Berlin to Warsaw or Krakow from €27.90...

Comfortable EuroCity trains link Berlin Hbf & Warsaw Centralna, 570km (356 miles) in 5h28, with air-conditioned 1st & 2nd class seats & a restaurant car.  There's also a daily direct train from Berlin to Gdynia & Gdansk and starting 13 December 2020, a direct train from Berlin to Krakow called the Wawel.  See travel tips...

COVID-19 update:  Berlin-Warsaw trains running normally, check online at www.bahn.de.

  Timetable

  How much does it cost?

  How to buy tickets

  Route map

  What are the trains like?

  Food & drink on board

  Travel tips

Timetable eastbound

Timetable westbound

* = Instead of getting off at Krakow at 03:47, book the sleeper to Rzeszow Glowny, arriving 06:39.  Have breakfast in the historic city of Rzeszow with its well-preserved old town, then return to Krakow on any train you like, Rzeszow to Krakow takes around 1h40, trains leave regularly.  See Berlin-Krakow sleeper information.

** = Between 13 December 2020 & 15 March 2021 it will only run on Mondays and some Saturdays.

EC = Air-conditioned EuroCity train, 1st & 2nd class, restaurant car, see the photos below.

ECW = Air-conditioned EuroCity train Wawel, 1st & 2nd class, restaurant car, see the photos below & see this video.  New from 13 December 2020!

Sleeper = sleeper train.  2nd class seats & sleeping-car, no 1st class, see info for Berlin to Krakow by sleeper, see info for Krakow to Berlin by sleeper.

Times are good for 13 December 2020 to 11 December 2021, but always check for your date at www.bahn.de as they can vary.

Only direct trains are shown here, other departures are available between Berlin & Gdansk, Gdynia, Wroclaw & Krakow with a change of train, see www.bahn.de.

How much does it cost?

• Advance-purchase fares start from €27.90 in 2nd class or €39.90 in 1st class.

  These are Sparpreis (savings) fares from Berlin to Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk or Gdynia with variable prices & limited availability at each price level.  They are only good for the specific train you book, limited or no 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 from Berlin to Warsaw or Krakow is around €65 in 2nd class or €101 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 have unlimited availability, can't sell out.  They are good for any train that day, although a reservation is compulsory on these Berlin-Poland trains.

• Children under 6 go free, no ticket required.  Children under 15 also go free when accompanied by a parent or grandparent on a Sparpreis fare and added to the booking at www.bahn.de.

How to buy tickets...

• Buy tickets for EuroCity trains at the German Railways website www.bahn.de.  To book on a mobile device, use this link.

  Booking usually opens 60 days ahead.  More about when booking opens.  On this route, all tickets include a free reserved seat.

  You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or smartphone.

• Buy tickets for the sleeper train at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at (in €, a bit more fiddly, same fares).  Booking opens up to 6 months ahead and you print your own ticket.

• You can also buy tickets from Polish Railways at www.intercity.pl, but they may not offer free tickets for children under 15.

Route map...

What are the EuroCity trains like?

A Berlin-Warsaw EuroCity train at Berlin.  Yellow stripe = 1st class car.

There's usually just one 1st class car on each train, usually a classic compartment car with a side corridor & comfortable carpeted 6-seater compartments like this.  The best seats are obviously the two at the window.  On some departures including the Berlin-Krakow Wawel you'll find it's an open-plan car, called 'saloon' on bahn.de.  Click the images for larger photos.

A Berlin-Warsaw train at Berlin.  Green stripe = 2nd class cars.

Some 2nd class cars are compartment cars like this with a side corridor & 6-seater compartments.  Click the images for larger photos.

...but there's usually at least one car with open-plan saloon seating like this.  Click the images for larger photos.

Food & drink...

Berlin-Warsaw EuroCity trains have a Polish restaurant car, staffed by Wars, the Polish train caterers.  Treat yourself to a meal and linger in the restaurant for an hour or two over a beer and a meal.  A tasty sausage soup, main course of schnitzel, potato & salad served on proper china, a beer and coffee for only around €10.  Euros & zlotys are both accepted, you must pay in cash whilst in Germany but when the train is in Poland they will normally accept credit cards too.  Of course, you're also free to bring your own picnic and beer or wine along and eat at your seat.

