 |
|
Buy Amsterdam-Berlin tickets from 37.90at int.bahn.de.Buy direct from Deutsche Bahn, no booking fee, print your own ticket or show it on your phone or laptop. |
Amsterdam to Berlin in 6h23
Comfortable air-conditioned InterCity trains link Amsterdam Centraal & Berlin Hbf every two hours, 624 km (399 miles) in 5h52 city centre to city centre from 37.90. A soulless flight will take the best part of 5 hours, cost more and be far less relaxing. Train is the way to go, look what you'll see on the way.
Starting 10 December 2023, journey time is cut from 6h23 to 5h52, by eliminating the locomotive change at Bad Bentheim and dropping several smaller stops in Germany.
A sleeper train also links Amsterdam & Berlin 2 or 3 times a week, see the European Sleeper page.
What's the journey like?
Things to see...
Station information
for Amsterdam Centraal
Station
information for Berlin Hbf
Timetable eastbound until 9 December 2023
Timetable eastbound from 10 December 2023
Timetable westbound until 9 December 2023
Timetable westbound from 10 December 2023
These trains also call at Amersfoort, Deventer, Hengelo, Osnabruck, Hannover & several other stations. Check times for your date of travel at int.bahn.de.
* = Change trains at Hanover, arrive 22:01, depart 22:31.
** = Change trains at Hannover, arrive 21:18, depart 21:31.
*** = Change trains at Hannover, arrive 06:18, depart 06:40.
European Sleeper = Sleeper train with sleeping-car & couchettes, see the European Sleeper train page. There'll be no Wednesday departure from Amsterdam & no Thursday departure from Berlin from 7 November 2023 to 24 March 2024, except for a few dates over Christmas & New Year, see the European Sleeper train page.
Amsterdam to Berlin is 642 km (399 miles) by train.
How much does it cost?
-
Advance-purchase fares start at 37.90 in 2nd class or 56.90 in 1st class.
These are Sparpreis (savings) advance-purchase fares with variable prices & limited availability at each price level. They are only good for the specific train you book, limited refunds, no changes to travel plans. A round trip is two one-ways. If you're happy to book ahead and commit to a specific train, this is what you want. Book early & avoid popular days for the cheapest prices.
-
The fully-flexible fare is around 127 in 2nd class or 210 in 1st class.
The Flexpreis fare is what you pay if you want to stay flexible or buy a ticket at the station on the day. Flexpreis tickets are good for any train that day, unlimited availability, it can't sell out.
-
Children under 6 go free, no ticket required.
Children under 15 also go free when accompanied by an adult on a Sparpreis fare & added to the booking.
-
Fares for the sleeper train are shown on the European Sleeper train page.
How to buy tickets
-
Buy tickets from German Railways at int.bahn.de.
I've set up that link to search for Direct services only, if travelling to/from any other Dutch station (or see no results), un-toggle this option.
Booking opens up to 6 months ahead, although dates after the mid-December timetable change usually open for booking in mid-October. More about when booking opens.
Look for the direct Amsterdam-Berlin IC trains with 0 changes. It's around 12 minutes faster to change trains at Hannover onto a high-speed ICE, but I'd stick with a direct train, the time saving isn't worth the hassle of changing.
I recommend registering when prompted, as you can then log in at any time to check or re-print your tickets.
If you buy one ticket covering several people, only one name is necessary to verify that the print-your-own ticket is yours.
You print your own ticket (A4 paper, U.S. Letter size is fine) or you can show it on your laptop or phone.
You can also buy tickets at Dutch Railways www.nsinternational.nl, but prices are the same & you can't choose your seat.
-
Seat reservation is optional, for a small extra charge of around 4.90 in 2nd class, 5.90 in 1st class, see the travel tips below. If you don't reserve a seat you can simply sit where you like, there are usually hundreds of empty unreserved seats, especially if you are boarding at the train's starting station rather than at an intermediate stop. However, these Amsterdam-Berlin trains can get busy in summer and at Christmas & Easter, so then a reserved seat is a good idea. If you book at int.bahn.de you can select your exact seat from a seating plan.
-
In the unlikely event you have any problems using bahn.de, www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com can also sell these tickets at exactly the same prices, the same print-at-home tickets and no booking fee as they have a direct connection to DB's ticketing system.
-
Note that some other train ticket retailers (including some very well-known ones) don't have a connection to DB's system and can therefore only sell the expensive full-flex rate, they cannot sell these cheap Sparpreis tickets. If all you see is expensive £100+, 124+, $165 tickets, you're in the wrong place!
