Berlin Travel Forum

Does anyone know how much it costs to catch a train from Berlin to Frankfurt. The air travel is too expensive. Where would you catch the train, do you book in advance and how long would it take?

Approximately 100 euros depending on the type of train. You would catch the train from Berlin Hbf and it takes just over 4 hours. You can turn up and purchase a ticket. More info at http://www.bahn.de/p/view/international/englisch/international_guests.shtml

DB timetable
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
From: Berlin
To: Frankfurt

> Where would you catch the train
From where you are? You can give any public transport stop or even any address as start point.
If your final destination is Frankfurt International Airport just use
To: FRA

> do you book in advance
For discounted specials a must. Otherwise an option.

Specials are available from EUR 29,00. These specials are however only valid for the booked connection. Normal tickets are flexible.

Besides Berlin Hbf (main railway station) the trains to Frankfurt do also stop at Berlin Ostbahnhof and Berlin Spandau or Berlin Südkreuz (depends on the route the train takes).

The specials for € 29,- are in theory available until 3 days before your actual travel date. This is, hovever, mere theory, especially on that route. The number of these cheap tickets issued for each train is tiny tiny, and they sell out extremely quickly. Even if the online timetable information shows this special this does NOT mean that it's really available - you won't find out before you actually try to book it. Book as soon as possible.

While there may no longer be the Euro29 fares left on the Deutschebahn website, there are often still fares for 49 or 59 Euro. If you google Deutschebahn and click on international guests the site will be in English, if you book online just remember that you need to produce the printout from your computer, which is a substitute for a ticket, and the credit card that you used to pay. The conductor will scan both of these with his magic machine when he comes around checking the tickets.

There is also the "Happy Weekend" ticket, which is good for one weekend day for five or fewer people, anywhere in Germany. Last year it was 33 Euros. (That's total, five people for 33 Euros.)

Thanks everyone for your replies.
One more question please: We will be leaving Berlin laden with luggage to spend a day sightseeing in Frankfurt before catching a flight to Dubai and then home to SA. Will it be better to take a train directly to the airport, leave our luggage there for the day and head into town or catch a train directly to the town?
Thanks
Sharon

Most train connections require a change at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof anyway. Stuffing your luggage into lockers there and then setting out into town seems easiest to me. You'll lose an hour if you go to the airport first. There are plenty of lockers at the central station. Collect a couple of 1- and 2-Euro-coins.