Tip:  Go to wars.pl/mwars and download the MWars app for Android or iPhone.  You can then use your smartphone to order food & drink from the restaurant car menu served at your seat (you tell them your car & seat number in the app).  Let me know how it goes!

The restaurant car on a Berlin-Warsaw express train. Red stripe = catering car.  Photos courtesy of DiscoverbyRail.com.

The restaurant car on a Berlin-Warsaw express.  You don't need to reserve a table, just go along and sit down.  A steward will take your order...  These photos courtesy of DiscoverbyRail.com.  Larger photo.

The bar.  Larger photo.		Decent food, served on proper china...

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 only difference is in the seating comfort.  But see what prices you get at www.bahn.de because sometimes 1st class doesn't cost much more than 2nd.  1st class simply means more leg and elbow room and usually a quieter environment.

• Do you need to book in advance?

  Reservation is compulsory on these Berlin-Poland trains and a reserved seat will automatically be included with your booking.  However, there are normally plenty of places available even on the day, the issue is price not availability:  In advance, fares start at €27.90, but on the day you will pay the full-flex fare, over €64.  Better to book ahead!

• Seating plan & train formation...

  You can check the train formation and see a numbered seating plan for each car at www.vagonweb.cz - Change cs to English upper left, then click Train formations, scroll down to Poland and click EIC then select your train number.  Click the camera logo under each car for photos, click the plan logo under each car for a seating plan, if available.

  In 2nd class you can choose whether you want to sit in an open-plan saloon or a classic compartment when you book at www.bahn.de.  Some people prefer classic 6-seat compartments, especially if they are a family or a group of friends, I personally prefer open-plan seating as it feels more spacious, feels less confined and you get a better view through multiple windows.  It's your choice!  In 1st class, all seats are normally in 6-seat compartments on these trains, or all in an open-plan saloon on the Berlin-Krakow Wawel, so you may not get a choice.

• 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 Hauptbahnhof, trains to Warsaw use the east-west platforms above ground level, as opposed to the north-south platforms below ground.

  At stations, a poster on the platform shows where each car will stop along the platform.  This saves you running up and down like a headless chicken trying to find your car.  It also helps to know that on these Polish trains a yellow stripe above the windows means first class, a red stripe means catering car, a green stripe means 2nd class, as you can see in the photos above.

• Border controls...

  Germany & Poland are both in Schengen, so there are normally no border controls, just occasional spot checks carried out on board the train as it crosses the border.  The border is at Frankfurt Oder just east of Berlin, where the river Oder separates the two countries.

• First class lounge...

  If you have a 1st class Flexpreis ticket (but not advance-purchase Sparpreis or Supersparpreis or a railpass) for these Berlin-Poland trains you can use the excellent DB Lounge at Berlin Hbf located up one level from the main station entrance, on the left.  This has complimentary food, tea, coffee, beer & wine plus free WiFi.  There is now no first class lounge in Warsaw.

• Luggage...

  You take your luggage with you onto the train and simply stick it on any suitable luggage rack.  Anything up to and including backpack-size will easily fit on the overhead racks above your seat.  The 2nd class open-plan car has a large luggage area at one end of the seating saloon - so perhaps choose the open plan car if you have vast suitcases.  More information about luggage on European trains.

• WiFi & power sockets...

  WiFi is often available on the Berlin-Warsaw EuroCity trains, although not all cars are fitted.  Similarly, some cars will have power sockets, but not all are fitted.  There's reasonable mobile data coverage along the route.

• Food & drink - see the food & drink section above, and try downloading the MWars app!

• Bicycles can be taken on the Berlin-Warsaw, Berlin-Gydnia & Berlin-Krakow trains, but bike spaces need to be booked in advance.  You can do this at www.bahn.de.

• As well booking with German Railways www.bahn.de, you can also book these train at Polish Railways, www.intercity.pl.

Useful information...

• Map of Berlin showing station - Map of Warsaw showing station.

• Berlin Hbf station information - Warsaw Centralna station information

• Left luggage lockers & offices in Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow.

• See general advice for European train travel.

Soon after leaving Frankfurt (Oder) an hour east of Berlin, the train crosses the River Oder into Poland.  This photo is taken looking south with the Oder forming the border.  That's Germany on the right, Poland on the left.  Courtesy of Marieke Krijnen.

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