Germany by train.  There's no check-in, walk into the station, glance at the indicator board to find your train & hop on, any time before departure...
	Buy German train tickets online direct from DB at www.bahn.de I recommend buying direct from Deutsche Bahn with all the cheap fares shown, no booking fees and print-at-home or show-on-phone tickets. Tip: Register when prompted, so you can log in and check or re-print your tickets at any time.

Inter-city train tickets from €12.90

Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) high-speed IC and ICE trains are easily the best way to travel between major town & cities all over Germany, in comfort at ground level.  DB's ICE trains travel at up to 186 mph from city centre to city centre, and if you pre-book direct with the operator you can find some really cheap fares.

Train travel within Germany

  How to buy tickets online

  How to buy tickets by phone

  DB's discount card:  Bahncard25, Bahncard 50

  Deutschlandticket - €49 for a month on regional trains

  Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket: €44 for 1 day regional travel

  Lander tickets: Unlimited train travel in one region

  Bayern Ticket:  €27 for 1 day unlimited travel in Bavaria

  Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket: discontinued

  Railpasses for Germany

  Maps of the German rail network

  What are German trains like?

  Travel tips: Luggage, food & drink, lounges...

  How to visit Neuschwanstein Castle

  How to visit the Harz steam railway & Brocken

  How to visit Obersalzberg & Eagle's Nest

  Escape to Colditz by train

  Useful country information: currency, dial code...

  Recommended guidebooks

  Travel insurance, mobile data, VPN & other tips

  Hotels convenient for arrival by train

International trains to & from Germany

  Trains from the UK to Germany

  Trains to Germany from other European cities

  Trains from Berlin to other European cities

  Trains from Hamburg to other European cities

  Trains from Cologne & Düsseldorf to other cities

  Trains from Frankfurt to other European cities

  Trains from Munich to other European cities

  Munich to Prague by train not bus

  Berlin to Prague by train

  Berlin-Warsaw Express trains

Station guides

  Berlin Hbf station information

  Cologne Hbf station information

  Hamburg Hbf station information

  Munich Hbf station information

General train travel information

  General European train travel information

  Train seat numbering plans

  Luggage on trains   

  Luggage lockers at stations

  Eurail passes &  Interrail passes

  Taking bikes   Taking dogs

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Useful country information

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How to check train times, fares & buy tickets

• To check times & prices and to buy tickets in advance go to the German Railways website www.bahn.de (on a mobile device, use this link).

• Anyone from any country can use bahn.de, all international credit cards accepted, you print your own ticket or can simply show it on your laptop or phone.

• Tip:  I recommend registering when prompted, so you can log in, check all your bookings and re-print your tickets at any time.

Do you need to buy tickets in advance?

• No, for regional trains - the ones marked R, RE, M, ALX & so on in the search results on www.bahn.de.  Regional trains have one fixed price with unlimited availability and no reservations necessary or possible.  Treat them as you would a city metro:  Turn up, buy a ticket and hop on the next train.  They cannot 'sell out'!  If you're making multiple journeys, there are some regional train passes explained here.

• No, for longer distance trains - the ones marked IC, ICE, EC and so on in the search results on www.bahn.de - if you are happy paying the relatively expensive Flexpreis = fully-flexible standard price.  These full-fare tickets have a fixed price (although DB now vary the cost slightly depending how busy/popular that day is likely to be), unlimited availability and cannot sell out.  they are valid on any train that day, a seat reservation isn't necessary but can be made as an 'optional extra' for a small fee, around €5.

• Yes, for longer distance trains if you want to save money with cheap advance-purchase fares - cheap Sparpreis (saver) advance-purchase fares are offered if you book in advance, this which varies from €12.90 upwards depending how far ahead you book and how popular that train, day or date is.   If you buy one of these cheap fares you can only travel on that specific train,  limited refunds and no changes to travel plans.

• For example, Frankfurt to Berlin costs over €125 with a Flexpreis if you buy on the day of travel, but starts at just €17.90 upwards (meaning it could be €17.90, €29.90, €49.90, €69.90, whatever) if you book in advance.  So book ahead!

When does booking open?

• Booking now opens up to 6 months ahead for German domestic tickets.

• It was increased to 6 months from the previous 92 days in 2016.  However, the booking period is often less than this for dates immediately after the timetable changes at midnight on the 2nd Saturday in December.  Bookings for dates after the mid-December timetable change, including the Christmas period, usually open in mid-October.

Flexpreis or Sparpreis?

