For many reasons Berlin, the capital of Germany, is my favorite European City. So it’s a trip I take often from the UK.
While it is quick and cheap to fly from London to Berlin, there are times you just want to relax, take your time and enjoy watching the European Cities and Countryside go by. So on occasion I take the train from London To Berlin as an alternative to flying.
This video is a Travelogue and a Guide for anyone who would like to take this alternative method of travel across Europe.
There is no direct train service from London to Berlin, this means we need to plan our own route using the various national networks. And I will show you the quickest and most direct routing in this video, which takes around 10 hours.
We will start in London St Pancras International Station, taking the only train that travels from the UK to the European Mainland – The Eurostar. The High Speed Eurostar travels under the sea through The Channel Tunnel.
We will then use the German National Railway, Deutsche Bahn(DB) Inter City Express (ICE) Trains to get to Berlin. Changing trains at Brussels Midi/Zuid (Brussels South) Station in Belgium. And then Köln Hauptbahnhof (Cologne Main Station) , finally arriving at Berlin Hauptbahnhof in the late afternoon.
I will be travelling First Class, so you can see the quality of First Class Carriages /Service. But the trains and route are exactly the same with 2nd or Economy Class seating.
CHAPTERS:
03:25 St Pancras International, London, UK
10:42 Brussels-Midi, Belgium
15:08 Cologne Hbf , Germany
18:40 Berlin Hbf, Germany
#trainjourney #trainjourneyvlogs #travelogues #berlin #eurostar
40 Comments
It really annoys me that Eurostar became a luxury product and there are no competing operators on the route.
nice film shot of the cologne cathedral
Why not take the Eurostar to Amsterdam and change their for the ICE directly to Berlin? would save a transfer.
Hi from eastern Europe , Türkiye 🇹🇷
City pairs as big as London – Berlin should be available on one train without changing.
I like the older ICE trains, because the seats are better for sleeping.
What was the financial damage for this trip?
Nice video. Really e joked watching it however it would be nice if you add the date of your trips and the cost of each class for your trips.
Superb sir ..well done great video ..amazing and funny description
I wanted to do this trip once for an exhibition years ago, but the Eurostar page was spectacularly unhelpful, it basically just said Germany is a country in Europe.
Anyway then I found out the UK paper I'd read abot the exhibition in had gone off half-cocked, and it had actually ended 2 years before. Doubtless some hack had found a website about it and pumped out an article without checking the dates. Doubtless the same hack had a blue checkmark on the old Twitter, indicating we could trust their information.
A very good presentation, thank you!
Thank you Sir
Few idiots (terrorists) were able to destroy any mass transit. Those security checks on airports and those trains are horrible.
I have been on Eurostar from London to Paris and Brussels. And I do like the E320 Class 374.
Wohne in Berlin.
Eine schnelle Zugverbindung Berlin-London wär sehr schön. Natürlich sind die Besucher aus London in Berlin willkommen.
Das gilt auch für die Bürger aus Belgien und anderen Ländern.
Was die Politiker nicht können, machen die Bürger.
Willkommen in Berlin!
"S" stands for Strassenbahn, or street railway.
Hi Andy, your video was excellent. I believe we were on the same train from London to Brussels on March 14th as I was en route to Amsterdam!? Maybe I m wrong. Anyway it was a wonderful experience traveling by train to mainland Europe. I'm considering taking the train all the way from London to Turkey.
I made a journey from London to Munich this past September '22consisting of 2 trains (LDN-Paris-Mun). The French passport control person almost made me missed my train because he was questioning a stamp from November '21 of a flight from LDN to Naples Italy and they hadn't stamped it correctly. Had to follow him to an office while he was calling around. The only thing that "saved" me was a bus ticket from the airport to confirm my dates of travel. What a nightmare.. Anyway, the 1st class seats on the TGV Duplex are better than the ones on the Eurostar IMO. A definite benefit as the 2nd train was 5H 41M.
When yo get to Berlin, entity the Curry Wurst!
Many thanks, Andy. A bit different than when I used to take the military train from the West up to Berlin.
Cannot understand that in the 21st century, we still have to go to London. Surely we should be able to enter EU from all major UK stations.
It begs the question: Why, nearly 30 years after the Channel Tunnel opened, can you not get a direct train between 2 of Europe's major capitals?
10 hrs is pretty good, I just wish you would have shown some of the German countryside. This maybe a trip I may take when I have 10 hours to spare the next time I'm back in Europe.
Would it not have been easier to change in Amsterdam Centraal. I mean it is just 1 change compared to two unless you are in a rush and change again at Hannover. But if you're in a rush, you would fly. The flight is what? 90 minutes?
Great video, did this trip a few years ago but broke the journey by staying in Koln
Very useful tips because it's 10 years since I used Eurostar. I have a question about security. Do the same fluid restrictions apply as on aircraft? Thanks.
When you have seen the cathedral you have seen everything at Cologne. The rest is super ugly.
Slightly disappointed you didn't show the overhead railway at Wuppertal – you get a good view of it from the train.
S-Bahn stand for Straßenbahn (Straßen-Bahn)mean street railway
This video was seamless and the way you have presented this. As a listener and watching, I felt, I checked in at St. Pancras and travelled the journey to Berlin.
Typical of DB! Switching platforms at the last movement, even abroad!!!
Nice and informative video!
The Hauptbahnhof could only be built after the fall of the Berlin wall, as it occupies former land on both sides of the original wall.
In addition of-course, for the first time, train lines could now come in from all parts of Germany.
The government wanted to make a European showcase as a sort of celebration to the new unified Europe.
I gotta kick out of this video. We have to work on your pronunciation of Koln . LOL. Next time you pass through the city think of it with the American/British pronunciation “Cologne”. Less painful to the ears. I really enjoyed your editing and narrative. BTW l am an American-German so that’s why l am teasing you. But damn good video as one YouTuber to another.
I never actually noticed the man with the binoculars until now
Hi Andy, lovely video but as with many others no prices or cost of hotels, food and the 3 classes of tickets would be very helpful
The tunnel is the most expensive 25 minutes….
18:00 I have to announce, that our arrival will be delayed because there are people on the tracks in Mühlheim. A little later we will give you some more information.
S-Bahn could also mean Suburban train
I've travelled twice to Berlin and back by train. Flew to Amsterdam and took the train direct to Berlin. Loco hauled corridor compartment stock in first class. Same stock throughout but the Dutch loco comes off at the border and a German loco takes over. Great journey.