Sunday, April 15, 2012

Cologne - Berlin by train...cheaply!

In the summer I would like to get the train over from the UK to Berlin. It is fine getting to Cologne, since you can do that reasonably cheaply. However I am having difficulty in finding cheap return tickets from Cologne to Berlin (I will still be a student then, so perhaps there are some deals I have not found!). Does anyone who has travelled this route have any suggestions? I have tried on db.de and selecting non IC/ICE type trains, but it still only takes about €20 euros off an expensive single journey.



I would also consider getting a coach across if thats the cheapest option. I cant seem to easily find a coach timetable though!



Thanks for your help :)




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%26gt;In the summer I would like to get the train over from the UK to Berlin. It is fine getting to Cologne, since you can do that reasonably cheaply. However I am having difficulty in finding cheap return tickets from Cologne to Berlin.





There are no %26quot;cheap tickets%26quot; like in the UK. You can commit to a certain train and buy a return trip - then you can get discounts of up to 50%, but only if you stay over a saturday night or so. People who travel by train often usually buy discount cards (BahnCard 25 or 50) which give 25 resp. 50% discount on the ticket price (full flexibility etc.)





%26gt;(I will still be a student then, so perhaps there are some deals I have not found!)





There is no student discount on the tickets themselves, but you get the BahnCard 50 for less if you are a student (100 instead of 200 Euro, good for a year).





%26gt;Does anyone who has travelled this route have any suggestions? I have tried on db.de and selecting non IC/ICE type trains, but it still only takes about €20 euros off an expensive single journey.





On a weekend day you can buy a Weekend-Ticket for 33 Euro (valid for up to 5 persons) and travel anywhere in Germany on local trains (IRE, RE, RB, S etc.). It is very cheap especially if you are not alone, but it will take you a whole day to get there.





%26gt;I would also consider getting a coach across if thats the cheapest option. I cant seem to easily find a coach timetable though!





No wonder - except for the connection between Hamburg and Berlin there are no long distance coaches within Germany.




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Thanks for your detailed reply - answered all of my questions :)




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If booked in advance flying is usually cheaper between these two cities (a lot of competition between the a/l):



www.germanwings.com



www.hlx.com



www.flydba.com



www.lufthansa.com




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