• If you use www.bahn.de to book a long-distance train it initially shows the cheapest fare available against each train.

  If you click on that fare, you'll then see a range of fares, Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis, Flexpreis & Flexpreis Plus.

• Flexpreis & Flexpreis Plus are full-price flexible fares.  They can be bought online or at the station on the day of travel at the same fixed price.  They are refundable, good for any train that day, just hop on and find any empty unreserved seat, seat reservation on long distance IC, ICE & EC trains is optional for a small extra charge, around €5.  The Flexpreis Plus fare has slightly better validity & refund conditions than the normal Flexpreis, and seat reservations are included.

• Sparpreis & Super Sparpreis fares are limited-availability advance-purchase fares, from €12.90, €19.90, €29.90, €39.90 and so on, depending on how far ahead you book and how popular that date, day and train is.  Spar is German for save.  Sparpreis & Super Sparpreis fares only allow travel on the specific train you book - although if your journey involves a connecting regional train, you can use any regional train on the regional part of the route.  Prices vary like air fares, rising as departure approaches and the cheaper tickets are sold.  They disappear a few days before departure, leaving only the Flexpreis & Flexpreis Plus fares.

  Super Sparpreis = no refunds, no changes.  Sparpreis fares are refundable (although for a DB credit voucher, not cash) up to the day before departure with a small fee deducted, no changes or refunds allowed from the day of departure onwards.

• Children go free!  On DB trains, children under 6 go free, no ticket needed.  Children over 6 but aged under 15 also go free if they travel accompanied by a fare-paying adult, a great offer.  Book your tickets at www.bahn.de and it will work all this out for you.

Only one passenger name is needed

• Only one name is necessary as I.D. to support a print-at-home ticket, even if that ticket covers several passengers.

• No ID is necessary if you select tickets by mail, as conventional train tickets have no names on them and need no ID.

• Incidentally, until 2016 you had to show the credit/debit card used for the booking when using print-at-home tickets. I'm glad to say that this changed in October 2016, all you now need is a passport or other recognised ID to support a print-at-home online ticket.  You may or may not be asked for it by the conductor.

Tips for using www.bahn.de

• Stopovers.  If you'd like a stopover en route, but still want a cheap saver fare from end to end, no problem.  Go to www.bahn.de and enter your start and end point, simply click Stopover, enter the place where you want to stop off, enter the number of hours stopover and off you go.  Maximum 2 days validity with a Sparpreis fare.

• Alternatives to using bahn.de:  Bahn.de is one of the best train operator sites, but if for any reason you want an alternative site which can also book DB trains at DB prices, try these two:

  Raileurope.com has a direct connection to DB's ticketing system so it sells the same trains, same prices, same print-at-home tickets at Bahn.de, but with a small booking fee.  It accepts all international credit cards so can be used by anyone from any country.  Raileurope.com also connects to the French, Italian & Spanish ticketing systems so can easily book multi-operator journeys such as Munich to Naples (which involves DB and Trenitalia) or Frankfurt to Bordeaux (which involves DB and SNCF).  Raileurope.com is also capable of splitting the booking to book some cross-Germany journeys (for example, Brussels to Poland) for which you'd have to manually split the booking at some logical point within Germany if you wanted to use bahn.de.

  www.thetrainline.com also has a connection to DB's system, so can sell print-at-home tickets (but not those which need to be posted) for DB train at the same prices as DB, but with a small booking fee.

Competing private operator:  Flixtrain

• Almost all long-distance trains in Germany are operated by Deutsche Bahn (DB), the State-owned German Federal Railways.  But there is now one other long-distance operator worth mentioning.

• Flixtrain, www.flixtrain.com, or use multi-operator booking site www.thetrainline.com.   Flixtrain has taken over the one daily train Berlin-Cologne-Heidelberg-Stuttgart previously run by Locomore and the Cologne-Osnabruck-Hamburg trains previously run by HKX.  Flixtrain offers cheap tickets, even if the competing DB trains are more frequent and faster.

Buy tickets by phone in the UK

• If you live in the UK you can buy German train tickets direct from Deutsche Bahn on their English-speaking telesales line, 00 49 (0)30 311 68 29 04.  Lines open 08:30-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday UK time, 1.5% fee for phone bookings.

Custom-made tours of Germany by train

• Railbookers are a train travel specialist who can put together a tour of Germany for you as a package, including rail travel, hotels & transfers.  On their website you'll find a range of suggested tours & breaks which can be varied or customised to your own requirements.  And as you're booking a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens to one part of the itinerary such as a strike or delay.  They now have offices in the UK, USA & Australia.

  UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk

  US call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com

  Canada call 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com

  Australia call 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au

  New Zealand call 0800 000 554 or see website

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DB's discount card:  Bahncard 25, Bahncard 50

What are Bahncards?

• DB has a range of discount cards called Bahncards.  You buy a card and it gives discounts on normal fares for (in most cases) 1 year.  It may justify the price even for one or two longer trips, especially if made close to departure date when fares would normally be expensive.

• You get the discount on German domestic journeys, and on international journeys to, from or across Germany.

  However, for international journeys the discount will not normally be the full 25% or 50% as the reduction is not necessarily applied to the part outside Germany (test it before buying a Bahncard to see what actual effect a Bahncard has - see my top tip below).

• Man in Seat 61's top tip:  Before buying a Bahncard, run an enquiry for the journeys you actually plan to make, using www.bahn.de (a) as normal and (b) with a Bahncard 25 or Bahncard 50 discount added.  See what it does to prices.  If you see no difference, the discount may not apply to your particular journey.  If you see a difference, do the savings justify the cost of the card?

Types of Bahncard

• Bahncard 25 lasts for 1 year and gives 25% off Flexpreis (full-price), Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis (advance-purchase) fares.  The Bahncard 25 is the range of cards overseas visitors should consider as savings may justify the cost even for just a few journeys to, from or within Germany.

• Trial Bahncard 25 lasts for 3 months, after which it is automatically renewed as a normal 1-year Bahncard 25 unless your subscription cancelled in writing at least 6 weeks before.  The discount can justify the cost even for one trip to Germany involving a few train rides, as long as you remember to cancel.

• Youth Bahncard 25 is a cheaper Bahncard 25 for travellers aged 6 to 18.  It lasts 5 years, or until your 19th birthday, whichever is sooner.

• Senior Bahncard 25 is a cheaper Bahncard 25 for older travellers aged 65 and over, lasting 1 year.

• Bahncard 50 lasts 1 year and gives 50% off Flexpreis (full-price) fares and 25% off Sparpreis/Super Sparpreis (advance-purchase) fares.  It costs several hundred euros so is only of use to regular travellers. 

• Bahncard 100 gives unlimited travel for a year, this costs thousands of euros.

• Each type of Bahncard can be bought for either 2nd class or 1st class.

Check prices & buy a Bahncard

• Check prices & buy online at www.bahn.com//en/offers/bahncard.

  Anyone of any nationality can buy a Bahncard.  After you buy, a hard-copy plastic Bahncard is posted to you at any address worldwide.  However, you can also upload a digital Bahncard to the DB Navigator app and start using it immediately on your phone.

  You can use your Bahncard to buy discounted tickets at www.bahn.de, www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com.

• Bahncards renew automatically each year unless your subscription is cancelled in writing at least 6 weeks before.

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Special regional tickets

These one-day unlimited travel passes are well worth knowing about, even though they're not valid on fast long-distance trains, only on slower regional trains.  If you want a railpass valid on all trains, including high-speed and long-distance ones, see the German Rail Pass section below.

Deutschland ticket:  Unlimited travel on regional transport for €49 a month

• Starting 1 May 2023 Germany is offering unlimited travel on regional transport nationwide for €49 per month.

  This is the successor to the popular (but temporary) €9 ticket created after the pandemic to address the cost-of-living crisis.  Unlike the €9 ticket, the Deutschlandticket will be a permanent product.

• Unlimited travel on regional transport across Germany:  The Deutschland ticket is good for all regional trains run by DB and by other operators across the whole of Germany ()marked R, RE, RB, IRE or S-Bahn in the timetable) and other types of local & regional transport including local buses, city buses, trams & U-Bahn.

  It's not valid on long-distance ICE & IC trains or similar long-distance trains classified EuroCity, TGV, Thalys, Railjet, Westbahn, Flixtrain or Snälltåget.  So yes, you could cross Germany with it if you wanted, but only using slower regional trains.

  The Deutschland ticket only covers journeys wholly within Germany, with just a few exceptions:  It's valid on cross-border regional trains to or from Salzburg in Austria, and on cross-border regional trains to or from Hengelo & Enscheda in the Netherlands.

