Brussels-Prague from 29, Cologne-Prague from 21...
Frankfurt-Prague from 21, Nuremberg-Prague from 12...
You've probably never heard of 'Cheb', pronounced Heb, an obscure border town between Germany and the Czech Republic. But it's a magic word for cheap train fares to Prague. The Czech Railways website www.cd.cz sells remarkably cheap First Minute advance-purchase fares between Prague or Plzen and Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Cologne & Brussels in either direction, if you remember to click More options, then Travel via, and add Cheb in the via box. Even 1st class is cheap, Brussels-Prague from 44, Nuremberg-Prague from 19. You can usually find these fares even just weeks in advance, no need to look months ahead. But there's nothing cut-price about the top-quality trains on this route. This page shows you what these trains are like, what the journey is like, and has tips on buying & using these cheap tickets.
Czech train between Prague &
Cheb
German regional
train between Cheb & Nuremberg
ICE
trains Nuremberg-Frankfurt-Cologne-Brussels
Train times to Prague: London to Prague, Brussels to Prague, Cologne to Prague, Frankfurt to Prague.
Train times from Prague: Prague to London, Prague to Brussels, Prague to Frankfurt, Prague to Cologne, Prague to Nuremberg.
What's the journey like?
Here's an illustrated account of a westbound journey from Prague to Nuremberg, Frankfurt & Brussels on the early morning departure on a frosty January day. Obviously, trains & scenery are the same in either direction, you just experience them in the reverse order!
1. Czech train between Prague & Cheb...
Although nothing fancy such as an Intercity or SuperCity, the Czech Railways (CD) express trains between Prague & Cheb are clean, comfortable, air-conditioned, with free WiFi and power sockets in most cars. Old-school comfort and a pleasure to travel on. A refreshment trolley comes down the train with tea, coffee, snacks and soft drinks at inexpensive Czech prices. These trains run every 2 hours. Brand new trains are being built for this route, due to enter service in 2021.
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The early morning train from Prague to Cheb, boarding at Prague Hlavni... |
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1st class 4-seat compartment with power sockets, USB ports & free WiFi. Larger photo. |
2nd class compartments with power outlets & free WiFi. Larger photo. |
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Bohemian Rhapsody... Frosty early morning scenery crossing Bohemia from Prague to Cheb. |
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More frosty morning scenery on this delightful rural route... |
Easy cross-platform change at Cheb...
Czech & German timetables are coordinated and it's usually a simple 10-minute cross-platform interchange at Cheb between the Czech train to/from Prague and the German regional train to/from Nuremberg, in either direction.
Tip 1: Don't worry about only having 10 minutes to change trains in Cheb - that's 9 minutes more than you need. All you normally have to do is get off one train, walk the width of the platform and board the train on the other side, as you can see in the photo below. You can do it in 10 seconds, never mind 10 minutes. If one train is a little late, the other will wait a few minutes, this is a recognised connection.
Tip 2: When going eastbound and changing into the Czech train from Cheb to Prague, don't blindly board the train on the other side of the platform. Check the platform departure boards, sometimes the train across the platform is the slow train to Prague via Usti nad Labem, you want the express to Prague via Pilsen!
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Cheb station. Blue Czech train from Prague on the left, the red German train to Nuremberg on the right. Easy-peasy... |
2. German regional train between Cheb & Nuremberg...
The DB Regioswinger is a comfortable modern regional train with air-conditioning, toilets, and power sockets at all seats - although no WiFi. There's no catering on this train, so bring your own supplies. This train tilts so it can go faster around the many bends on this rural route across Bavaria. The train is coupled to a Hof-Nuremberg train between Pegnitz and Nuremberg - so when boarding a westbound train from Nuremberg to Cheb, make sure you board the unit going to Cheb and not the unit bound for Hof!