-
Tip 1: If you don't see any particularly cheap fares between Amsterdam & Berlin it's worth trying to split the booking, checking Amsterdam-Bad Bentheim and Bad Bentheim-Berlin. This can sometimes make the journey cheaper! For example, on one day & train I tried, DB wanted 124 full-price for Amsterdam-Berlin but had 49.90 tickets available from Amsterdam to Bad Bentheim and 29.90 tickets available Bad Bentheim to Berlin. But also try tip 2 below...
-
Tip 2: If you don't see any cheap Amsterdam-Berlin fares at int.bahn.de, for example when booking at relatively short notice or on a busy day or date, here's a clever trick which can often reduce the cost. Go to Czech Railways www.cd.cz and book from Amsterdam to Prague (if you want Amsterdam to Berlin) or from Prague to Amsterdam (if you want Berlin to Amsterdam), first clicking More options then Travel via and entering Berlin as a via station. For example, on a busy Sunday afternoon booking only a week ahead, bahn.de had no sparpreis fares available at all on one afternoon train from Berlin to Amsterdam and wanted over 109 on another. The Czech Railways site had tickets available from Prague to Amsterdam for only 61 which included that first afternoon Berlin-Amsterdam train as part of the journey. Buy, print out your ticket and travel! It is perfectly legitimate to use only the Berlin-Amsterdam part of a Prague-Amsterdam ticket and there are no problems doing this - German conductors are able to scan Czech ticket barcodes. Works some times, doesn't work all the time, but well worth trying!
-
Buy tickets for the sleeper train as shown on the European Sleeper train page
Route map
Click for larger map. Red = high-speed lines. Green = scenic sections of line. Black = conventional lines.
Reproduced from the European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people. I recommend buying a copy of the European Rail Map for your travels, www.europeanrailtimetable.eu with shipping worldwide.
What's the train like?
New trains coming in 2024: New ICE-L trains are being built by Talgo and will start to replace these classic IC1 cars starting in October 2024. However, the bistro car will be replaced by a refreshment trolley from the timetable change in mid-December 2023 until the new trains (with bistro car) arrive.
An Amsterdam to Berlin Intercity train, at Amsterdam Centraal. Watch the video.
2nd class seating is usually in open-plan saloons like this, most seats unidirectional, but with some tables for 4. Larger photo.
There is usually one 1st class car with seats in traditional 6-seat compartments with side corridor, plus a few 1st class seats in part of the bistro car. Larger photo. Larger photo.
What's the journey like?
Amsterdam. The historic Amsterdam Centraal station opened in 1889, right in the city centre, a stroll from most hotels. For a coffee, beer or meal before boarding the train to Berlin, try the beautifully retro Grand Cafe 1e Klas on platform 2B - look for the cockatoo on the bar. See Amsterdam station information.
Deventer & River IJssel. As you cross the River IJssel at Deventer you'll see a film star. The white arched steel road bridge across the IJssel at Deventer just upstream from the rail bridge played the part of the famous John Frost Bridge at Arnhem in the 1976 film A Bridge Too Far. You can see it in the distance in the photo above which was taken from the train. Eastbound from Amsterdam, it's on the right hand side 2 minutes before arriving at Deventer station. Westbound from Berlin it's on the left hand side 2 minutes after leaving Deventer station.
You'll see how built-up the western part of the Netherlands is, but once in the east of the country you'll see plenty of farmland, cattle and ancient Dutch farms. Watch for the subtle differences between Dutch and German houses...
Kaiser Wilhelm Monument (above left). You pass the Kaiser Wilhelm monument on the left between Bad Oeynhausen & Minden when heading to Berlin, on the right when heading to Amsterdam. Erected in 1892-96 it's one of Germany's national monuments.
Minden (above right). The train passes the fortress-like Minden station built in 1848.
Osnabruck (above left)... Change here for trains to Hamburg & Scandinavia, see the illustrated guide to changing trains at Osnabruck.
Hannover (above right). A major stop with 14 busy modernised platforms. Change here for Intercity trains to Leipzig & Dresden, and regional trains to the Harz region.
Wolfsburg & the original Volkswagen factory. The train passes Wolfsburg, Volkswagen's worldwide headquarters. You'll see Volkswagen's original factory built in 1938 right next to the station on the left when heading to Berlin, on the right when heading to Amsterdam. The factory produced thousands of VW Beetles, as well as kubelwagens during the war.
After swishing across the Netherlands and western Germany at up to 140km/h (87 mph) the train eventually joins the new high-speed line between Hanover and Berlin and accelerates up to 200km/h (125 mph).
Berlin. Berlin's glass-and-steel Hauptbahnhof opened in 2006, a total contrast to Amsterdam, Centraal. Just 17 minutes walk past the Reichstag building to the Brandenburg Gate. See Berlin Hbf station information.
