 mph
German ICE trains now link Paris and Frankfurt in just 3
hours 50 minutes, city centre to city centre. The ICE3
trains used on this service are superb, amongst the most comfortable
high-speed trains in Europe. This route is easy to
book online using
www.raileurope.co.uk.
An ICE3
from Paris to Frankfurt
awaits departure at the Gare de
l'Est...
ICE3
2nd class. ICE's are perhaps the most comfortable daytime trains
in Europe...
ICE3
1st class, with real leather seats. All seats in
both classes have power sockets.
London ►
Frankfurt (via Paris)
Eurostar,
30 min check-in
Mondays to Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
London
St Pancras
depart
08:31**
12:24
15:01
20:01*
08:54
14:01
20:01*
08:20
12:24
15:01
20:01*
Paris
Gare du Nord
arrive
11:47**
15:47
18:17
23:17*
12:17
17:17
23:17*
11:47
15:47
18:17
23:17*
10 min
walk to the Gare de l'Est for ICE train to
Frankfurt:
Paris
Gare de l'Est
depart
13:10
17:10
19:06
07:06
13:10
19:06
09:06
13:09
17:09
19:06
07:06
Saarbrücken
arrive
14:56
18:56
20:56
08:56
14:56
20:56
10:56
14:57
18:57
20:56
08:56
Mannheim Hbf
arrive
16:17
20:17
22:17
10:17
16:17
22:17
12:17
16:17
20:17
22:17
10:17
Frankfurt am
Main Hbf
arrive
16:58
20:58
22:58
10:58
16:58
22:58
12:58
16:58
20:58
22:58
10:58
Frankfurt ► London (via Paris)
ICE
train from Frankfurt to Paris:
Mondays to Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
Frankfurt am Main Hbf
depart
06:00
09:01
13:01
19:01*
06:00
09:01
13:01
09:01
13:01
19:01*
Mannheim Hbf
depart
06:40
09:41
13:41
19:41*
06:40
09:41
13:41
09:41
13:41
19:41*
Saarbrücken
depart
08:00
11:02
15:02
21:02*
08:00
11:02
15:02
11:02
15:02
21:02*
Paris
Gare de l'Est
arrive
09:50
12:50
16:50
22:50*
09:50
12:50
16:50
12:51
16:50
22:50*
10 min
walk to the
Gare du Nord for Eurostar to London (30 minute
check-in)
Paris Gare du Nord
depart
11:13
15:13
18:13
07:13
11:13
14:13
19:13
14:13
18:13
07:13
London
St Pancras
arrive
12:30
16:39
19:36
08:30
12:30
15:30
20:36
15:30
19:30
08:30
How
to read these timetables... Each
column is a service, and you read downwards.
There's a change of trains at each of the grey
bars.
(limited
availability, book at least 14 days in advance)
Full fare (always available) £74 one-way, £148 return.
Buy tickets online...
The easiest & cheapest way for
UK residents to buy London-Frankfurt train tickets for
journeys via Paris is online at
www.raileurope.co.uk,
just use the booking form below.
Although you can book London-Frankfurt in one go, it is
better to book the journey in 2 stages. First book the
Paris-Frankfurt train, add it to your basket and click
'continue shopping'. Then book the Eurostar
London-Paris & back. This gives you more control, and
for example allows you to book an earlier Eurostar if you
want to spend some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats
available. Make sure you allow at least 1 hour between
trains in Paris to allow for any delay, and the walk between
stations (15 mins) and the 30 minute Eurostar check-in in
the return direction.
Tickets can be sent to any UK address for a £2.25 fee or
collected at St Pancras on departure free of charge.
There's a 2.5% credit card fee, so use a debit card if you
can. Only UK credit cards are accepted.
It's backed by a UK call centre, 0844 848 5 848.
How to
buy tickets by phone...
If you
prefer to book the journey via Paris by phone, or if you have problems booking
online, call Rail
Europe on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open
09:00-19:00 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, no
longer open Sundays).
It's also worth
checking prices for the Paris-Frankfurt train on
www.bahn.de, as this is the German
reservation system and prices vary from those on the French
system used by
www.raileurope.co.uk. In addition, child age limits are different if you book
using bahn.de: Children under 6 go free, and children under 15
can also go free if accompanying an adult. Booking
this way involves two websites, so do a 'dry run'
first on both sites to check prices and availability before
booking for real.
Step 1, go to
www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book from Paris to
Frankfurt & back.
