Currently, if you want to get between Paris and Berlin by rail, there are no direct trains. Can you believe that? Despite being two of Europe’s biggest and most important capital cities, there’s no change-free rail link between them.
Of course, the main reason why there’s no direct train between Paris and Berlin right now is that the two cities are really far apart – nearly 900 kilometres apart, in fact. Train passengers travelling that distance currently have to stop at least once (usually in Mannheim, Stuttgart or Frankfurt) and the trip takes upwards of eight hours.
But that might not be the case for much longer. A joint venture from French national rail provider SNCF and the German equivalent Deutsche Bahn (DB) aims to have a direct link between Paris and Berlin up and running by next year. The service is expected to run once daily and take up to seven hours.
SNCF and DB’s plans have been inspired by the recent revival of rail travel across the continent, ranging from new long-haul routes to the return of night trains and the Trans-Europe Express. Being a much lower-polluting mode of travel than planes and individual cars, trains just feel like the right way to travel when it comes to short-haul.
The new route is expected to be launched in December 2023, with a night train route expected to follow soon after. You can find out more about SNCF and DB’s plans here.
Did you see that you can travel all over this European country for just €9 this summer?
Plus: this handy map tool shows all the direct trains you can get from European cities.