Travel tips
-
1st or 2nd class?
2nd class is absolutely fine for most travellers, there's no need to go 1st class unless you don't mind the extra cost. The photo below shows the generous legroom for 6-footers even in 2nd class. But see what prices you get at int.bahn.de because sometimes 1st class doesn't cost much more. 1st class simply means more leg and elbow room and usually a quieter environment.
-
Luggage
You can pretty much take anything you like as long as you can carry it or pull it behind you. Nobody will weigh or measure it! You take it with you onto the train, there's plenty of luggage space in both classes, the racks above your seat take anything up to backpack-size, the racks at the end of the car will take large suitcases, see the photo below. More information about luggage on European trains.
-
Seat reservations
A seat reservation is optional on this route. If you choose not to make one, you can sit in any unreserved seat - a small electronic display above each seat shows whether it is reserved or not. However, a seat reservation is a good idea especially on busy Fridays or around holiday periods. You can add a seat reservation to your booking when you buy your ticket for around 4 in 2nd class, free in 1st class. It's not possible to specify an exact seat or a seat facing direction of travel on these trains, but on int.bahn.de you can request a window or aisle seat, or a seat with a table (Tisch in German), which means face-to-face seats at a fixed wooden table. All seats in fact have small drop-down tables.
-
Saloon or compartment?
If you choose to reserve, the site asks if you prefer an open-plan saloon or a seat in a traditional 6-seater-compartment. On these Berlin-Amsterdam trains there's one 1st class car with 6-seat compartments and a small 1st class section in half of the bistro car with a tiny open-plan section & two small 4-seat compartments. In 2nd class, almost all seating is in open-plan saloons which is probably the best choice, but in one coach there are a few 6-seater compartments which you might like if you are a small group or family of 5-6 persons. On your ticket it will say abteil for compartment, or grossraumwagen for open-plan car.
-
Seat maps
Click here for a generic seat plan for a German intercity train. The 1st class car is usually a type Avmz, there's some 1st class seating in the bistro car which is type Arkimbz (but modernised, with seats 43-46 now unidirectional not a table for four), and 2nd class cars are type Bpmz or Bpmbz with one car usually being a Bvmsz.
-
First class lounges in Amsterdam & Berlin
At Amsterdam Centraal, all 1st class passengers can use the NS International lounge with complimentary tea, coffee, juice, see here for details.
At Berlin Hbf, the DB first class lounge can only be used with the most expensive 1st class Flexpreis fares, not with a 1st class railpass or an advance-purchase Sparpreis or Supersparpreis fare.
-
Best place to wait for your train Amsterdam
I recommend the beautifully retro Grand Cafe 1e Klas on platform 2B for a beer, coffee or meal before your train. Give my regards to the cockatoo on the bar...
-
Boarding your train
As with virtually all European trains, there's no check-in. Just stroll into the station, find your train and get on, any time before it leaves. The doors may be closed a minute before departure. At Berlin Hbf, trains to Amsterdam use the east-west platforms above ground level, as opposed to the north-south lines below ground.
Tip: You can see what the train formation is like at www.vagonweb.cz, which might help you find your car. Change cs to English upper left, then click Train formations, scroll down to Germany and click IC. Select your specific train. Click the camera icon under each car for photos, click the seat layout icon for a seating plan (if available).
Posters on the platform show the train formation and which part of the platform to stand for your particular car number, to save you running up and down when it comes in. The 1st class car is normally at the rear of the train when heading east towards Berlin and at the front behind the locomotive when heading west towards Amsterdam. The bistro car is next to the 1st class car, between it and the 2nd class cars.
-
On the reservation displays above each seat
Small LED displays above each seat show which seats are reserved between which stations, and which seats are free. You may see these messages:
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. Find another seat if you can.
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.
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! Find another seat if you can.
Schwerbehinderte means that seat is reserved for people with disabilities.
-
Power sockets, WiFi & toilets
There are power sockets at all seats in both classes. Each car has at least one toilet. These trains are being fitted with WiFi, and there's good mobile data reception along most of the route.
-
Bicycles
Bicycles can be taken on these trains, but bike spaces must be booked in advance by phone, bike spaces can't be booked online. The bicycle compartment is in the 2nd class car at the opposite end of the train from the 1st class car, in other words at the front when heading east towards Berlin, at the rear when heading west towards Amsterdam.
Food & drink on board
The bistro car is replaced by a refreshment trolley from the timetable change on 10 December 2023 until the new ICE-L trains arrive at some point during 2024. The new trains will have a bistro. You are free to bring your own food, even wine or beer if you like.