Trains in Germany
Travel around Germany by train with an Interrail Pass and visit the enchanting Neuschwanstein Castle, soak up the lively atmosphere at Oktoberfest and admire areas of outstanding natural beauty like the Black Forest and the Rhine Valley.
Explore top cities Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne and Frankfurt by regional, high-speed or night train while enjoying Germany's picturesque scenery on the way.
Train types in Germany
The German railways are run by Deutsche Bahn. You can check train times on the Interrail train timetable or on the DB website.
- Route Map
- Domestic trains
- International trains
- Night trains
- Scenic trains
- Private
Your Interrail Pass can also be used on several railway companies in Germany.
Regional and intercity trains in Germany
S-Bahn
Suburban trains that run within most major cities.
No reservations required.
Regional Express (RE)
Connections between regional towns and larger cities. Frequent stops.
No reservations required.
Regional Bahn (RB)
Connections across all local towns. Slower than Regional Express trains.
No reservations required.
Interregio-Express (IRE)
Connections between Germany’s regions.
No reservations required.
InterCity and Eurocity (Express) (IC, EC and ECE)
Domestic and international connections between major cities. Frequent stops.
No reservations required.
High-speed trains in Germany
InterCity Express (ICE)
Connects major cities and travels at speeds of up to 320 km/h (200 mph).
Includes an on-board restaurant.
1st class may have extra benefits, like newspapers and power sockets.
Reservations optional (but recommended during busy periods).
- Frankfurt/Munich/Stuttgart/Freiburg to France.
- Reservations optional for trips within Germany.
- Reservations required for trips to France.
International trains in Germany
All long distance trains to/from Germany will be subject to mandatory reservations from June 1 to September 1 (except trains via Basel and Schaffhausen).
- Frankfurt – Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam/Zurich
- Stuttgart – Paris.
- Hamburg – Zurich
- Dortmund/Berlin – Vienna
- Berlin – Innsbruck
- Frankfurt – Amsterdam
- Frankfurt – Brussels
- Frankfurt – Paris
- Frankfurt – Paris/Marseille
- Munich/Stuttgart/Freiburg - Paris
- Frankfurt – Bordeaux. Running on Saturdays 08 July – 26 August
- Freiburg – Bordeaux. Running on Saturdays 01 April – 02 September
- Reservations optional for trips within Germany
- Reservations compulsory for trips to France
- Dortmund – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Brussels – Paris
- Reservations are compulsory
- Read more about special booking conditions on our dedicated Eurostar page
- Operated by red coloured former Thalys trains
- Munich – Salzburg/Vienna/Budapest
- Munich – Innsbruck – Verona/Bologna/Venice (From Spring 2024)
- Reservations are mostly optional, and compulsory when crossing the German border
Eurocity/Railjet Brenner
- Munich – Innsbruck – Verona/Bologna/Venice
- Mandatory supplement if you are travelling to/from/within Italy. You can purchase it before boarding, but you can also do so on the train (for a €5 fee).
- 1st class: €15
- 2nd class: €10
EuroCity Express (ECE)
- Munich – Zurich
- Frankfurt – Milan
EuroCity (EC)
- Hamburg – Zurich/Interlaken
- Bochum – Klagenfurt
- Rostock/Hamburg/Berlin – Prague – Budapest
- Berlin – Gdynia/Warsaw (Reservations compulsory)
- Berlin – Wroclaw – Krakow – Przemysl (Reservations compulsory)
- Frankfurt – Munich – Salzburg – Ljubljana – Zagreb
- Munich to Venice, Verona and Bologna (Italy)
- Mandatory supplement if you are travelling to/from/within Italy. You can purchase it before boarding, but you can also do so on board of the train (for a €5 fee).