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2nd class seats on the German regional train. Larger photo. |
1st class seats on the German regional train. Larger photo. |
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Bavarian rhapsody? More frosty morning scenery in Bavaria from the Cheb to Nuremberg train, a lovely rural ride... |
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Nuremberg... The German regional train from Cheb has arrived at Nuremberg platform 16. |
3. ICE high-speed train between Nuremberg & Frankfurt...
Changing trains at Nuremberg is simply a case of looking at the departure screens, going down the escalators, lift or stairs to the underpass, then back up on the platform for your onward train. The onward ICE trains come with a restaurant car, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi.
Tip: If you need to stock up or grab a coffee for the journey, there are plenty of food outlets and a Rewe To Go minimarket inn the main station entrance hall.
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Boarding the ICE to Frankfurt at Nuremberg platform 6... |
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2nd class seats on the Nuremberg-Frankfurt ICE... |
1st class seats on the Nuremberg-Frankfurt ICE... |
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The ICE restaurant car... 1st class passengers may order from the restaurant menu and are served at their seat. |
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4. ICE high-speed train between Frankfurt & Cologne or Brussels...
The system may suggest changing at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf or at Frankfurt Flughafen. At the modern 4-platform Frankfurt Flughafen it's usually a cross-platform or same-platform change so it's easier. I personally prefer changing at the magnificent historic Frankfurt (Main) Hbf, which is a terminus so there's easy level access between all platforms. Just see what the CD website gives you.
The onward ICE from Frankfurt to Brussels also features a small restaurant area, a bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
If you're going to Cologne or Brussels, the train crosses the Rhine into Cologne Hbf on the vast Hohenzollern bridge, with views of Cologne cathedral next to the station on the left hand side (going westbound) or right hand side (going eastbound to Prague).
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Boarding the ICE to Brussels at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf... |
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2nd class seats on the Frankfurt-Brussels ICE... |
1st class seats on the Frankfurt-Brussels ICE... |
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I highly recommend the Erdinger Weissbier... |
Small restaurant area on the Frankfurt-Brussels ICE... |
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The ICE arrived at Brussels Midi... |
Tips for buying tickets via Cheb...
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You can only buy these cheap First Minute advance-purchase tickets between Brussels or Germany and Prague at Czech Railways www.cd.cz. For the English version, change the Czech flag to the UK flag top right.
For the record, German Railways www.bahn.de also sells tickets via this route, but try it and see - much more expensive!
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Booking opens 90 days ahead - although bookings can open significantly less than 90 for dates after the timetable change in mid-December.
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Don't forget to click More options then Travel via then enter Cheb as a via station. You won't see these cheap fares unless you do!
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These fares are all one-way. A return is simply two one-ways.
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Seat reservations...
Seat reservations aren't necessary or even possible on the German regional train between Nuremberg & Cheb, you just sit where you like and there are usually plenty of empty seats to choose from.
Seat reservations are optional on German ICE trains and on the Czech Cheb-Prague train - meaning you can buy the ticket without reservations and sit where you like in any empty unreserved seat, or you can add a reserved seat on each train for a small extra charge.
My advice on seat reservations? You'll almost always find loads of unreserved empty seats on the Czech Cheb-Prague train so I wouldn't necessarily bother, but I'd definitely add seat reservations on the German ICE trains as these can get busy.
If you have any trouble adding seat reservations when buying the ticket, simply buy the ticket without any seat reservations. You can then make ICE seat reservations separately for around 5 at the German Railways website www.bahn.de by running an enquiry using the Seat only (no ticket) link at the bottom of the page instead of the usual red Search button. As an added bonus, on ICEs www.bahn.de will let you choose an exact seat from a seating plan, the CD website won't. Obviously, just make sure you make the seat reservation on the same train your ticket is for!
The reason you may have problems with adding a seat reservation on cd.cz is that the Czech train only opens for reservation 60 days ahead, so if you're booking 60-90 days ahead it'll fail just because that train isn't open for booking.
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You print your own ticket or can simply show it on your laptop or smartphone. Ticket inspectors simply scan the barcode.
