Every hour during the day a swish ICE train travels from Berlin to Koln / Cologne so this is an exceptionally easy journey.
Cities including Aachen, Bonn and Koblenz have less frequent trains from Berlin, so when the timings of those trains don't suit, connections are available in Koln hbf.
Final Destination: Koln Hbf/Dusseldorf Hbf or Koblenz Hbf
These trains also call at: Wuppertal
Departing From Berlin:
These trains commence their journey at Berlin Gesunbrunnen station - which is to the north of the city centre.
They also usually depart from the lower level (tief) in Berlin Hbf.
If your journey is commencing in West Berlin, the quickest option is to take a Regio train from Berlin Zoologischer Garten station to Berlin-Spandau station and join these trains to Koln there.
Check your connections in Berlin on this public transport map.
1 x train per hour
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date - usually
Reservations:
Book 1st class ticket journey tickets and your seat reservation is included, but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.
Though for this comparatively short journey the reservation fees of €4.50 in 2nd class and €5.90 in 1st class are relatively expensive.
Finding Tickets:
When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for these direct ICE trains.
On the DB booking site look for journeys that have
0 in the Chg. column
ICE (and only ICE) in the Products column.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB | from €17.90 | |
Happyrail | from €17.90 | |
Omio | from €17.90 | |
Saveatrain | from €17.90 |
On departure from Berlin the train heading to Koln (or Koblenz )will be joined to another train heading to Dusseldorf.
The trains are separated on arrival at Hamm (West).
So check the electronic departure screens on the gleis/platform at Berlin Hbf, so that you're waiting in the right zone for easy boarding into the part of the train heading to Koln/Cologne.
Trains travel at more than 250 km/h on the high speed line between Berlin-Spandau and Wolfsburg.
But aside from that this is an exceptionally uneventful journey, so having something to read or watch with you, is recommended.
If you need to be in Koln/Cologne before 07:00, meaning that the daytime won't be an option, you can take this overnight ICE train.
Final Destination: Koln Hbf
Departing from Berlin:
This train is usually scheduled to depart from the upper level (tief) in Berlin Hbf at 23:52.
This train is also scheduled to depart from Berlin Ostbanhof a and unlike the daytime trains, it also departs from Berlin Zoologischer Garten
1 x train per night
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Berlin Hbf at 23:52, so target that time when looking up this journey.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €29 | |
Trainline | from €29 |
Note that this service is provided by a standard ICE train that happens to run overnight.
It does not convey couchette berths or sleeping cabins, so travelling in a seat is the only option.
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This is one of more than 1000 journey guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.