• It's valid from the 1st of the month to the end of the month:  Unlike normal passes or season ticket which can start on any date you choose, each month's Deutschland ticket is valid from the 1st of the month to the last day of the month.  So if you bought one on 30 May, that would be a 'May' Deutschland ticket valid from 1 to 31 May and you'd only get 2 days use out of it, 30 & 31 May - but it would still cost €49!

• Only sold as a rolling monthly subscription:  It's aimed at commuters not tourists, so the Deutschland ticket is only sold as a rolling monthly subscription or one-off annual payment.  However, you can cancel the monthly subscription it at any time, even after paying for only 1 month, just be aware that most vendors require you to cancel before the 10th of the month to avoid paying for the following month's €49 Deutschland ticket.  Most vendors require payment by direct debit, a few allow payment by credit card.

• No children:  Also note that as it's aimed at commuters, there's no child version.

• If you only want a Deutschland ticket for one month to enjoy a one month's unlimited travel on regional trains across Germany, buy a Deutschland ticket before the 10th of that month by setting up a monthly credit card payment.  Then make sure you cancel the subscription before the 10th of that same month to avoid paying for the following month.

• How to buy a Deutschland ticket:

  Don't bother trying to use the German Railways (DB) website www.bahn.com to buy a Deutschland Ticket as it only accepts payment by direct debit and setting up a direct debit with a non-German bank account results in an error message.  #fail!

  The easiest way for foreign visitors to buy a Deutschland ticket is to buy from Bremen area transit authority VBN using their FahrPlaner app because (a) it accepts payment by credit card, (b) it's in English, and (c) it has no problem with overseas users, overseas addresses or UK postcodes.  #result!

  Step 1, download the FahrPlaner app for iPhone or MFahrPlaner app for Android (please let me know if those links stop working).

  Step 2, the app should open in English.  Click the menu icon top left and go to Tickets.  Then select Deutschlandticket.

  Step 3, click the red PROCEED TO LOGIN button at the bottom.  Then click Sign up for free and register, it lists most countries including United Kingdom and United States and has no problem with UK postcodes.

  Step 4, select Credit Card and buy your Deutschland ticket.

  This is a rolling subscription which you can cancel at any time. 

  You show the Deutschland Ticket as a QR code in the app on your phone.  Easy!

  If you only want one Deutschland ticket for one month, buy it before the 10th of the month then cancel your subscription also before the 10th of the month.  That prevents payment being taken for the following month.

Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket: Unlimited regional off-peak train travel, €44

• The Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket gives a day's unlimited travel from 09:00 weekdays or from 00:00 Saturdays & Sundays, until 03:00 the following morning on all regional & regional-express trains (RE, RB, IRE, S-Bahn) throughout the whole of Germany.

• The first traveller pays €44, each additional passenger pays just €7 to be added to the same ticket, up to a maximum total of 5 passengers.

• You can't use fast IC, ICE or EC trains, only slower regional trains, so a long-distance journey which could be made on a fast direct IC or ICE train could be very slow and involve several changes if made using purely regional trains.  But it can be a very cheap way to go, especially if you haven't been able to book a cheap advance-purchase ticket for an ICE or IC train.

• For more information (but only in German, so use Google Chrome browser's automatic translation feature), see www.bahn.de/..../startseite-topangebote-QDL_LZ01.

• To buy a ticket online and print it out yourself, click the 'Book now' link on www.bahn.de/.../startseite-topangebote.  I strongly recommend registering when prompted, so you can log in, check your bookings and re-print at any stage.  Alternatively, these tickets can also be bought on the day of travel from the self-service ticket machines at German stations, although it costs €2 more if you buy from a staffed counter. 

Lander tickets:  A day's unlimited regional train travel in one region, e.g. Bavaria

• A bargain worth knowing about!  Each region of Germany offers a Lander Ticket giving unlimited travel on regional trains in that region, meaning RE, RB, IRE & S-Bahn, but not long-distance IC, EC or ICE trains.  There's more information at www.bahn.de/en/view/offers/regional/regional-day-tickets.shtml. 

• You can buy a Lander ticket online at www.bahn.de/en/view/offers/regional/regional-day-tickets.shtml and print it out or simply show it on your phone or laptop, or you can buy at the station on the day, but it costs €2 more if bought at a staffed travel centre rather than online or the self-service ticket machines.  If you buy online, I recommend registering when prompted, so you can log in, check your bookings and re-print at any stage.

Bayern ticket:  Munich, Füssen (Neuschwanstein castle), Berchtesgaden (Eagle's Nest), Salzburg

• The Bayern Ticket (Bavaria Ticket) is the Lander ticket to buy for day trips from Munich to Salzburg, Munich to Füssen (for Neuschwanstein castle) or Munich to Berchtesgaden for the Eagles Nest.