- 1st class: €15
- 2nd class: €10
InterCity (IC)
- Hamburg – Copenhagen
- Berlin – Amsterdam
- Hamburg – Zurich (part of the NightJet)
- Amsterdam – Cologne – Frankfurt – Zurich (part of the NightJet)
- Stuttgart – Zurich
Train stations of bordering countries
With a Eurail pass valid in Germany you can travel to the following train stations of countries that border Germany:
Basel (Switzerland)
Salzburg (Austria)
Domestic night trains in Germany
ÖBB Nightjet (these trains continue or/and start abroad)
- Düsseldorf – Cologne – Frankfurt – Nürnberg – Munich/Passau
- Hamburg – Hannover – Nürnberg – Munich/Passau
- Hamburg – Hannover – Frankfurt – Freiburg – Basel
- Berlin – Leipzig – Frankfurt – Freiburg – Basel
- Dresden – Leipzig – Frankfurt – Freiburg – Basel
International night trains in Germany
- (Dresden –) Berlin – Hamburg – Copenhagen Örestad – Malmö – Stockholm
SJ Euronight (EN)
- Berlin – Hamburg – Copenhagen Airport – Malmö – Stockholm
ÖBB NightJet (NJ and EN)
- Munich – Florence – Rome
- Munich – Verona – Milano – Genoa – La Spezia
- Stuttgart – Munich – Udine – Venice
- Hamburg – Basel – Zürich
- Hamburg – Linz – Vienna
- Hamburg – Munich – Innsbruck
- Hamburg – Nuremberg – Vienna
- Amsterdam – Düsseldorf – Linz – Vienna
- Amsterdam – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Innsbruck
- Amsterdam – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Basel – Zürich
- Vienna – Munich – Paris/Brussels
- Berlin – Hale – Erfurt – Paris/Brussels
- Prague/Berlin – Leipzig – Basel – Zürich
EuroNight Metropol (EN)
- Berlin – Dresden – Prague – Bratislava – Budapest
- Berlin – Dresden – Prague – Vienna – Graz
Euronight Chopin (EN)
- Munich – Salzburg – Vienna – Krakow – Warsaw
- Stuttgart – Munich – Salzburg – Vienna – Budapest
EuroNight Lisinski (EN)
- Stuttgart – Munich – Ljubljana – Zagreb
EuroNight Opatija (EN)
- Stuttgart – Munich – Opatija – Rijeka
European Sleeper (ESL)
- Prague – Dresden – Berlin – Amsterdam – Rotterdam – Den Haag – Antwerp – Brussels
- Prague and Dresden from 25th March
Scenic train routes in Germany
- Offenburg to Konstanz, through the Black Forest and small villages.
- Koblenz to Mainz, through the German wine country.
Elbe Valley Line
- Dresden to Czechia, along the Elbe river in Saxon Switzerland.
Neckar Valley Line
- Stuttgart to Heidelberg, along the picturesque Neckar river.
Mosel Valley Line
- Koblenz to Trier, small towns and wine along the Mosel river.
Private railway companies in Germany
Your Interrail Pass can also be used on several railway companies in Germany.
Popular connections
- Domestic routes
- International routes
Compare train travel times for popular routes in Germany. We'll show you the travel times for high-speed ICE trains in Germany:
Route | ICE |
---|---|
Berlin to Cologne | 4h 30m |
Berlin to Frankfurt | 4h |
Berlin to Hamburg | 2h |
Berlin to Munich | 4h 30m |
Frankfurt to Cologne | 1h |
Frankfurt to Munich | 3h 30m |
Hamburg to Cologne | 4h |
Hamburg to Frankfurt | 4h |
Hamburg to Munich | 6h |
Munich to Cologne | 4h 30m |
Route | Which train? | Travel time | Reservations |
---|---|---|---|
Berlin to Amsterdam (Netherlands) | InterCity | 6h 20m | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st) |
Berlin to Prague (Czechia) | EuroCity | 4h 30m | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st) |
Berlin to Warsaw (Poland) | Berlin-Warsaw Express | 5h 30m | Required |
Berlin to Zurich (Switzerland) | ÖBB Nightjet | 12h 15m (overnight) | Required |
Dresden to Wroclaw (Poland) | trilex regional train | 4h | Not required |
Düsseldorf / Frankfurt to Amsterdam (Netherlands) | ICE | 2h 15m / 3h 55m | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st) |
Frankfurt to Brussels (Belgium) | ICE | 3h 05m | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st) |
Frankfurt to Paris (France) | TGV / ICE | 3h 55m | Required |
Hamburg to Zurich (Switzerland) | ICE / ÖBB Nightjet | 7h 35m / 10h 55m (overnight) | Optional / Required |
Hamburg to Copenhagen (Denmark) | IC train | 4h 40m | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st) |
Munich to Innsbruck (Austria) | EuroCity / Railjet Brenner | 1h 45m | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st); Supplement required |
Munich to Paris (France) | TGV | 5h 40m | Required |
Munich to Rome (Italy) | ÖBB Nightjet | 11h 30m (overnight) | Required |
Munich to Venice (Italy) | EuroCity / Railjet Brenner / ÖBB Nightjet | 6h 50m / 8h 40m (overnight) | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st) / Required |
Munich to Vienna (Austria) | RailJet | 4h 10m | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st) |
Stuttgart to Zagreb (Croatia) | EuroCity / EuroNight | 10h 45m / 14h 10m (overnight) | Required |
Stuttgart to Budapest (Hungary) | EuroNight | 12h 50m (overnight) | Required |
Berlin – Stockholm (Sweden) | EuroNight / Snälltåget | 15h 20m / 17h 15m (overnight) | Required |
Berlin – Budapest (Hungary) | EuroCity / EuroNight | 11h 30m / 13h 30m (overnight) | Required |
Frankfurt – Milan (Italy) | EuroCity Express | 7h 45m | Optional (Required June 1st till September 1st) |
Dresden – Berlin to Brussels (Belgium) via Amsterdam (Netherlands) |
European Sleeper | 11h 30m (overnight) | Required |
Dortmund / Cologne to Paris (France) | Eurostar | 5h 10m / 3h 20m | Required |
Berlin to Paris (France) | ÖBB Nightjet | 14h | Required |
