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Sleeper train from Berlin to Bamberg?

Posted by (West Chester, PA, USA) on

Hello! I've been googling for hours and while I've come across pdf files I couldn't download & a great NYTimes article from 1995, I'm having trouble getting definitive info regarding if it's still possible or would be a good idea, even, to take a sleeper car from Berlin to Bamberg GERMANY.

Anyone know how I'd do this? I've read that Bamberg is a usually a stopping point for trains on the Berlin-Munich route (about 5 1/2 hours in). Would love to spend the time crashing in my own private cubby hole.

Any info or advice would be much, much appreciated. Thanks so much!

Posted by
590 posts

Why would you want a sleeper? THere are a few direct trains from Berlin to Bamberg that take less than 4 hours. Bamberg is a great place to visit and is one of my favorites in Germany...have fun!

Posted by
8 posts

Really? Only 4 hours?! Wow, I kept reading 5 1/2 but maybe these are old books...

Anyway, I heard the scenery wasn't much so I was thinking it might be nice to catch some serious z's rather than flip thru another magazine.

Would a sleeper be a bad idea, then? Are they really expensive? I can't seem to access a schedule that even shows sleeper trains stopping in Bamberg... perhaps this is a moot point.

Thank you for your input!

Happy to hear you give Bamberg high marks, some guide books fail to mention it entirely. I've never been to Germany, am looking for unique experiences. Working on signing up for a Volksmarch in Koblenz, looking into a wine forum in Mainz, etc.

If you have any suggestions for Bamberg -- I'm all ears! I'll be staying in one of the brew pub/guest houses, am psyched to try the rauch beers & explore old city.

Cheers!

Posted by
19274 posts

There is a night train (CNL 1201) from Berlin (22:12) to Munich that stops in Fürth at 4:24. From there you would need to take a local train (there's one at 4:38), about 1 hr, to Bamberg. Assuming you don't go to sleep before midnight and have to get up before the train gets to Fürth, that only gives you about 4 hours sleep.

One the other hand, there is an ICE that make the trip direct in less than 4 hours (9:52-13:41).

THE authority on Bahn schedules is the German Rail website.

Posted by
590 posts

I was only in Bamberg for a day trip, so I cannot give advise regarding hotels, but if you like beer you will be very impressed! Check out Spezial Keller (?). It has a great beer garden with fantastic views if the town. THe town itself has so much charm and didn't seem as "phoney" or touristy that Rothenburg seemed to me. It was great that there were very few English speaking tourists there-plenty of German ones though! I used Lonely Planet's Munich, Bavaria and the Black Forest Guide as it had a decent amount of information. I also hooked up with someone through Couch Surfing who spent the day with me showing me the sites and played tour guide for me.

Posted by
8 posts

Thanks! I've already booked my room in a brewpub/guesthouse -- not Spezial but Faessla -- and have downloaded a guide on Bamberg's beer scene.

I've heard this is a fantastic city to explore -- weird how Rick Steves seems to have very little info on it.

My next stop is Mainz (there's a wine fest the week I'm in town), another city that Steves doesn't have much to say about but looks like a neat place to poke around.

I guess we're more "backdoor" than Rick these days!

:-)

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