Question on Train Tickets

For any train trip beginning or ending in the Czech Republic, the least expensive train tix can be bought online through the Czech Republic’s national train company, Cesky Drahy. The website to buy them is www.cd.cz/en. There is usually one morning train that has the deepest discount. You can travel to Berlin ( Berlin Hbf.) from Prague (“Praha hl.n.”) on a Czech train. Dresden is midway between the two cities and it makes a pleasant stopover for several hours or a couple days.
Deutsche Bahn is where you will find your other train tix. DB now begins selling the least expensive domestic train tix 6 months in advance of the train’s departure date and the best deals are put on sale when ticket sales first open on DB’s website: www.bahn.de/en
“Super Sparpreis” tix are the least expensive and they are nonrefundable and unexchangeable. Be sure your itinerary is finalized before buying your train tix and then you can buy these tickets. There also are semi-flexible and flexible tickets available at higher prices.
If you just want to quickly check train routes, schedules or general prices, the website www.TheTrainline.com is a great reference for European trains.
An excellent source of European train tips can be found on the website www.Seat61.com

@KenKo

Thank you so much for all your information. They are most helpful.

I did try to input random dates for the train travel starting and ending in Prague, their prices on their website seem to be cheaper. I will also play with dates for the german side of it.

Once more or less planned dates have been solidified, will definitely book in advance. I know June has not opened up yet but will be on the lookout.

The European train timetables are revised every year on the second Saturday of December and the second Saturday of June. Train tix for dates after December 14, 2024 and June 14, 2025 may not go on sale until mid- October and mid-April respectively.
Have a great trip!

DB now begins selling the least expensive domestic train tix 6 months in advance of the train’s departure date and the best deals are put on sale when ticket sales first open on DB’s website:

DB has extended the advance booking period to 12 months (officially from tomorrow, October 16, but given their notorious slowness, it may take a few more days). At the same time, they seem to be switching to a model for saver fares similar to that used by some European airlines: start with a medium price and then lower or raise it depending on the booking situation. Of course, they haven't officially announced this, but you can read about it on all German-language rail websites. So the comfortable times of “book now, because it will only get more expensive” seem to be over soon.

If Deutsche Bahn starts applying dynamic pricing for its train tickets, can we decide what the required amount of ticket refunds will be when the train is late?

The rules for reimbursement are not a benevolent invention of DB, but imposed by the EU (EU 2021/782). So nothing can change: 60 minutes delay = 25% refund, 120 minutes delay = 50%.

I would also like to add that reservations on the Czech train system are free. It helps to know you have an assured seat.

@ sla019

Thank you for this information! I had checked the German train tickets and it seems much cheaper than I had anticipated, based on what I had been seeing with dates that are closer to travel. I will definitely be looking to book as soon as plan is solidified.

@ Carol

When I buy tickets for Prague-Berlin, would that come with a seat number already? Or is that something I will need to do separately? I understand seat reservations for Prague trains are free.

From my experience, after you select your ticket(s), there will be a question about if you want a reservation. They will give you automatic seats, but there should be a "button" on the page that says "I want to select my seats" if you want to do that. Make sure you scroll down each page so that you see these things.

I understand seat reservations for Prague trains are free.

Yes, but only if you book on the Czech Railways website (www.cd.cz); DB does not offer this and the tickets are also more expensive. But unlike DB, booking tickets together with free seat reservations at cd.cz is only possible relatively late. You just have to try again and again, and about 2 months or 6 weeks before the travel date it will work out. You can try contacting the CD people via their website for more details. In my experience, they reply reliably, but often don't know anything more specific themselves a long time in advance.