Holidays to Germany

[Isabella40]

Looking at holidays for next year and thinking of travel by rail in Germany. Has anyone experienced this and have any recommendations. There will be 4 adults travelling.

yes, we go on German and Austrian holidays a lot. You can get a deutchsland pass for a month which means you get to travel on slow trains and other public transport.

Where were you thinking of going?

No idea yet it was just an idea. Friend has just come back from Leipzig and it looks lovely. We thought a train holiday would mean we see more of the scenery. Do you travel from uk by train? If so please could you share an example of route you have done and if you book it yourselves or use a company? Many thanks

just searched the German pass and it’s 63 euros for a month this sounds great

Im joing for German rail tips has have just done Switzerland with three kids by rail and already thinking of next year! I Switzerland they a similar thing called Swiss pass (much more to expensive!) and we got that for our main time there plus a 4 day interrail pass (non consecutive days) to travel there and back. The ability to travel on bus and tram with the local pass was well worth it. I found the interrail app fairly helpful for planning the long trips but the local rail app (ie SBB for Switzerland or DB for Germany) much better to plan my local trips

We went Interrailing last year.

First day was Truro- Cologne (Eurostar to Brussels, where it's an easy change to Cologne). Then the train to Berlin (not a terribly scenic ride), but Berlin is excellent (and the S-Bahn trains are included on your pass). Then we went to Romania, Bulgaria and Budapest, and back to Nuremberg (scenic route from Vienna). Really liked Nuremberg, then went to the Teknikmuseum in Sinsheim (great for car lovers), and stayed in Heidelberg. I wasn't so keen on Heidelberg- I think lots of people on here would like it but I found it a bit touristy and manicured.

I think a route along the Baltic would be nice (Hamburg, Bremen, Lubeck, maybe some beaches?), or I hear great things about taking the train along the Rhine.

It's easy to book train travel yourself, just make an account on the Deutsche Bahn site and get the DB Navigator app. Any tickets you buy will show up in the app automatically and you'll get notifications if a train is delayed etc.

It depends where you're coming from in the UK. From London you can be in Brussels in two hours. Then it's another two hours to Cologne.

The 63 euro pass is great value BUT you can't use it on high speed trains, only regional ones. Don't try to cover long distances with it, unless you really like trains, sitting on trains, changing trains, and waiting at stations.

If you want to go down a rabbit hole of ideas, look at Seat61.com.

What sort of places do you like OP?

I'm going through a German phase with my solo holidays. This year I've been to Baden-Baden by train (Eurostar to Brussels, then change at Cologne) and I'm going to Trier and Cologne in October.

Munich followed by a town on Lake Constance is a good one. You could stop off in Ulm. We're going to Friedrichshafen as part of our family holiday next summer.

We did a lovely holiday down the Rhine and Moselle. I liked the Moselle best - Cochem was lovely. Eurostar to Brussels, then down to Cologne. We tried to do a bit too much and could have spent a bit longer in the Moselle region - you can hire bikes for example and spend a whole day cycling and bring them back on train. Lots of castles and wine. Trier was nice for Roman ruins.

I went to Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin 2 years ago. Flew to Berlin, then train to Dresden for a few days and on to Leipzig. I was surprised by how much I liked Leipzig as I worried it wouldn't be as pretty as Dresden. I did side trips by train to Gorlitz and Meissen both of which I recommend. Deutsche Bahn has been having issues because of the repair work they have been doing meaning there were delays etc but overall it was a great experience. Their app is great.
Planning to go to either Munich or Hamburg next year and take the train all the way.

Yes, ferry to France, train to Munich via Paris, then Salzburg, Austrian alps (Innsbruck) and back via France stopping in Paris for a couple of days. Was fab!

We have friends in the Eifel & Tanus regions, both of which are beautiful. You can take the so train all along the Rhinegraben past the castles, then down to Stuttgart and Tübingen in the Black Forest

I am in a ferry right now on my way back from Germany!
Two years ago we interrailed from home (W Yorks) to Vienna via London, Amsterdam, Innsbruck, Zell Am Zee and Vienna (flew home). Deutschebahn had just started their ongoing, large scale upgrade across the country and the trains were chaotic! Late a lot, cancelled several times, including a night sleeper, leaving us stranded! We have just spent some time with friends in Hannover who say that the situation hasn’t improved yet! So maybe don’t expect too much efficiency from German trains just get. Apparently it should all be back on track in 2028.

Having said all that, we’ve just spent two weeks driving round Europe, with most time in Germany and it’s well worth a visit. We stayed about 20 km south of Berlin and the local trains (S Bahn) in and out were fine. I loved Berlin. I’d recommend a good 3 days there.

Last time I went for the Berlin film festival I travelled from London entirely by train. Found that if you booked well in advance, the German part could be by first class at only perhaps 20 euros more, and it was well worth it. Some trains still have compartments, ideal if there are several of you.

Lots to visit in Berlin, same with Munich when I have gone there.

As PP noted, definitely check out seat61.com for pretty much everything you need to know about train travel.

Fab ideas thank you everyone