The results will show cheap 'spezial' fares (if available). You pay by credit card and
simply print out
your own ticket. Easy! The prices shown on
www.bahn.de are in euros, and are the
total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.
I recommend registering when it asks you before completing
the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings later. Always book
this train first and check its exact arrival & departure times before booking
the Eurostar connection, as times can vary.
Step 2, go to
www.eurostar.com to buy your Eurostar
ticket between London & Paris, using the Eurostar times
above as a guide. By all means book an earlier
Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if
this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop
off in Paris for a while. Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK
address, self-printed, or collected at the station.
High-speed
Eurostar trains
link
London with Brussels in just 1 hours 55 minutes. From Brussels,
there are two daily
Brussels-Frankfurt high-speed ICE trains taking just 3 hours
15 minutes, or you can take a more frequent high-speed
Thalys train to Cologne and change there for an ICE to
Frankfurt.
London-Frankfurt by Eurostar & ICE starts at just 49 euros
(£43) each way, booked online at
www.bahn.de. However,
although the
high-speed line from Cologne to Frankfurt cuts a 2-hour journey to just 1 hour, you
may prefer the old scenic route running right along the
Rhine Valley, past cliffs and castles and the fabled Lorelei
Rock. If so, ask when booking, or simply check times
from Cologne to Frankfurt yourself at
www.bahn.de, entering 'Koblenz' in the 'via' box to get a Rhine
Valley journey.
ICE3
2nd class. All seats in both classes have power
sockets for laptops & mobiles...
ICE3 1st class, with real leather seats. Staff
provide at-seat service of drinks & food.
Change at Brussels onto a high-speed Thalys
train to Cologne or a direct ICE train from Brussels
to Frankfurt, marked 'c'...
Brussels Midi/Zuid
depart
13:28
14:25 c
17:28
18:25 c
19:28
13:28
14:25 c
17:28
18:25 c
19:28
13:28
14:25 c
17:28
18:25 c
19:28
Cologne
Hbf
arrive
15:15
|
19:15
|
21:15
15:15
|
19:15
|
21:15
15:15
|
19:15
|
21:15
Change at Cologne onto a high-speed ICE train,
except for trains marked 'c' which are
direct Brussels to Frankfurt ICE trains with no need to
change...
Cologne Hbf
depart
15:28
|
19:53
|
21:53
15:28
|
19:53
|
21:53
15:28
|
19:53
|
21:53
Frankfurt am Main Hbf
arrive
16:30
17:41 c
22:13
21:30 c
00:13
16:30
17:41 c
22:13
21:30
c
00:13
16:30
17:41
c
22:13
21:30
c
00:13
How
to read these timetables... Each
column is a service, and you read downwards.
There's a change of trains at each of the grey
bars.
* = Until 17 February 2012, and on Wed, Thurs & Fri
from 18 February to 3 April, the Eurostar connection will
leave Brussels 2 hours later, at 12:56 arriving London
14:03.
**
= Until 15 February 2012, and on Mondays & Tuesdays from 18
February to 3 April, the Eurostar connection runs later,
leaving Brussels at 19:52 arriving London 21:03.
Change at Cologne,
except for trains marked 'c' which are
direct Frankfurt to Brussels ICE trains with no need to
change...
Cologne Hbf
depart
|
|
|
16:43
|
|
|
16:43
|
|
|
16:43
Brussels
Midi/Zuid
arrive
09:35 c
13:35
c
17:35 c
18:32
09:35
c
13:35 c
17:35 c
18:32
09:35
c
13:35 c
17:35 c
18:32
Change trains at Brussels onto
Eurostar. Remember the 30 minute check-in...
Brussels
Midi/Zuid
depart
10:56
*
14:56
18:56**
19:52
10:56
14:52
19:52
19:52
12:56
14:52
18:56
19:52
London
St Pancras
arrive
11:57 *
16:03
19:57**
21:03
11:57
16:03
21:03
21:03
14:03
16:03
19:57
21:03
Buy a cheap 'London
Spezial' ticket, London to
Frankfurt from 49 euros (£43) each way...
Before you do
anything else, check the German Railways website
for cheap 'London Spezial' fares between
London and anywhere in Germany, including Frankfurt, using
the special links below.
All you need to do is enter your date of travel. I
recommend buying a round trip as two one-ways, as it's easier to
see where the availability is. Booking normally opens
90 days before departure.
About these
London Spezial tickets: These excellent 'London
Spezial' tickets start at 49 euros each way 2nd class or 99
euros 1st class from London to anywhere in Germany.