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In theory, a First Minute advance-purchase fare ties you to the specific trains you book, no refunds, no changes to travel plans. However, in fact the only train you're actually tied to is the Nuremberg-Cheb cross-border regional train. If you look at your print-at-home ticket it will say Povinnύ vlak/Zugbindung and then list all the trains you are tied to, by train number. The only train it lists is the Nuremberg-Cheb regional train. So you can in fact use any ICE train you like between Brussels/Cologne/Frankfurt & Nuremberg and any Czech train you like between Cheb & Prague during the 2-day validity of your ticket. So by all means stop off for a while in Nuremberg or Frankfurt, catching a later onward train westbound, or earlier train eastbound.
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Incredible, Brussels to Prague for only 757 Czech Koruna (29). Remember you must enter Cheb in the via box! Cheap fares are also available via Cheb between Prague and Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Cologne & other places in Germany. |
Travel tips...
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Don't worry about a delay causing a missed connection: A First Minute ticket between Brussels or Germany & Prague is a through ticket, so if you miss a connection you have a cast-iron legal right to continue on later onward trains under the CIV international conditions of carriage.
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However, if adding onward travel on a separate ticket, it is wise to allow time just in case a connection is missed. For example, I booked a ticket leaving Prague at 06:43 and arriving Brussels at 17:35. I didn't book the 18:56 Eurostar from Brussels to London, I booked the later one at 20:22 so that if I missed a connection and arrived in Brussels 2 hours later on the following ICE at 19:35, I would still make it. In the event, I arrived in Brussels only 10 minutes late, but it's always better to play safe!
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Changing trains is easy... It takes just minutes (or in the case of Cheb, just seconds) to get off one train, look at the departure screens, walk to the platform for your onward train, and get on. There is no check in for these trains and there are no ticket gates, just free & easy access to the the stations & trains.
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Tight connection in Nuremberg eastbound? Going eastbound, if you see a tight 10-minute connection between the ICE & onward regional train in Nuremberg, that is indeed a bit tight for comfort as the regional trai9n will not wait if there's a delay. Why not just catch an earlier ICE? Your ticket allows this, as I explain in the which trains can you use paragraph above. You can work out times at www.bahn.de.
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Boarding a westbound regional train from Nuremberg to Cheb? The Nuremberg-Cheb train leaves Nuremberg coupled to a Nuremberg to Hof train, so make sure you board the Nuremberg-Cheb portion, not the Nuremberg-Hof portion! The LED screens on the side of the train will clearly show you which unit is for Cheb and which for Hof. The two portions divide at Pegnitz
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Luggage... You can take whatever luggage with you that you like, just remember you have to manage it yourself, as on any train. Like other European trains, you take your luggage onto the train with you and put it on one of the various luggage racks.
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Food & drink... There's a proper restaurant car on the ICEs, although in 1st class staff will take your order from the restaurant menu and serve you at your seat. There's no catering on the DB regional train. There's usually a refreshment trolley on the Czech train between Cheb and Prague. You are of course free to take your own picnic and even beer or wine onto all of these trains.
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WiFi & power outlets... All these trains have power outlets at seats, of the usual European 2-pin 220 volt type. ICEs and most cars in the Czech train have free WiFi. There is no WiFi on the German regional train between Nuremberg & Cheb.
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Station information: See these station guides for a station overview and tips on changing trains and station facilities: Prague Hlavni, Frankfurt (Main) Hbf, Cologne Hbf, Brussels Midi.
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If you do experience a delay and have to wait at Cheb for the next train, there's a decent enough restaurant at the station.
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And last but not least: Cheb is pronounced 'Heb'...
Route map...
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Click for larger map Highlighted = Brussels-Cheb-Prague route. Green = scenic sections of line. Red = new high-speed line. Reproduced from the excellent European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people. Buy this European Rail Map for your travels and perhaps a copy of the European Rail Timetable at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu with shipping worldwide. |
Watch the video guide...
This video shows what the trains & scenery are like. It's a westbound journey from Prague to Brussels, but trains & scenery are the same in either direction!