• It costs €27 for a solo traveller or €36 for 2 people travelling together or €45 for 3 people or €54 for 4 people or €63 for 5 people.

  Or go 1st class for €39.50 for 1 person, €60.50 for two, and so on.

• It gives unlimited travel on regional & inter-regional throughout Bavaria for a whole day, on weekdays from 09:00 until 03:00 the following morning, and all day on Saturdays, Sundays & public holidays from 00:00 until 03:00 the following morning.

• It also covers most Bavarian buses, including the bus between Füssen station and Hohenschwangau for Neuschwanstein castle.

• Buy online at www.bahn.com//en/offers/regional/regional-day-ticket-for-bavaria.

  Alternatively you can buy at the station on the day from the self-service machines, or for an extra €2, from the ticket office.

• How to reach Neuschwanstein castle from Füssen station & how to reach Eagle's Nest & the Berghof from Berchtesgaden.

City Mobil:  Urban city transport added to your inter-city rail ticket

• When booking online to many major German cities, you are often offered a City Mobil add-on for a few euros, with choice between a single ticket or a day ticket.  If City Mobil is available in that city, it will appear after you select your train and proceed past the seat reservation stage.  The single ticket option gives one trip on urban bus, tram or U-bahn transport to a destination within that city within 2 or 3 hours of your arrival.  A day ticket gives unlimited travel on the urban bus, tram & U-bahn network in that city.

Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket:  Discontinued

• The Schönes-Wochenende (Happy Weekend) ticket used to give a whole day's unlimited travel on regional and regional-express trains throughout the whole of Germany on either a Saturday or a Sunday but DB discontinued this ticket in June 2019.

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Railpasses for Germany

Interrail Germany pass:  Click to check prices & buy online

• If you are a European resident (but live outside Germany) you can buy an Interrail pass for Germany giving a choice of 3, 4, 6 or 8 days unlimited travel on all Deutsche Bahn trains within an overall 1 month period.  You can choose 1st class or 2nd class.

• To explain that a bit more, when you buy the pass you choose the date on which the overall 1 month validity starts, and you choose how many days you want to buy, either 3, 4, 6 or 8.  You then 'spend' each of these unlimited travel days on any date you like within that 1 month validity period simply by writing the date in one of the boxes printed on the pass.  You can make as many journeys as you can cram in on each day, there is no limit (that's what unlimited means).

• The pass is valid on all DB trains, including the high-speed ICE trains and fast IC and EC trains.  It's also valid on a few small private regional operators, but not private operators Flixtrain or InterConnex.

• In Germany, there are few if any reservation fees to pay, and (unlike France) no quotas for passholders.  In 99% of cases you just write the date in your pass, then hop on any trains you like spontaneously with no reservation or extra fee payable.  Germany is therefore one of the countries where passes retain their flexibility and convenience, unlike (say) France, Italy or Spain.

• Is a pass better value than point-to-point tickets?  Well, an adult 6-day 2nd class pass costs £268, that works out at £45 (€51) per day.  You could go online at www.bahn.de 2-3 months ahead and buy a long-distance train ticket in advance from just €12.90 upwards, limited refunds or changes to travel plans.  But imagine you wanted to make two such journeys a day, not one.  Or didn't book 3 months in advance, so are now seeing higher prices, perhaps €69.90 or €89.90 fares online at www.bahn.de? Or simply want flexibility, and don't want to commit to specific trains with a no-changes no-refunds ticket in advance?  Then a pass can be great value.

• Click here to check Interrail prices & buy online

German Rail pass

• Alternatively, if you are resident outside Germany, you can buy a German Rail Pass Flexi giving a choice of between 3 & 15 days unlimited travel on all Deutsche Bahn trains within an overall 1 month period.  You can choose 1st class or 2nd class.  There are also German Rail Passes giving between 3 & 15 consecutive days travel, but the Flexi passes mean you don't need to be travelling every day.

• When you buy a German Rail Pass Flexi you choose the date on which the overall 1 month validity starts, and you choose how many days you want to buy, any number between 3 and 15.  You then 'spend' each of these unlimited travel days on any date you like within that 1 month validity period simply by writing the date in one of the boxes printed on the pass.  You can make as many journeys as you can cram in on each day, there is no limit (that's what unlimited means).