That price includes Eurostar to Brussels, a superb German
ICE train to Cologne and onward trains to your final
destination, all on one simple print-at-home ticket.
You'll only find these London Spezial fares on services
which use the German ICE train between Brussels & Cologne
(marked with a 'c' in the timetable above), they aren't
available on Thalys trains. Availability is limited,
and the German site can't sell normal tickets for this
route, only these London Spezial fares which can sell out.
And it can't sell tickets of any sort for Eurostar+Thalys.
Incidentally, note that when using
www.bahn.de,
you often need to put 'Brussels South Stn' in the 'via' box
and either '01:00' or '02:00' in the 'stopover' box to force
the journey planner to find the ICE connection (and so offer
the cheap London Spezial fares) rather than a more immediate
Thalys connection. I've set up the 'check for cheap
tickets' links above to include the necessary 'fiddle
factor' for each specific departure, so you don't need to
worry about it, as long as you use the right link for the
right departure. Also note that you'll need to go to a
staffed check-in kiosk at St Pancras as the self-print
tickets can't operate Eurostar's automatic ticket gates, at
least not yet. If you find a cheap ticket using the links above then great,
if not (or if you want a Eurostar+Thalys service), move swiftly on to the normal 'How to buy tickets' section below...
How to buy
tickets online...
This route has to be booked in two
stages. If your chosen journey involves a
direct ICE train between Brussels and Frankfurt (marked
with a 'c' in the timetable above):
Step 1, go to
www.eurostar.com and buy the Eurostar ticket from London
to Brussels & back. Tickets can
be posted to any UK address, self-printed or collected at St
Pancras station in London.
Step 2, go to
www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book the ICE train from
Brussels to Frankfurt & back, making sure you pick the direct
Brussels-Frankfurt train. Fares from 39 euros (£33)
each way. You want
Brussels Zuid (Brussels South) if prompted.
If your chosen journey involves a
Thalystrain between Brussels and Cologne (trains not
marked with a 'c'):
Step 1, buy a London-Cologne
ticket online at
www.b-europe.com. Bookings open 90
days before departure, book early for the cheapest fares.
You simply print off your own ticket.
UK residents can also try
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Step 2, now buy your Cologne-Frankfurt
ticket online at the German Railways website,
www.bahn.de. Fares start at 29 euros (£25)
each way. I recommend registering when prompted, as
you can then retrieve any bookings later. You simply
print out your own Online Ticket.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
If you prefer to
book by phone, call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no
booking fee, 2% credit card charge). You can also buy tickets by calling www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday to
Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee). Click
here for a list of
agencies and more information on how to buy tickets.
High-speed
Eurostar trains
link
London with Brussels in less than 2 hours. From Brussels, ICE
high-speed trains run to Frankfurt in just over 3 hours.
Change in Frankfurt for Nuremberg (Nürnberg
in German).
London ► Nuremberg (option 1)
Travel from
London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving
London St Pancras at 10:57 (08:57 on Sundays), arriving
Brussels Midi at 14:05 (12:08 on Sundays).
Travel from
Brussels to Frankfurt by
high-speed ICE train
leaving Brussels at 14:25 and arriving Frankfurt at 17:41.
Travel from
Frankfurt to Nuremburg by
high-speed ICE train
leaving Frankfurt at 17:54 and arriving Nuremburg at
19:59.
London ► Nuremberg (option 2)
Travel from
London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving
London St Pancras at 15:04 (12:57 on Saturdays), arriving Brussels Midi at
18:05 (16:08 on Saturdays).
Travel from
Brussels to Frankfurt by
high-speed ICE train
leaving Brussels at 18:25 and arriving Frankfurt at 21:30.
Travel from
Frankfurt to Nuremburg by
high-speed ICE train
leaving Frankfurt at 22:18 and arriving Nuremburg at
00:36.
Other
options..
You can in fact
take any service from London to Cologne (see
the Cologne section above) then use
www.bahn.de to find a connecting train from Cologne to
Nuremberg. However, the options shown here are
arguably the best, and usually have the cheapest fares.
Nuremberg ► London (option 1)
Travel from
Nuremburg to Frankfurt by
high-speed ICE train
leaving Nuremberg at 08:02 and arriving Frankfurt at
10:04.
Travel from
Frankfurt to Brussels by
high-speed ICE train
leaving Frankfurt at 10:16 and arriving Brussels at 13:35.
Travel from
Brussels to London by Eurostar, leaving
Brussels Midi at 14:56 (14:52 at weekends), arriving
London St Pancras at 16:03.
