"High speeds" in Germany
Published
29 May 1991 marked the beginning of the ICE train era in Germany. You can buy tickets for ICE services on PolishTrains in PLN, without creating an account – the ticket is sent by email and SMS. ICE trains also take you beyond Germany: to Wiedeń, Amsterdam, Bruksela, Zurych and Paryż. You can buy a ticket for the route to Vienna in the PolishTrains (polishtrains.eu) search engine together with the rest of your ICE journey, without having to book on the German carrier’s website. On this day, high-speed trains left Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Mainz and Bonn and met at Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe station. On 2 June 1991, they started regular services between Hamburg Altona and Hanover and Munich.
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InterCity Express: Deutsche Bahn’s high-speed train network, with regular services since 2 June 1991
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Speed: up to 300 km/h, depending on the train series and route section
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Domestic routes: Berlin - Frankfurt approximately 3.5 hours, Berlin - Hamburg approximately 1.5 hours
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International services: direct journeys to Wiedeń, Amsterdam, Bruksela, Zurych and Paryż
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Purchase on PolishTrains: payment in PLN, no account registration, international tickets up to 60 days before travel
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Sprinter variant: faster journeys on selected routes, including Berlin - Frankfurt and Hamburg - Frankfurt ## Rail connections in Germany
Germany is the seventh largest country in Europe in terms of area covered. The most interesting cities are scattered unevenly across the country. If you want to visit several of them, you often have to travel several hundred kilometres. Fortunately, travelling between German cities is not complicated. However, it is useful to know how best to organise your journey so that you spend as little time as possible on the road. The most convenient and fastest means of transport in Germany are trains. After France, it is the next country to introduce high-speed trains. At the end of 2007, the length of the country's high-speed rail network was 1291 km.
ICE - German high-speed railway
ICE (Inter City Express) is a high-speed rail system operating in Germany. It is operated by Deutsche Bahn. The express service offers routes between major cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt, Hanover, Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart. ICE trains also operate international services to Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Liége and Brussels. In 2007, a line was opened from Frankfurt via Stuttgart to Paris, which is served by ICE and TGV trains.
ICE trains are some of the most modern in Europe - reaching speeds of up to 300 km/h.
In the carriages, travellers can count on comfortable solutions - reclining seats, folding tables, audio-video systems, laptop sockets, air conditioning. Disabled passengers and families travelling with children can count on additional facilities. Their equipment meets the highest standards. The carriages are spacious and the comfortable seats provide travellers with sufficient legroom. In all ICE trains, the crew takes care of the traveller's well-being both in the restaurant and in the self-service bistro bar. In first class, travellers can additionally use the lounges at selected stations. All ICE trains offer a high standard of travel, allowing passengers to work or relax during the journey.
You can buy InterCity Express tickets on PolishTrains in PLN and without creating an account. Summary of benefits:
- Comfort and convenience
- More legroom than on a plane
- Sockets at the seat
- WiFi in the latest technology free of charge in 1st and 2nd class
- Mobile phone coverage on board trains
- Quiet zones and mobile phone usage zones for business travellers
- Seat reservation in 1st class included in the ticket price
The ICE Inter City Express high-speed trains allow you to travel at high speeds in comfort and are considered the most comfortable way to travel in Germany.
Enter your route in the PolishTrains search engine, choose the appropriate service, enter the passenger’s details and pay. You can check the current ICE timetable for your selected route in the same PolishTrains search engine, before buying your ticket. International tickets on PolishTrains are available up to 60 days before travel. You can buy an ICE ticket on PolishTrains in a few steps. ## Visiting Germany by train
High-speed rail travels to Germany's largest cities every day, approximately every hour. The journey from Berlin to Frankfurt takes 3 hours 30 minutes or to Hamburg 1 hour 30 minutes. The ICE also offers connections without intermediate stops and so travel time can be reduced to as little as one hour. You can check the current rules and fee calculator on the PolishTrains ticket refunds and exchanges page. This type of connection is marked with the ICE Sprinter logo. Details of this carrier’s baggage rules can be found in the PolishTrains baggage guide. If you have any questions, contact PolishTrains customer service – it operates 7:00-23:00, 7 days a week. It only runs on certain routes, including Berlin - Frankfurt, Hamburg - Cologne and Hamburg - Frankfurt.
On PolishTrains, you can buy ICE tickets to Germany from several major Polish cities. ## Booking and purchasing an ICE train ticket online
Ticket reservations can be made via the booking form, e-mail: contact@polishtrains.eu or telephone: 703 402 010 (Call cost: PLN 2.58 including VAT/min). You are welcome to contact us! This means you can plan your journey to Germany by ICE train from start to finish on PolishTrains, without a car and without changing on several different carriers’ websites. Check current services and journey times in the PolishTrains search engine. On PolishTrains, you can also buy tickets for routes within Europe: Paryż - London (Eurostar), Mediolan - Rzym (Italo), Barcelona - Madryt (Renfe), Wiedeń - Salzburg (ÖBB) and Amsterdam - Rotterdam.
Marcin Lis, member of the PolishTrains team. A travel enthusiast who regularly travels by train across Poland and Europe. Analyst and marketer studying travellers’ needs and behaviour since 2017.