Route guides
Seven routes worth planning around
Berlin – Munich
The ICE Sprinter spine of the network, Berlin to the Alps in about 4 hours
about 4 hours on the ICE Sprinter; about 4h15–4h30 on regular hourly ICE trains
Read the route guide →Frankfurt – Cologne
Germany's first purpose-built high-speed line, about 1h05 city to city
about 1h05 non-stop from Frankfurt Flughafen; about 1h15 from Frankfurt Hbf
Read the route guide →Hamburg – Berlin
Germany's original high-speed corridor, about 1h45
about 1h45 on the fastest direct trains
Read the route guide →Munich – the Alps
Regional trains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berchtesgaden, Deutschlandticket-friendly
about 1h20 Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen; about 1h40 Munich to Salzburg by EC/ICE, plus a further regional connection to Berchtesgaden
Read the route guide →Rhine Valley
Koblenz to Mainz along the UNESCO Middle Rhine, castle after castle
about 1 hour direct; allow half a day if you stop in the villages between
Read the route guide →Black Forest
The Höllentalbahn and Schwarzwaldbahn, two of Germany's great mountain railways
about 1 hour Freiburg to Titisee; about 1h30 on the full Schwarzwaldbahn Offenburg–Villingen climb
Read the route guide →Romantic Road
Würzburg to Füssen by rail and connecting bus, half-timbered towns and the road to Neuschwanstein
about 4–5 hours total by rail and connecting bus if you ride the whole corridor in one day; most visitors spread it over 2–4 days with overnight stops
Read the route guide →