Nuremberg ► London (option 2)
Travel from
Nuremburg to Frankfurt by
high-speed ICE train
leaving Nuremberg at 12:00 and arriving Frankfurt at
14:04.
Travel from
Frankfurt to Brussels by
high-speed ICE train
leaving Frankfurt at 14:16 and arriving Brussels at 17:35.
Travel from
Brussels to London by Eurostar, leaving
Brussels Midi at 18:56 and arriving London St Pancras at
19:57. On Mondays-Saturdays until 15 February
2012, on Mondays, Tuesdays & Saturdays from 16 February
to 1 April, and on Saturdays after that, the Eurostar
connection runs later, leaving Brussels at 19:52
arriving London 21:03.
Buy cheap
tickets from London to
Nuremberg from 49 euros (£43) each way...
Before you do
anything else, check the German Railways website
for cheap 'London Spezial' fares between
London and anywhere in Germany, including Berlin, using the
special links below.
All you need to do is enter your date of travel. I
recommend buying a round trip as two one-ways, as it's easier to
see where the availability is. Booking normally opens
90 days before departure.
About these
London Spezial tickets: These excellent 'London
Spezial' tickets start at 49 euros each way 2nd class or 99
euros 1st class from London to anywhere in Germany.
That price includes Eurostar to Brussels, a superb German
ICE train to Cologne and onward trains to your final
destination, all on one simple print-at-home ticket.
You'll only find these London Spezial fares on services
which use the German ICE train between Brussels & Cologne
(marked with a 'c' in the timetable above), they aren't
available on Thalys trains. Availability is limited,
and the German site can't sell normal tickets for this
route, only these London Spezial fares which can sell out.
And it can't sell tickets of any sort for Eurostar+Thalys.
Incidentally, note that when using
www.bahn.de,
you often need to put 'Brussels South Stn' in the 'via' box
and either '01:00' or '02:00' in the 'stopover' box to force
the journey planner to find the ICE connection (and so offer
the cheap London Spezial fares) rather than a more immediate
Thalys connection. I've set up the 'check for cheap
tickets' links above to include the necessary 'fiddle
factor' for each specific departure, so you don't need to
worry about it, as long as you use the right link for the
right departure. Also note that you'll need to go to a
staffed check-in kiosk at St Pancras as the self-print
tickets can't operate Eurostar's automatic ticket gates, at
least not yet. If you find a cheap ticket using the links above then great,
if not (or if you want a Eurostar+Thalys service), move swiftly on to the normal 'How to buy tickets' section below...
How to buy
tickets online...
If you've
tried to find a cheap London Spezial fare at bahn.de and
can't find one, here's how to book the regular fares:
If your
journey involves an ICE between Brussels & Cologne...
Step 1,
buy a ticket from London to Brussels and back at
www.eurostar.com. You print your own ticket, or can
collect it at St Pancras.
Step 2, buy
an onward ticket from Brussels to Nuremberg at the German
Railways website
www.bahn.de.
This will book 'Belgium Spezial' tickets from Brussels to
anywhere in Germany from 39 euros, but only if you
use one of the German ICE trains (not Thalys) between
Brussels and Cologne. Bookings open 90 days before
departure, the further ahead you book, the more likely you
are to see the cheapest fare.
If your
journey involves a Thalys between Brussels & Cologne, or
a Thalys one way and ICE the other, or you're not
sure which.
Step 1, buy a
ticket from London to Cologne and back at the
Belgian Railways international website
www.b-europe.com. B-europe.com can book
both Eurostar+Thalys and Eurostar+ICE between London &
Cologne, and their booking
system handles this two-leg journey well, usually seeming to
find the cheapest prices.
You print off your own tickets. Bookings open 90 days
before departure, the further ahead you book, the more
likely you are to see the cheapest fare.
UK residents can also try
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Step 2, buy an
onward ticket from Cologne to Nuremberg at
www.bahn.de.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
If you prefer to buy tickets by
phone, call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday,
09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card
charge) or call www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday to
Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee). Click
here for a list of
agencies and more information on how to buy tickets.
City Night Line are reinstating a direct Paris-Hamburg
sleeper train 'Andromeda' as from 12 December 2010. It's an
excellent time-effective option if you need to be in central
Hamburg in the morning. You can also travel by daytime
trains, see here.
London ► Hamburg
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving
London St Pancras at 16:01 (15:31 at weekends), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
19:17 (18:47 at weekends).