• The pass is valid on all DB trains, including the high-speed ICE trains and fast IC and EC trains.  It's also valid on a few small private regional operators, but not private operators Flixtrain or InterConnex.

• In Germany, there are few if any reservation fees to pay, and (unlike France) no quotas for passholders.  In 99% of cases you just write the date in your pass, then hop on any trains you like spontaneously with no reservation or extra fee payable.  Germany is therefore one of the countries where passes retain their flexibility and convenience, unlike (say) France, Italy or Spain.

• Is a pass better value than point-to-point tickets?  Well, an adult 7-days-in-1-month 2nd class pass costs €294, that's €42 per day.  You could go to www.bahn.de 2-3 months ahead and buy long-distance train tickets from just €12.90 upwards, limited refunds or changes to travel plans.  But imagine you wanted to make two or three such journeys a day, not one.  Or didn't book months in advance so are seeing higher prices, perhaps €69.90 or €89.90 at www.bahn.de? Or simply want flexibility, and don't want to commit to specific trains with a no-changes no-refunds ticket in advance?  Then a pass is great value.

• You cannot buy a German railpass if you are resident in Germany.

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Maps of the German rail network

• Click for DB's own map of the German rail network

• Interactive map of the German railway network (please let me know if the link stops working)

• Click for an alternative map of the German rail network

• Advice on finding other European rail network maps

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What are German trains like?

InterCity Express (ICE):  More info

InterCity Express high-speed trains, usually known as ICE, are German Railways' front-rank trains, travelling at up to 175mph (ICE1 & ICE2) or 186mph (ICE3).  You'll find information about ICEs on the ICE page.

InterCity (IC):  More info

InterCity trains travel at up to 125mph, usually using a locomotive and conventional carriages.  Some InterCity trains cross borders into neighbouring countries and these will be classified EuroCity (EC) rather than InterCity.

Regional trains

Regional trains are sometimes operated by Deutsche Bahn (DB, German Railways) or sometimes outsourced to a private operator such as Abellio, Metronom, Erixx, but still run as part of the national network, with tickets sold by DB at www.bahn.de.  They come in many different shapes and sizes, some single-deck, some double-deck.

Seat numbering plans: Click here

There are several types of ICE, for plans of the seating layout on IC, ICE and various other types of train in Germany see the Train seat numbering page. 

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Travel tips

	Train formation poster or Wagenstandsanzeiger, on a German station platform, showing where along the platform each car of a train will stop, so you can be waiting in the right place when your train comes in!

• Maps of the European rail network:  See the section on the Train travel in Europe page about rail maps.

• Language problems:   First-time visitors often think this will be a problem, but it hardly ever is.  At stations, signs are usually in English as well as German, or they use easy-to-understand pictograms.  On-train announcements on long-distance trains are often made in English as well as German.

• Food & drink on German trains:   Most long-distance trains have at least a bistro car serving tea, coffee, wine, beer & snacks from a counter, with some tables nearby if you'd want to eat and drink in the bistro car rather than take it back to your seat.  See sample ICE bistro menu.  Many German long-distance trains have a proper sit-down waiter-service restaurant car.  In first class on ICE you'll often be asked if you want to order food or drink, and it will be brought and served at your seat.

  Alternatively, feel free to bring your own food and drink (even a bottle of wine, if you like) onto the train, there's no rules against that on the rails.

• Luggage on trains:  There are no baggage fees or weight limits, and you don't check your bags in, you simply take them with you onto the train, placing them on the racks at the end of each car or amongst the seats, or above your head.  It's usually possible to keep all your bags in sight.  More information about luggage on trains.

• Should you reserve a seat or not?  Reserving a seat is optional on most German trains.  You can add a reserved seat to your booking for around €5, when buying a first class ticket it may be free.  If you don't reserve, you simply sit in any empty unreserved seat.  Small LED displays above each seat show which seats are reserved between which stations, and which seats are free.  Travelling alone, middle of the day, mid-week in February, you'll have plenty of seats to choose from.  But a family group, travelling on a Friday afternoon in July would be well advised to reserve seats.  And for any long journey it's best to be on the safe side and reserve.  You can make a seat reservation separately (i.e. after buying your ticket) simply by going to www.bahn.de and clicking the Seat only (no ticket) link right at the bottom.