Reservations
Interrail reservation self-service system
- Interrail
- IC, EC, ECE, ICE, TGV, RailJet, Eurostar, Nightjet, EuroNight, European Sleeper
Administration costs when booking through Interrail self-service
- € 2,- p.p.per train
- Additional € 9,- per order (for paper tickets)
With railway carriers
- DB (German railways): Domestic and international trains
- Toggle on ‘Book seat only’ for most trains
- Leave ‘Book seat only’ switched off for:
- ICE and TGV to France
- ‘Brenner’ EC/Railjet direct trains to Italy
- ÖBB (Austrian railways): Domestic and international trains
- RailJet, IC, EC, ICE, Nightjet, EuroNight
- ČD (Czech railways): Domestic and international trains
- RailJet, IC, EC, ICE, Nightjet, EuroNight
- RailJet, IC, EC, ICE, Nightjet, EuroNight
- DSB (via b-europe): Domestic and international trains
- IC, EC, ICE, RailJet
- SNCB (b-europe): Only international trains
- Eurostar, TGV to France, European sleeper and some Nightjet trains
- Westbahn (Private Railway): Only international Westbahn trains
- Snälltåget:
- Berlin – Copenhagen – Stockholm night train
- Also bookable by phone through Snälltåget's Customer Service
- SJ (Swedish Railways): Only Berlin – Stockholm Euro Night
- European Sleeper: Only European Sleeper trains, international
- ÖBB Nightjet: Only Nightjet and some Euro Night trains
Other platforms
- Rail Europe
- ICE to France, Eurostar and TGV
By calling Deutsche Bahn
- By clicking the link above you'll find yourself on the DB contact page. There are phone numbers for English, French, Danish, Italian, Dutch or German speaking customer service representatives.
An explanation of how each booking platform works can be found here: How do I book my reservations
Locally at the train station in Germany
- At the DB ticket machines at the station
Good to Know
Which trains in Germany require reservations?
No reservations: Regional (RE, RB, IR).
Optional (but highly recommended during busy periods): InterCity (IC) / ICE / EuroCity (EC) / ECE (Eurocity Express). €5,20 2nd class and €6,50 1st class.
- Required: All international IC, EC and ICE trains to and from Germany during summer season (1 June until 1 September).
- Exception: To Switzerland, only trains Munich-Zurich have mandatory reservations.
- Required: All night trains, fees depend on destination and type of seat/bed booked.
- Required: Supplement Eurocity (EC) trains to/from/within Italy. Optional for routes that don't start, end or run through Italy.
The ICE Paris-Frankfurt train has a limited amount of seats for Interrail Pass Holders. Our advice is to book this train well in advance, especially if you plan to travel in high season (May to September).
Eurostar trains are popular and therefore, usually sell out quickly. Make sure to get your seat reservation in time. Alternatively, find trains without seat reservations in our timetable by toggling on the ‘no reservation needed’ button.
Get your Pass for Germany
Interrail Germany Pass
Explore all of Germany by rail.
Youth discounts, as well as family and senior discounts.
Benefits include FREE travel on the S-Bahn in major cities and 50% off ferries to Finland and Sweden.
Prices from € 170
Interrail Global Pass
Travel by train in up to 33 countries in Europe including Germany.
Discounts available for youth, seniors and families.
Prices from € 212
Tips and tricks in Germany
The main German train stations
The main stations in Germany are very well connected to local and international cities. These stations are:
Berlin Hbf
Köln Hbf (Cologne)
München Hbf (Munich)
Frankfurt Hbf
German train stations are often well-maintained and have modern facilities:
Lockers
Cash machines and a foreign exchange desk
Restaurants and cafés
Restrooms
Tourist information offices
Elevators, escalators, and access for disabled passengers
Spelling of names in Germany
Sometimes the German spelling of cities is different to what you're used to. You'll see the local spelling when you arrive at the train stations or when you look up routes on the timetable.
Good to know:
Köln = Cologne
München = Munich
Nürnberg = Nuremberg
Ferry travel and other discounts
Free and discounted ferry travel is an extra benefit of the Interrail Germany Pass. Get discounted ferry travel between Germany and:
Denmark
Finland
Poland
Sweden
Get inspired
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Germany Our local Interrail ambassadors and community members from Germany share their secret spots and favourite finds from past trips in their home country.
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Berlin The city of Berlin is a train travel wonderland mixed with history, culture and extraordinary landmarks. With the Interrail Pass, you can travel to the city of Berlin by train and see what Berlin has to offer. Don't miss out! Book your train ticket now #interrailberlin
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Want to visit a Volksfest during autumn? Our favourites in Germany Music, local cuisine, funfairs, libations for those over the legal drinking age, and – most importantly – community. You’ll find all of this and more at Germany’s beloved and time-honoured Volksfeste, a German word that translates to "people's festivals.”
Change of currency
You cannot change the currency once you have a Pass in your cart. Remove the Pass, and then change the currency on the website header.