It's a
10 minute walk
from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est. By
all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend
some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.
Travel from
Paris to Hamburg by the City Night Line sleeper train
'Andromeda', leaving Paris Gare de l'Est
daily at
20:05 (20:20 at weekends) and arriving in Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at 08:37 &
Hamburg Altona at 08:51 next morning. It can arrive
up to 41 minutes later on certain dates, so check when
booking. This train has a sleeping-car
(1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, standard wish washbasin or
deluxe with shower & toilet, 4 & 6 berth couchettes &
ordinary seats, see the
photos & information below.
More pictures
& information about this City Night Line train.
Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at
11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.
On board Eurostar from London to Paris:
See the Eurostar page
for photos & information about on-board facilities.
Introducing
the City Night Line sleeper train to Hamburg...
The Paris-Hamburg
overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent
City Night Line sleeper trains. Called the
'Andromeda', it has modern 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars
(1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower &
toilet, 1, 2 &
3-berth standard rooms with washbasin. There is a shower at
the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms,
and all rooms have powerpoints for laptop computers),
and
modern air-conditioned couchettes
(choose between a berth in a 4 or 6-berth compartment),
and ordinary seats (not recommended).
Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus
sleeping accommodation. The sleeping-car fare includes
a light breakfast.
More
pictures & information about this train.
Travel tip: For a good meal in a classic
Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper train in
Paris, catch the earlier 14:02 Eurostar & dine at the
Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road
from the Gare du Nord.
1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper:
The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with
washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.
4-berth couchettes:
Ideal for families, much more space per person than
6-berth couchettes.
6-berth couchettes:
A very economical option, far better than a seat for
just a few euros more...
"Night train to Hamburg": The
'Comfortline' sleeping-car of City Night Line
sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est...
* If you have children aged 4- 5 or 12-14,
please read this note
before booking the City Night Line sleeper train.
** This is
the supplement you pay if you have a railpass. A 1st
class ticket or pass is required for deluxe sleepers.
Savings fare =
cheap fare, price varies, limited availability so book in advance
for the cheapest tickets, no refunds, no changes to travel
plans.
Full price =
fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
Youth fares:
25% discount on the full price (but not Savings
fares) using
www.raileurope.co.uk
if you're under 26 years old, but Savings fares are usually cheaper!
Senior fares:
20% discount on the full price (but not Savings
fares) using
www.raileurope.co.uk
if you're over 60 years old, but Savings fares are usually cheaper!
How to buy
tickets...
The cheapest
way to book this journey is online. You can book at
either
www.raileurope.co.uk
(UK residents only)
which uses the French reservation system, or
www.bahn.de
which uses the German reservation system. Using
www.raileurope.co.uk
has the advantage that you can book both the London-Paris Eurostar
and the Paris-Hamburg sleeper on the same website and can
pay for them together as one transaction. It's often
the cheapest option. However, Rail Europe's French
system won't book 4-berth
couchettes on this train, and also prices any child over 12 as an adult an
any infant over 4 as a child, whereas
www.bahn.de offers the full range of accommodation
including 4-berth couchettes and correctly allows infants under 6 to go free,
children under 15 at the child rate. However, if you book the sleeper at www.bahn.de, you'll need to book the
Eurostar separately at
www.eurostar.com. Try both ways of
booking to see what works out cheapest for you.
This booking form links to
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Tickets can be collected at St Pancras or stations in
France free of charge, or sent to a UK
address for a £2.25 fee.
There's no fee for debit cards, but they charge a 2.5% credit card fee. Only
UK credit cards are accepted.
When do bookings open?
Reservations for the Paris-Hamburg train open 90 days before
departure, but this train can sometimes open
further ahead so give it a go.
Eurostar opens 120 days ahead, but I strongly recommend
waiting and booking all tickets together in case the sleeper
arrival/departure times are altered for any reason. Be aware that the booking period is often
squeezed to perhaps 60 days for travel immediately
after the European timetable changes in mid-June &
mid-December.
Resist the temptation to book from 'London' to 'Hamburg'.
Instead, you should treat this as two
separate journeys, London to Paris and
Paris to Hamburg. This gives you more control, and
allows you to mix and match (for example) 2nd class Eurostar
with 2-berth deluxe sleeper (1st class). It also allows
stopovers in Paris if you like.