• On the train's LED seat reservation displays above each seat:

  ggf. reserviert - this means the train's on-board reservation system hasn't been updated with the latest information from the main DB reservation system.  Usually all of the seats show this message if this happens.  Seat reservations are still valid, but cannot be shown on the LED displays, so you can sit in these seats but you could be asked to move if someone shows up with a reservation.

  ggf. freigeben - this is a last-minute reservation seat.  You can sit in it if you like, but will have to move if someone shows up with a reservation.

  bahn.comfort - travellers holding a frequent traveller BahnCard have priority for these seats. You can sit in these seats but someone with a BahnCard may show up and claim it.  Though how they'd know you didn't have a BahnCard and so ask you to move is another question!

  Schwerbehinderte means that seat is reserved for people with disabilities.

• First class lounges at stations:  There are lounges for first class passengers at Berlin, Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt Main Airport, Hamburg, Hanover, Cologne, Leipzig, Mannheim, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart. Just follow the signs to the 'DB Lounge'.  Most are open roughly 07:00-21:00 daily, search www.bahn.de for details.  The lounges offer complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks, beer & snacks.  Unfortunately, since December 2019 only expensive 1st class full-flex Flexpreis tickets give you lounge access, not cheaper 1st class Sparpreis fares or 1st class railpasses.

• Left luggage at stations:  All German stations other than the very smallest have left-luggage lockers in various sizes, up to suitcase-sized.  More information on left luggage lockers & prices.

• Bicycles:  Bikes can be carried on all German trains if semi-dismantled & placed in a bike bag, they then travel as ordinary luggage. 

  Undismantled bikes are carried on most suburban & regional trains, you need a Bicycle Day Ticket (Fahrradtageskarte) which you can buy online at www.bahn.de (use the site search to find it) or at stations for a few euros.

  Undismantled bikes are also carried on most InterCity trains, ICE-T & ICE4 trains for a fee as these have been fitted with bike racks, prior reservation required.  Undismantled bicycles are not carried on high-speed ICE trains other than ICE-T & ICE4.

  To find a train that will take you and you bike, use the online timetable at www.bahn.de and tick the carriage of bicycles required box.  Within Germany, you can book a bike space and buy your ticket online this way, too.  For more information, see the bicycles by train page.

• Dogs & pets:  Dogs can be taken on all German trains, sometimes free, sometimes for a small fee.  For more information, see the dogs & pets page.

Places not served by the main rail network

• Neuschwanstein, Germany's fairytale castle:  See details here.

• Eagles's Nest:  See details here.

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Guidebooks

Take a good guidebook.  For independent travel, the best guidebook is either the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.  Both guidebooks provide an excellent level of practical information and historical and cultural background.  You won't regret buying one!

Buy in the UK from Amazon.co.uk

Or buy in the USA from Amazon.com

Or buy the Lonely Planets from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.    Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

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Tours of Germany by train

If you want to tour Germany by train, with all your train reservations and hotels sorted for you to your own specification, contact rail travel specialists Railbookers and they'll create the best rail holiday for you, hassle-free.  Unlike some overseas travel agents, they really do know all about train travel in Italy and right across Europe, and they know some excellent hotels, too.  They take good care of their clients and it's not surprising they get a lot of repeat business, so I have no hesitation in recommending them.

  UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk. 

  US call free 1-888-829-4775, see website.

  Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website.

  Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website. 

  New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

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Recommended hotels

Here are my suggested hotels conveniently located for arrival by train in key German cities, all with good or great reviews.  You are unlikely to be disappointed by any hotel scoring over 8.0 out of 10 on Booking.com.

In Berlin

• An excellent and relatively inexpensive choice next to Berlin Hbf is the InterCity Hotel Berlin Hbf, only 200m from the station main entrance, ideal for an overnight stop.  It's a favourite of mine and it gets great reviews.  You can easily walk to the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate in 10-15 minutes, and of course Berlin Hbf is a local transit hub making it easy to reach other parts of Berlin.

• Also right next to Berlin Hbf and a step up in quality and cost, the 5-star Steigenberger Hotel am Kanzerlamt is on the main square in front of the station.  It's a guest favourite, I've eaten in the bar here, it's a classy place which won't disappoint (Steigenberger hotels usually don't!).

• For something cheaper but still with great reviews, the reliable inexpensive Motel One Berlin-Hauptbahnhof is on the north side of the station.

• Finally, if you really want to push the boat out with somewhere special, the famous Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is right next to the Brandenburg Gate, a 17 minute walk or 5 minute taxi ride south of the station.

In Cologne

• The good & inexpensive Ibis Hotel Köln-am-Dom is ideal as it's part of Cologne Hbf station itself, with an entrance to the left of the main station entrance - many of its rooms have a cathedral view.

