Using DB ICE seat map and reserving forward facing seats

The cars are designed to run in both directions. Second, it is possible that the direction of the train might change during the journey. So it is nearly impossible to determine the direction in advance. If forward facing is critical then reserve two seats facing each other so that you can change seats when needed. Not a great answer but it is the best we can do.

I suggest you book seats on opposite sides of a table. My wife can't travel backwards, so we switch seats when the train changes direction.

Do this:

• In overview of connection and itineraries click on "Journey information".
• In opened overlay click on "Coach sequence" in second line.
• Choose departing station, normally default selection.
• Find "Abfahrtrichtung" with arrow (left or right) to identify in which direction the train will leave the station.
• Read and remember coach / wagon number of first coach leaving the train station.

Now change back to booking the train and the seats.
Normally the seat reservation shows the same coach sequence and you now remember if left or right is the direction of the train leaving the station (Abfahrtrichtung).

Be aware that some stations are head stations which means that trains will need to change directions to leave the stations, e. g. München, Frankfurt or Leipzig Hbf. See station details such as map or track sites on https://www.bahnhof.de/en. Enter German name of station.

Hope this helps.

And yes, needs improvement by DB website because in former times they had this arrow already on seat booking page. I addressed it to DB already.

The longest ride will be from Berlin to Munich

Only the connections via Halle (Saale) and Erfurt do not change direction of train.

OI just do what the first two posters do. Hopefully, your husband does not suffer from the same directional preference.

There is no way to guarantee forward facing seats. Railways don't care. Train passengers don't care either, as Europeans do not suffer from motion sickness when travelling backwards. And as indicated, trains do reverse. Some of the trains on Berlin - Munich reverse in Nuremberg. If you travel Berlin to Interlaken the train will reverse three times for example...

My suggestion: Book two seats opposite each other. And give riding backwards a try. I believe that for most people it is just all in the head. Humans are not wired differently in Europe versus the US or Australia, so this sensitivity to travelling backwards must be mainly imaginary.

as Europeans do not suffer from motion sickness when travelling backwards.

I would assess this as factually wrong unless you have scientific evidence on this.

Mark, WengenK: My wife is German and suffers from motion sickness, so I can readily falsify that claim.

Eileen: I second the idea of booking opposing seats at a table - I do this with my wife as well. It is just very likely that the train changes direction several times during a trip because of the way some stations are designed.

Trains have had half the seats facing one way and half the seats facing the other way since there were trains. And the stagecoaches before that had this too. If that was such a huge problem this would not have survived. In Switzerland trains typically have seats arranged in bays of 4, and it is interesting to see how they fill up.

Furthermore it is very common for trains to change direction en route. (Travel from Torino to Salerno and you change directions up to 4 times...). I rarely see people change seats at terminal stations.

I have traveled by train since I was a child I am very susceptible to motion sickness, but never experience it on a train. And I didn't care which way I sat, as long as I had a seat. And the hundreds traveling with me to school every morning did not mind either.

In fact, humans cannot detect motion even. We detect changes in motion (acceleration). But speed and direction can not be detected without using an outside reference. If I were to blindfold anyone of you and put on a train you would not be able to detect which way it was going. or even if it was going.

I find it also quite interesting that there seems to be a link with language. Look for English posts on the subject and you find a lot of people saying that they don't want to travel backwards. Look for posts on the subject in German, and most of the reactions are of the "I don't care|" variety...

So I think it is largely psychological. It is in the head. And when the problem is in the head the solution is there as well usually.

But speed and direction can not be detected without using an outside
reference.

That perfectly explains why, when I’m sitting in a train at the station and the one next to me starts moving, I instantly feel like I’m the one in motion — until I glance out the other window and get my bearings. That is always such an odd sensation! :-)

Eileen, I think anyone dismissing your concerns as a mental condition is unfortunate and unacceptable. You appear to be facing a no-win situation unless you play musical chairs or fly. I might also give Mark's suggestion a try and be ready to play musical chairs if it comes up short. But Mark, on the subject of trains, is generally reliable. I wish you a happy and enjoyable trip.

WengenK, maybe you want to have a look into this dissertation "Questionnaire-based study on kinetosis (motion sickness) while driving"? It includes an abstract in English.

Although it is around car travel based kinetosis which is widely known, it shows shows how the vestibular system recognizes movements in a physical way which does not match with the sensoric impressions. On page 19 you will find the various conflict types which induce a kinetosis.

Very interesting are the results of the questionnaire about influencing factors on how kinetosis is perceived.

So, factually it is a physical-based illness. Of course psychological factors will influence the well-being at all but unless you have a trauma based on fast movement it will unlikely be the reason.

I wish you a good read, maybe on a longer train ride, hopefully without getting travel sickness symptoms-

SwissNomad, this effect is mentioned as "Beispiel 2" on page 18 of dissertation.

Thank you for your information and helpful suggestions. I will try Mark's approach to see what I can learn from Journey Information on the website. I will also look into booking opposing seats, one for my husband and one for myself so we can switch especially if there are any stops along the way where directions might change.

Whether motion sickness is in one's head or not (and I believe it isn't), when one gets sick to their stomach it makes you and fellow travelers a bit uncomfortable no matter the cause. Fortunately, there is Dramamine for this. I was just hoping to avoid taking meds.

Again thank you for those who offered suggestions.
Eileen

Looking at the schedule for most direct, no-change, connections between Berlin and Munich, I do not find many (any) going through what I call a "stub" bahnhöfe, a station where the train come in on a dead end track, then goes back out in the opposite direction, changing the direction of the cars. Nevertheless, you don't know everywhere that coach has already been, whether the direction has changes before you get on.

So, I don't think you can count on the car map on the bahn. All it shows is the seat number, not which direction the car will be going, which seats are forward and rearward facing.

Now, I have not, due to my late partners health, Covid, and now my cancer diagnosis, been able to travel in Germany recently. But when I was last there, in the last 20 years, I took high speed trains (the only ones with reservations) about a dozen times. I can only remember one that was standing-room-only. On most of those trains there were a lot of open, unreserved seats, so there were always free seats to move into.

So, even if your reserved seats aren't facing in the direction you want, you can probably find seats facing the direction you want.

In 2001, on December 26, The Second-Day-of-Christmas, a popular travel holiday, my wife and I were on an ICE from FRA Fern to Karlsruhe. The train was crowded, every seat was occupied, but only a few were reserved. When the train got to Mannheim, a lot of people got up to get off, and, before new people came on board, we were able to find empty, unreserved seats to Karlsruhe.

Two years later I came back and took the same ICE from FRA to Karlsruhe. When I bought my ticket at the FRA Fernbahnhof, I asked the desk agent if I should get a reservation. He coyly answered, "You can if you want to". I thought that sounded too coy, so I didn't buy a reservation. I was one of four people in that coach, so I had my choice of seats.

So, depending on the train and the day, you might find that finding two unreserved, unoccupied, forward facing seats is not that difficult.

Thank you Lee for your comments. It is good to know that there might be flexibility to the seating arrangements as we make the journey.