Hello
I am taking the Rick Steve’s Best of Poland next May. To maximize my trip I will spend a few days in Amsterdam to see the tulips in bloom. I will take a train to Berlin for a few days.
Right now the train schedule from Berlin to Gdańsk is only showing one train a day. Should I add an extra cushion day in the event a train gets cancelled? Or eliminate Berlin and fly from Amsterdam to Gdańsk?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Sandra
There are currently multiple departures a day from Berlin to Gdansk, most requiring one transfer. It would be really surprising to see a significant change between now and May. Where are you looking at the schedule? I used the Deutsche Bahn website.
I’m using the DB app which currently shows only one departure. I will do a search using their website as you suggest and see other options.
Thanks.
To acraven
I checked the Deutsches Bahn website. I am not traveling till May. Currently the site is only showing one direct train, but I’m guessing as time gets closer more trains will become available.
It's too early to see the schedule for May, I think. Try checking the correct day of the week later this month.
It's way too early to get schedules for May. You should not have a problem getting a ticket. Ticket purchase is usually available around 90 days prior but the schedules will be up before then. But not seven months ahead like now.
Do not eliminate Berlin, it's a wonderful city in many ways and well worth a few days.
As others have said, don't worry about lack of options, people don't buy train tickets 7 months in advance. Normally there is one direct train from Berlin to Gdansk each day, and multiple options with a change somewhere. So in case the train is cancelled, there will be other options and you will be rerouted.
Sandra, you have good advice. Did you notice that the departures you found for May are not, in fact, available for purchase yet? As others noted, if you look for "next week", there are plenty of trips with a connection. So the worst thing that could happen is that you have a longer journey than you would prefer. Of course, you might also forget to look, say, two months out, and miss the rock-bottom price offers that start to disappear as the departure date approaches.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains
@Sandra: There is indeed only one direct train from Berlin to Gdansk. And in May there will probably still be only one direct train from Berlin to Gdansk.
But there are lots of possibilities to get from Berlin to Gdansk. Most do involve connections, but changing trains is a normal and expected feature of train travel. If you look at train times for May however you will not see those connections yet because PKP has not uploaded the timetable for those months in to MERITS yet.
You don not need to plan in an extra cushion day. What you need to do is relax. Train travel is mass transit. Train schedules rarely change much over time, so you can assume that what is available now is more or less also what will be available next year. And know that once you have a ticket for Berlin to Gdansk the railways have to transport you. If a train gets cancelled that does not mean your ticket gets cancelled.
Thank you all for the information. I have been traveling by train for over 30 years. My intention wasn’t to purchase a ticket now, but I do like to plan my itinerary well in advance. One discovery I did make is that the updated DB app has some major flaws (like Friday being a Wednesday date and not letting me correct my DOB). I have communicated this to DB.
I am excited to see the tulips near Amsterdam, but more so to see Berlin and the history it holds. I can rest easier now thanks to your suggestions.
Sandra
