Berlin to Kraków / Krakow / Cracow by train

How to travel from Berlin to Krakow during the day by EC train

This newly re-introduced direct daytime train from Berlin to Krakow has transformed for the better, the rail journey between these two fabulous cities.

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Routes

From Berlin Hbf to Kraków Główny

Travel Information

Final Destination: Krakow/Cracow Gl.

This train also calls at:
Rzepin: (scheduled arrival at 12:04)
Lubin: (scheduled arrival at 13:55)
Wrolcaw: (scheduled arrival at 14:50)
Katowice: (scheduled arrival at 16:48)

Departing from Berlin:

This train, which is named the 'Wavel' is usually scheduled to depart from the upper level in Berlin Hbf daily at 10:37.

It also calls at Berlin Ostbahnhof railway station, so if your journey is commencing in the heart of east Berlin, you can take a U-Bahn or S-Bahn train to that station and join the train there - it is scheduled to depart from Berlin Ost at 10:52

Arriving in Krakow/Cracow:

This 'Wavel' train service from Berlin is due to arrive into Krakow Glowny, the main railway station in Krakow / Cracow at 17:51.
Within 30 mins of arrival onward connections are typically scheduled to depart for Przemysl and Zakpopane.

1 x train per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 60 days ahead of the travel date - usually

When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct train
On the DB Bahn booking site look for the journey that:
- has 0 in the Chg. column
-  has EC in the Products column.
-  a departure time of 10:37 departure times can be subject to change when works are occuring

Seat Reservations:

Seat reservations are mandatory on these trains, so seats will be assigned when booking tickets, but rail pass users will need to make reservations prior to boarding these trains.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB from €29.90

DB Guide

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees.
It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany.

Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets.

Polrail *
Happyrail from €29.90

Happyrail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

Omio from €29.90

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

The 'overnight' train from Berlin is scheduled to arrive in Krakow between 03:30 and 04:00 (it travels on to destinations in south-east Poland), so this daytime service is the better option for making this journey.

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