Berlin to Munich by plane or by train?

The best train option is 6 hours from Berlin to central Munich. You might be able to do this a little faster if you fly - but when you assess flying, consider the time you'll spend at both airports as well as the connections you'll have to make to travel to and from these airports as you begin and end your trip.

I would look into transatlantic flights into Scandinavian destinations with Norwegian Airlines (low-cost airline.) Last month I found a SFO - Stockholm flight for less than $500 RT including flight cancellation insurance. I tacked on a €30 Norwegian flight from Stockholm to Berlin Schönefeld airport for €30. Flew back to Stockholm for my flight home using Ryanair out of Düsseldorf Weeze airport (also around €30.)

"...thoughts on flying to UK or Dublin and flying Ryan to Berlin?"

There are lots of major airlines flying from JFK in the evening to Berlin in early morning. RyanAir has a flight out of Stansted to Berlin at 14:25, arriving in Berlin at 17:40. I don't know about you, but I don't really want to spend all that extra jet-lagged time getting to Europe. Plus you have the hassle and cost of changing airports in London.

Another thing to remember, a RyanAir ticket is valid only on the flight specified. Ryan could care less if you missed your Ryan flight because your transatlantic flight was late. If you miss the flight, you lose the ticket and have to buy a new one at just-before-boarding price, so you'd better allow pleeenty of extra time for the connection. (Probably applies to other Low Cost Airlines, as well.)

I took that route by train this past June. Yes, it's a long train ride but I love trains and those I took in Germany were quite comfortable. I was able to plug in my netbook and work on my pictures while enroute and also to read up on and plan my time in Munich, not to mention the nice long nap I took. City center to city center was much easier than messing with airports and the time and $ involved in getting to and from them in both places. If you don't mind a few hours on the train just go for it. Also need to mention that I purchased my train ticket well in advance for €29 which was quite a bit less than airfare + trans to/from airports would have been.

We're (three of us) spending four days in Munich and 4 days in Berlin in January and are flying from Munich to Berlin.
It's too far and not economical for us to do it any other way.
We booked Air Berlin for $327.30. The tickets were $60 each plus $49.10 tax. The flight is one hour 10 min.

"It's too far and not economical for us to do it any other way.
We booked Air Berlin for $327.30. The tickets were $60 each plus $49.10 tax."

If you believe it is too far and not economical, perhaps you should read the above posts again. I just found a Saving Fare ticket for 3 people from Munich to Berlin for Jan 15 for 69€ (tax included). That's $86.22 at today's exchange rate, $241.08 less than what you spent.

That cost difference does not include the cost of transportation to/from the airports ($27.86 for three in Munich). Seat reservations for the train would be $16.87 for three ($11.25 if the three of you are a family).

"The flight is one hour 10 min."

That's air time, a fraction of the total time you'll spend downtown to downtown. When you include time to and from airports (40 minutes in Munich), hassle-time at the airport, boarding the plane and getting off, it will be more like 5 or 6 hours. The train trip is by ICE (with far more comfortable seats) and takes five hours 55 min, downtown to downtown.

Whether you spend approx 4 hours flying (70 min flt + 90 min preflight + time getting to/from airport by train/taxi/bus) or 6 hours train (+ getting to/from train station) is purely a matter of preference. However the cost difference is substantial - $327 (flight) vs. $110 (pre-purchase train tickets). I know on vacation time is money but $227 for 2 hours is more than my time is worth. To each his/her own.

Edit: looks like Lee was posting the same time as me and I would trust his time and $$ estimates more than mine, which makes the train an even better deal.

Yes, flying is slightly faster and you win valuable time for Berlin and Munich. But you can also see it differently: you miss the chance to see some unique sights. Neither in Berlin nor in Munich you can visit Luthers house (Wittenberg), Bachs church (Leipzig) or a Romanesque cathedral which is a World Heritage Site (Bamberg). By train it's easily doable.

AirBerlin flies to Munich from Tegel, and there are no trains to Tegel. Getting to Tegel requires a bus and likely a train to get to the bus.

I took the train from Munich to Berlin in Sept. It really didn't seem to take that long, and you often meet interesting people on the train. Also, I traveled in first class, which is not the norm for me. However, by purchasing the tickets ahead of time on the DB site, I paid less for them then it would have cost to purchase 2nd class after I arrived in Europe. As others have stated, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.

I have flown direct on United from Newark (EWR) to Berlin roundtrip twice since May 2013. Would try to avoid JFK because of the hassle of getting there from PA. Since you live in Harrisburg, it is an easy drive to EWR via I-78. Also enjoyed a train trip from Nuremberg to Berlin (5 hours; about an hour shorter than from Munich); agree with others that when you factor in pre-flight arrival times, transport to city center, etc., the train is not much longer and is definitely a more relaxing - and cheaper - mode of travel, especially if you purchase Deutsch Bahn saver fares 90 days prior to your trip.

Unless you want to spend a few days in the UK or Dublin, then I would stick with one plane ticket to get you all the way to Berlin. For me, a direct 6-7 hour train ride between the German city centers is no hardship; in fact it can be the "vacation from your vacation" day when you just rest your feet, read a book, eat your picnic, and look out the window. If you choose a hotel near Munich train station, which is also walkable to the city center, then that's one less transport connection while carrying your luggage.

John,

I'd suggest taking the train from Berlin to Munich as it will likely be at least as quick as air, and it will be a much easier experience. There are several direct ICE trains on that route every day, with a travel time of ~6.5H. While the flight time may only be ~1H:15M, when all is considered the total travel time will be about the same as by train (ie: to and from both airports, waiting times, check-in, security, waiting for baggage, etc.).

If the travel time is about the same, I always choose the easier and more pleasant travel experience (train)! I have less tolerance these days for the usual airport annoyances, so try to avoid them unless absolutely necessary. Also, the budget airlines typically only have one class - "sardine class". The seats are very close together, don't recline in many cases, and are generally uncomfortable. One other point to consider is that when travelling on budget airlines, they often have very restrictive rules for both checked and carry-on luggage, and there are usually fees associated with that. Some of the airlines only allow ONE carry-on item per passenger so if you're travelling with two items, you'll get nicked with an extra fee. Also, if you pay for one checked bag and they find that it's overweight at check-in, there's usually a substantial fee added. The cheap prices they advertise don't tell the whole story - it's prudent to read the fine print also!

I travelled most of that route in September (Leipzig to Munich) via ICE, and it was a very pleasant trip. As someone else mentioned, one can have a nap, work on photos or whatever on a PC or Tablet, read, chat with other passengers or just enjoy the scenery. The seats are much more comfortable in trains and have more room, no extra charges for luggage and you'll be travelling downtown-to-downtown so no extra transportation costs (ie: airport shuttles)!

Regarding your flight from JFK to Europe, if your destination is Berlin, I'd suggest trying to find a direct flight if possible. Landing in Dublin (or elsewhere) and having to go through Passport control, retrieve luggage and then check-in for another flight is a very tiring ordeal while in a jet lagged state. I usually have a layover in Frankfurt before continuing on to my final destination, so I've been through that routine many times (including this year). Fortunately, I always use code share flights, so my checked luggage goes directly to my final destination, so I don't have to deal with that.