Hello,
We are spending a few days in Amsterdam before starting our tour in Berlin on a Sunday.
How easy is it to take a train to Berlin - 6 hrs or longer?
Should we consider arriving on Saturday or perhaps take something overnight if the ride is very long?
Thanks, Jim C
It is 6 hours by day and there is no direct overnight train. Overnight takes 11 hours with a connection in Cologne.
How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.
According to the Deusche Bahn, the trip will take 6 to 6-1/2 hours, with trains departing on the odd hours. I'd take the train on this route, but you might check for cheap flights on skyscanner.com .
The rail fare can climb well above 100 euros per person, but significant savings are available if you buy your tickets really early and choose the non-refundable/non-changeable Savings Fare.
There are some overnight trains (use link I've provided), but all take over 11 hours, seem to come with 3- or 4-hour layovers and apparently do not have any form of sleeper car. Perhaps I've missed a better option, but by the time you paid for something better than a couchette berth--if available--you'd probably exceed the cost of a decent (and far more comfortable) hotel room in Berlin.
With all the time lost with getting to and from airports, checking-in and luggage belts, the train doesn't take much longer than flying and is so much more comfortable and pleasant.
There are non-stop flights between Amsterdam and Berlin on KLM that take about 1-1/2 hrs (flight time), add to that getting to and from the airports and wait time for security and boarding it will be about 4-1/2 hrs. Compare that to train from city center to city center in 6 hrs 15 min. The costs may be comparable depending on day and time you choose and whether or not you purchase non-refundable tickets well in advance. Personally I'd opt for the train based on my general hatred of airports and flying when it isn't necessary.
Acraven is correct; the overnight route with one connection has no sleeping car. FYI, Since Germany stopped operating sleeper trains last month, some routes are now operated (with sleeper cars) by the Austrian railway and some lines like this run without them.
