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Paris to Berlin-Train or Fly ?

Hi I need advice on how to get from Paris to Berlin in early February: Is there an overnight train I can take? Where would I find out the train schedule and cost? How is the cost of traveling overnight on first class in a sleeper berth vs. flying directly from Paris to Berlin? I am on business to Paris, then need to get to Berlin the day after for another meeting. Thank you.

You might consider the low cosr aitline http://www.germanwings.com They fly Paris-Cologne/Bonn and then onward to Berlin. Haven't checked into fares or schedules for you. Best wishes, Rex

My personal observation is that "first class overnight train" is an oxymoron. I hate overnights, while others may think they are great. I can't sleep; I'm not comfortable; and I arrive at an odd hour unable to check into my hotel, relax, take a shower and be refreshed. To me they make night flights to Europe seem like heaven. I'd opt for the flight from Paris to Berlin no matter what the difference in cost.

Travelocity had one way on Feb 10 for $389, which would be a good deal "for a business meeting the next day" but not good for a well funded backpacking tourist. Paris-Cologne 70 euros and Cologne- Berlin 70 euros on the same day quoteth germanwings.com I don't know how much that is in real money, but 140 is a good number. Thanks for the bookmark, Rex.

Rex, Thank you so much for the information on Germanwings. I checked the price for Paris to Cologne and Cologne to Berlin for Jan 30, and the price is 138euro-this is a great price as I got a quote from airfrance for over 638 euro for one way. Do you by chance know if Germanwings use e-ticket? meaning if I paid online and can I pick up the ticket at the airport? I checked out its website but not very clear... I live in the US, therefore not sure if I can just show my id at the Paris counter on the day of travelling. Thanks again for the great tip.

Vicky - I like night trains - why spend another night in paris when you can be traveling? Consider the cost for that extra night plus the airfare and the 2 to 3 hours getting to the airport and on your flight. Check out "bahn.de" there is an overnight train leaving Paris North at 8:46p and arriving Berlin Zoo at 8:00a

You're welcome. I have no personal experience with this airline, but I would strongly consider using a travel agent to book them. Assuming that they meet all the usual IATA conventions, then generally any travel agent can book them and issue the ticket. And you know what to expect. and if they do not meet the IATA conventions, then you know you might be facing some uncertainties. In that case, I would try to deal with them by telephone - - I didn't check - - do they have a number in the UK? or may have English speaking operators even at a number in Germany.

I have never travelled German Wings, but have extensively on British based low cost airlines. So I would assume they go by the same rules, the ones that allow them to keep their fares low: 1) Internet is for them the medium of choice to register bookings (no expensive real estate, the customer does the job him/herself, instead of some staff you would have to pay). Most travel agents don't even have them in their computer systems. 2) They go by electronic ticketing, which means that you book from anywhere in the world and show up at the airport with the print out of your internet reservation. 3) Those airlines are point to point destinations, which means that they don't do connection tickets or "all-the-way" luggage check-in: you'll have to collect your bags at Cologne, go out, and re-queue at the counter as if you had just arrived at the airport. Mind you, for you Americans, it's common procedure: I was shocked, on a London-Panama flight via New York, to have to collect my bags and go through customs, for a simple connecting flight ! At least there won't be any customs in Germany for a flight from Paris, both countries being considered as one, customswise, under Schengen regulations. German Wings is a reputable low cost carrier, so I think you should be fine with them. As for the night train, I wouldn't recommend it: it's a long way with lots of stops, you wouldn't sleep that well, and it would definitely be more expensive than the 168 euros you've been quoted.

Another solution would consist in booking a "false return Paris-Berlin ticket", inserting a -fictitious - Saturday night between the two legs of the journey. You would use the Paris-Berlin bit and forget about the return -don't worry, you won't be sent to Guantanamo for that ! February is low season, and you should be able to get something around 200 euros on AF or LH, and this would get you a direct flight between the two cities.

As others have said, the no-frills line that flies from Paris to Cologne-Bonn is German Wings, http://www.germanwings.de. You can connect by lines that fly from from Cologne-Bonn to Berlin are German Wings, http://www.germanwings.de, Hapag Lloyd Express, http://www.hl-express.de. and Germania, http://www.germania.flug/. Low Fare Jet, http://www.lowfarejet.com/, fly from Paris to Hanover, and trains take 90 minutes from Hanover to Berlin. I would normally suggest rail, and I comment on that below. But just now, while they investigate the cause of a fire in a sleeper near Strasbourg, German Rail are running no sleepers from Paris to Berlin, only couchettes, which I think deliver you in too poor a state for a business meeting. Sorry. The best offers for a sleeper are likely to be with German Rail France, at [email protected]. From 0054 to 0821 the only stop for passengers, for them to leave only, is Beilefeld at 0536: there are not lots of stops. It reaches Berlin Zoo at 0821. The basic fare is 161 euros, so with a berth in a 3-berth sleeper it might cost 190 euros, much less that 168 euros plus a hotel night. As Patrick says, people vary widely in how well they sleep on trains: I sleep like a babe. 70 of real money, euros, is 70 of US dollars. Ben Haines