Step 1, enter 'Paris' in the 'from' box and
'Hamburg' in the 'to' box, enter dates of travel, select
an evening departure and look for the direct train with 0
changes
in the search results. On the
confirmation page, clicking 'show itinerary details' shows the
specific coach number & berth or seat number
you've been given. Double-check the sleeper train times
before booking the Eurostar, as engineering work
occasionally affects arrival times, requiring a different
Eurostar connection.
Step 2, when you've booked the train from Paris to
Hamburg & back, click 'continue shopping' and book the
Eurostar from London to Paris & back. Use the Eurostar
times on this page as a guide, but feel free to choose an
earlier Eurostar from London or a later Eurostar back from
Paris if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like
to stop off in Paris. Don't forget that on your return
journey, your departure date from Paris to London will be
the day after your departure date from Hamburg!
Tickets are sent from Rail Europe's UK office and normally arrive in a couple of
days. If you need any help, you can call Rail Europe's
UK call centre on 0844 848 5 848.
You can also book the Paris-Hamburg
sleeper train at
www.bahn.de, then use
www.eurostar.com to book the Eurostar. Do a 'dry run'
first on both sites to check prices and availability before
booking for real. Anyone from any country can use this
method of booking.
Step 1, go to
www.bahn.de, the German Railways website and book from Paris to
Hamburg & back looking for the direct CNL train with 0
changes.
The search results will show cheap 'savings' fares (if
available) and
fully-flexible fares for each type of seat, couchette &
sleeper. You pay by credit card and print out your own
tickets. Easy! The prices shown on
www.bahn.de are in euros, and are the total cost for all
passengers selected, not per person. I recommend
registering when it asks you before completing the purchase,
so you can easily retrieve any bookings. Always book the
sleeper train first and check its exact arrival & departure
times before
booking the Eurostar connection, as times can vary.
Allow at least 90 minutes on the outward journey and 1 hour
on the return to make the connection in Paris.
Step 2, go to
www.eurostar.com & buy your Eurostar
ticket between London & Paris, using the Eurostar times
above as a guide. By all means book an earlier
Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if
this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop
off in Paris for a while. Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK
address, self-printed, or collected at the station.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
You can book both
the Eurostar and the sleeper train by phone by calling
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open
09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no
booking fee, 2% credit card charge but no charge for debit
cards), or
European Rail
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00
Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee).
You can easily travel by train from London to
Osnabrück, Bremen or Hamburg in a
day, using Eurostar, a high-speed Thalys or ICE train to Cologne,
then a
comfortable German InterCity train from Cologne to
Osnabrück, Bremen or Hamburg. London to anywhere in
Germany starts at just 49 euros each way if you use one of
the daily ICEs between Brussels & Cologne ICE and book at
www.bahn.de. For more information, read on...
Most
Cologne-Hamburg trains are InterCity trains like this,
although a few are high-speed ICEs...
InterCity
2nd class. You'll also find a few
compartment coaches on InterCity trains. There's
also a bistro or restaurant car...
InterCity
1st class, often available in both compartments like
this and open-plan saloons.
London ►
Osnabrück, Bremen, Hamburg
Eurostar (30 minute check-in)
Mondays to Fridays
Saturdays
Sundays
London
St Pancras
depart
08:57
10:57
12:57
08:57
10:57
12:57
08:57
08:57
12:57
Brussels Midi/Zuid
arrive
12:05
14:05
16:08
12:08
14:05
16:08
12:08
12:08
16:08
Change in Brussels onto a high-speed Thalys or
ICE train...
Brussels Midi/Zuid
depart
13:28
14:25 c
17:28
13:28
14:25 c
17:28
13:28
14:25 c
17:28
Cologne
Hbf
arrive
15:15
16:15 c
19:15
15:15
16:15 c
19:15
15:15
16:15 c
19:15
Change in Cologne onto an IC or ICE train...
Cologne
Hbf
depart
16:10
17:10
20:10
16:10
17:10
20:10
16:10
17:10
20:10
Osnabrück
arrive
18:22
19:23
22:25
18:22
19:23
22:25
18:21
19:23
22:25
Bremen
arrive
19:14
20:14
23:18
19:14
20:14
23:18
19:14
20:14
23:18
Hamburg
(Hbf)
arrive
20:12
21:12
00:15
20:12
21:12
00:15
20:12
21:12
00:15
*
= Until 15 February 2012, and on Mondays & Tuesdays
from 18 February to 3 April, the Eurostar connection
runs later, leaving Brussels at 19:52 arriving
London 21:03
** = On Thursdays & Fridays there's also an earlier
15:56 Eurostar from Brussels arriving London 17:03.
