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Train schedules

Posted by (Manhattan, KS, USA) on

I'm planning on backpacking Europe in April 2010 and I'm a little confused about traveling by rail. I will have the Eurail global pass. And one of my first train rides will be Amsterdam Centraal to Berlin Hbf...

Now RailEurope tells me there are a lot of trains available on April 3, but when I click "fares and availability," it only lists 2 for that day. The Db bahn website is showing different train schedules as well.

I guess my question is... how am I going to know actual train times so i can somewhat plan my itinerary?! And will it be like that for every city? Help! :)

Posted by
19274 posts

I would trust the schedule on the Bahn site, which is tied into the whole European schedule database, before I would trust RailEurope's. Also note that RailEurope only shows the schedule of trains for which they sell tickets. That doesn't mean that those are the only trains available, and their information might not be current.

If you go to the Bahn website and use a date at least three days but not more than 92 days in advance, you will see a column for "Savings Fares". These Savings Fare tickets can be as low as €39 pP if you get them early, usually still less than full fare. These are discounted tickets, date and train specific, with limited refundability (like air tickets). You can buy them with your credit card, and they email you a pdf file that you print and use as your ticket. Note, you must show the credit card to validate the ticket. The name on the ticket and the credit card must match.

And I agree with Steve, if you haven't already bought the railpass, consider it carefully. Amsterdam to Berlin is a perfect example. If you can secure one of these Savings Price fares, it will be less than a day of your railpass.

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