Can you get to Berlin by train?

Question

i want to know if you can get a train from France to Berlin. I really would like to get the ferry from Dover to France then the train To Berlin. Has any one ever done this, do you know how much it may cost and how long it would take ?

If any one knows please help.


:)

Thanks

B.E.H

Answer 1

The DB site will give you the total time from Calais/Boulogne through to Berlin.

It will give you the fare most likely from Paris, but you can try for the whole travel too. (If they do not have the price, they will mention 'fare abroad' or fare not known or something like that.



The SNCF site can give you the price from the coast to Berlin, I picked a random date and got a connection, Calais to Lille, Lille to Paris Nord, Paris Est to Berlin overnight. This travel cost from 76.90 € on the date I picked. That price depends on whether you can get a place in the night train for the date you want to travel. You might be willing to pay a little more, and get a couchette, often they are €20 more if you book early. The full price is more that twice that, but if you book ahead you can almost always pay less than full price.

I got this info on the SNCF site in French ( http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ ), you need to be able to read French to check the conditions, but if you do, it is the best site for the best prices. Collect your ticket in France, or use seat 61 to find the best seller for you.

The English version of the site sends you to: http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/

It finds the same connection, I am not sure whether the prices are the same, I have had times when the prices were higher.



The seat 61 site has a lot of information, but the fare info is mostly rather general.

It has details on where to buy the ticket you want, so it is always useful to try.



The travel time is about 18 or 19 hours, depending on which connection.

In Paris, the two stations are side by side, so you will not have to take the Metro, not will you have to reserve much time.



If you do not live near Dover, travel with the Eurostar will be a good alternative. The same sites will tell you all about it when you enter London or one of the other stations, as departure point.



There are connecting buses between the stations in Dover and Calais and the ferries, running at a regular schedule, and when I traveled with them two years back, they did cost €1,50 in Calais and a like price in England.



Select the station Calais Ville, as the other Calais station is much farther from the ferry port and does not have regular buses. You can also try Boulogne, if they still run ferries there.



PS:

I forgot to give you a clickable link to the German site:

http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml

I did run a short search on the connection for you and found several day connections, from impossible early to useful, the fastest taking about 8 and a half hours, so worth checking if the overnight trip does not attract you.

But indeed, the site can not find the prices in the automated system.

You can split the travel, do the part to Paris by the French site, and from there on the German site.

It can find the prices from Paris, but not after the timetable change early December.

The staff at the office in Germany can do the whole travel, and also in the new year.

Answer 2

The fastest journey times involve using the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels, then the Thalys from Brussels to Cologne, then ICE from Cologne to Berlin - total journey time just under 9.5 hours, a bit less if you caught a Eurostar from Ashford instead of London, but no cheaper.

A single second-class seat ticket from Brussels to Berlin is priced at €134.20, but DB (Deutsche Bahn) do special offers which can be really cheap.



One of the other answers mentioned that trains call at Berlin Zoo station, but few do these says - most ICE trains call at Berlin-Spandau in the suburbs, then go on to the huge new central station, Berlin Hauptbahnhof.

Answer 3

@Original Peter G: Most international trains dont stop at Zoo any longer. Since three years Berlin has a new main station which is located right in the center of the city at the crossing of the "Stadtbahn"-line (that runs through the city from west to east) and the new-built north-south tunnel.

Answer 4

Your route would most likely be Dover-Calais, Calais-Paris, Paris-Cologne then you should be able to get a train direct to Berlin.



Duration about 36 hours.



Cost, about £150 or Eu200 - don't know exactly how much as it depends on the exact route, type of train etc. Also be aware that most long-distance trains in Europe also need reservation.



Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) has a booking site in English, link below:-

Answer 5

Yes it's easy However I would travel Eurostar from London/Ebbsfleet/Ashford to Brussels, and then there will be a direct line to Berlin. The normal arrival in Berlin is at "Zoo" station at the eastern end of K'damm

Answer 6

plain, even if the travel will take a little longer due to customs, It's still shorter then the train. Flying is much safer and you will be rested better. have a safe trip. In europe at the airports is not as bad as in States (i'm talking about security) only if you fly form and to US takes a lot of time which is totally understandable.

Answer 7

You can get about anywhere in Europe by train, epically big city's like Berlin, you may encounter having to switch trains depending on the provider but most likely you should get their without a hitch.

Answer 8

Look into www.sncf.com (French RR) and in www.bahn.de (German Rail)

Forsure you will have to change trains. Pricewise you have most probably to look from your port to the Frenc/German Border and from there to Berlin. This will give you only a very rough fare calculation. There are so many specials on the market, that you really have to look thru the pages of the rail companies.

Answer 9

Rather than look through the various railway company websites, use this site which should be able to book you right through at the best price http://www.seat61.com/. There may be a train from the channel ports right through to Berlin.