• Also near the station with good reviews are the Breslauer Hof Am Dom, Hotel Domspitzen, CityClass Hotel Europa am Dom, Hilton Cologne, Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom.

In Frankfurt

• Hotels next to Frankfurt (Main) Hbf with good or great reviews include the Flemings Express Hotel & Hotel Hamburger Hof, both of which I have stayed at and can recommend, I'd go with Flemings Express on balance, for carpeted rooms and a good breakfast buffet.  Both hotels are just across the road from the station's northern (platform 24) side exit.  You could also try The Frankfurt and the inexpensive Hotel Topas.

In Hamburg

• If you walk out of Hamburg Hbf's main eastern exit, you'll find a row of good hotels lined up in front of you on the opposite side of the Kirchenallee.  The pick of these is the excellent 4-star Hotel Reichshof Hamburg, across the road and to the left with art deco-based design and great reviews.  It has its own restaurant for lunch or dinner, although I'd still be tempted to try the beer & traditional German food at Nagel's bar, 150m south along the Kircheallee, restaurant-kneipe-hamburg.de.

• The Hotel Europaischer Hof is another good choice and directly in front of you across the road when you walk out of the station.  Other hotels next to Hamburg Hbf with good reviews include the 5-star Hotel Continental Novum (to the right of the Europaischer), Hotel Furst Bismarck (to the right of the Continental Novum), and the Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.

• If you'd prefer a hotel right in the city centre, the Henri Hotel Hamburg Downtown is 5 minutes walk from the station on the city side, and gets really great reviews.

• If you're on a budget, private rooms in the A&O Hotel start at around £33 for one person or £49 for two people booked at www.hostelworld.com.  The A&O is an 11-minute 900m walk south of Hamburg Hbf, see walking map.  Also try the innovative Cab20 capsule hotel, a 550m 6-minute walk from the station, see walking map.

In Munich

• Affordable hotels right next to Munich Hbf with good or great reviews include the reliable Eden Hotel Wolff or the NH Collection München, both directly across the road from the station's north side exit, ideal for an overnight stop between trains.  I've used the Hotel Wolff myself.

• Also consider the more upmarket 25 Hours Hotel The Royal Bavarian, Excelsior by Giesel or Mercure München City Center, all a stone's throw from the station with great reviews.

• If you want to push the boat out, the luxurious 5-star Sofitel Munich Beyerpost is right outside the station's south side exit, located in the former Royal Bavarian Post Office building dating from 1896-1900.  It comes complete with a spa with massage service and sauna.

• If you're on a budget, the Wombat's Hostel Munich is close to the station's south side exit with private rooms & dorm beds, with good reviews.

Booking.com for hotels

I generally use Booking.com for hotels for 3 reasons:

(1) It keeps all my hotel bookings together in one place;

(2) I've come to trust Booking.com's review scores;

(3) Booking.com usually offers a clearly-marked Free cancellation option.

Free cancellation means you can secure hotels risk-free even before trains open for booking, and if necessary change those bookings if your plans evolve.

If I'm only staying a night or two, I look for a hotel near the station to make arrival & departure easy.  You can enter the station name (e.g. Berlin Hbf) as search location.  If staying longer, I look for a hotel close to the sights, entering the name of a city attraction as the search location, then using map view.

I then look for a hotel with a review score of 8.0 or over, any hotel scoring over that won't disappoint.

AirBnB:  Airbnb.com

www.airbnb.com began in 2008 when two designers who had space to share hosted three travellers looking for a place to stay.  AirBnB is a platform which connects hosts with guests, so you can now book a room in people's homes, or an apartment, flat or house which people want to rent out.  It can be nicer than a hostel, cheaper than many hotels.

Backpacker hostels: Hostelworld.com

www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

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Travel insurance & other tips

Always take out travel insurance

You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer.  It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit.  These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.

  www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection and gets 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

  www.columbusdirect.com is also a well-know brand.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package for Europe

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for Europe and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list.  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.  And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works:  1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than getting a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  VPNs & why you need one explained

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Always carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com.

Touring cities & museums?  Use hill walking shoes!

One of the best things I've done is swap my normal shoes for hill-walking shoes, in my case from Scarpa.  They're intended for hiking across the Pennines not wandering around Florence, but the support and cushioning for hiking works equally well when you're on your feet all day exploring foreign cities.  My feet used to give out first and limit my day, now the rest of me gives up before they do!

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