Sights between Berlin and Amsterdam
Oct 4th, 2013, 05:28 PM
#1
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Sights between Berlin and Amsterdam
We are planning a trip in May. We are flying into Berlin and will spend a couple of days. From there we plan to take a train to Amsterdam. Is there any sights anyone would recommend for a stop mid way to break up the trip from Berlin to Amsterdam. We plan on a couple of days in Amsterdam and then to Paris for a few days.
Oct 4th, 2013, 07:40 PM
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Nothing unmissable springs to mind - Berlin-Amsterdam InterCity trains pass through Hanover, Osnabruck, Hengelo, Deventer but none are truly major tourist hotspots.
Although the road bridge across the Rijssel at Deventer is a famous film star (it played the part of the bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem in the film A Bridge Too Far). You can see this bridge from the train if you look to the left just after your Berlin-Amsterdam train passes through Deventer station.
You can book Berlin to Amsterrdam from just €29 at www.bahn.de/en - if you do feel the desire to stop off, click 'enter stopovers' and type the stopover location into the via boxc, adding the number of hours stop off into the hh:mm box. This way you can still get a cheap spezial fare from Berlin to Amsterdam from €29, but with a stopover of up to 48 hours in wherever.
Amsterdam to Paris starts at €35 booked at www.thalys.com or www.b-europe.com
Although the road bridge across the Rijssel at Deventer is a famous film star (it played the part of the bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem in the film A Bridge Too Far). You can see this bridge from the train if you look to the left just after your Berlin-Amsterdam train passes through Deventer station.
You can book Berlin to Amsterrdam from just €29 at www.bahn.de/en - if you do feel the desire to stop off, click 'enter stopovers' and type the stopover location into the via boxc, adding the number of hours stop off into the hh:mm box. This way you can still get a cheap spezial fare from Berlin to Amsterdam from €29, but with a stopover of up to 48 hours in wherever.
Amsterdam to Paris starts at €35 booked at www.thalys.com or www.b-europe.com
Oct 4th, 2013, 10:32 PM
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It depends what you mean by "stop mid way to break up the trip ". If it's getting off at a certain station, to look around and hop on a later train, then the options among the stops of the fast direct trains are not too compelling. But if it means you're willing to get off the fast train, switch to another train for a detour, maybe even for an overnight stay, and later get back on track, then there are a number of attractive options. Here are just a few:
www.brandenburg-tourism.com
www.lueneburger-heide.de (select "english" and "Translate")
www.celle.de/Celle/Sehenswürdigkeiten (use google translate)
Maybe go via Hamburg - plenty to see there, and if you go, don't miss the harbor tours: www.hamburg-travel.com
www.brandenburg-tourism.com
www.lueneburger-heide.de (select "english" and "Translate")
www.celle.de/Celle/Sehenswürdigkeiten (use google translate)
Maybe go via Hamburg - plenty to see there, and if you go, don't miss the harbor tours: www.hamburg-travel.com
Oct 5th, 2013, 01:10 AM
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If you are booked on an ICE from Berlin to Amsterdam you can't break your journey. You are booked for a specific train. This is also the cheapest option, if you book far enough in advance.
If you want to break your journey and overnight somewhere you will need two separate tickets for the two legs.
The journey is just over 6 hours by train so I don't know if it is worth the extra expense, and time to break the journey.
Deventer, btw, is on the Ijssel, not Rijssel, and is a very pleasant place to visit. Not a tourist hotspot, thank goodness, and all the better for that.
If you want to break your journey and overnight somewhere you will need two separate tickets for the two legs.
The journey is just over 6 hours by train so I don't know if it is worth the extra expense, and time to break the journey.
Deventer, btw, is on the Ijssel, not Rijssel, and is a very pleasant place to visit. Not a tourist hotspot, thank goodness, and all the better for that.
Oct 5th, 2013, 01:41 AM
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Hannover can be worth a stopover if you are into (contemporary) art museums and / or parks and gardens.
The Sprengel Museum is one of the major modern/contemporary art museums in Germany.
sprengel-museum.com
The Wilhelm Busch museum is famous for its collection of cartoons and other humerous or satirical drawings - yet more a "special interest", I guess.
karikatur-museum.de
The Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen are definetely a highlight in Germany - if you should be into this.
I can't seem to be able to paste a link, but if you google it, it should come up as the 3rd search result.
Or go via the starting page www.hannover.de and switch it to English.
The Sprengel Museum is one of the major modern/contemporary art museums in Germany.
sprengel-museum.com
The Wilhelm Busch museum is famous for its collection of cartoons and other humerous or satirical drawings - yet more a "special interest", I guess.
karikatur-museum.de
The Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen are definetely a highlight in Germany - if you should be into this.
I can't seem to be able to paste a link, but if you google it, it should come up as the 3rd search result.
Or go via the starting page www.hannover.de and switch it to English.
Oct 5th, 2013, 04:00 AM
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Thank you for your input. I do have some questions about the rails. Are Bahn and Thalys companies to buy your rail tickets from indirectly, as apposed to searching euro rail ? Do you get better deal: l Also what is ICE ?
Oct 5th, 2013, 04:42 AM
#8
The Bahn site is for German National Railways, for example. If you are speaking about a company such as RailEurope, that is the North American marketing arm woned by a consortium of European railways, mainly the French National and Swiss Federal railways.
You are usually better off price-wise by dealing directly with the railway companies themselves
ICE is the Germanrail high speed train set (Inter-City Express) or some have said the original name was Inter-City Experimental.
You are usually better off price-wise by dealing directly with the railway companies themselves
ICE is the Germanrail high speed train set (Inter-City Express) or some have said the original name was Inter-City Experimental.
Oct 5th, 2013, 05:57 AM
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Oops, yes, the Ijssel, as in Overijssel.
Amsterdam-Berlin trains are only 125mph IC (intercity) not 175mph ICE, of course. But yes you can break your journey with a cheap ticket IF you pre-book the stopover as above.
Amsterdam-Berlin trains are only 125mph IC (intercity) not 175mph ICE, of course. But yes you can break your journey with a cheap ticket IF you pre-book the stopover as above.
Oct 7th, 2013, 11:30 AM
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You can book Berlin to Amsterrdam from just €29 at www.bahn.de/en - if you do feel the desire to stop off, click 'enter stopovers' and type the stopover location into the via boxc, adding the number of hours stop off into the hh:mm box. This way you can still get a cheap spezial fare from Berlin to Amsterdam from €29, but with a stopover of up to 48 hours in wherever.>
Seems to contradict Hetismij's comments that you cannot stop of - who is right?
or lots of good info on German trains I always spotlight these IMO great sites - www.seat61.com - Man in Seat 61's commercial site; www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id9.html. for RailEurope fares - same at Euro Rail or whatever you are calling buying tickets in advance thru a U.S. - the latter two should have the same prices as www.raileurope.com but may not have the same mailing or handling fees and RailEurope can be competitive on full fare tickets - maybe at times even a bit cheaper - but do not offer the deep discounter 29 euro fares Man in Seat 61 is on about. But check out to see if that has changed.
Seems to contradict Hetismij's comments that you cannot stop of - who is right?
or lots of good info on German trains I always spotlight these IMO great sites - www.seat61.com - Man in Seat 61's commercial site; www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id9.html. for RailEurope fares - same at Euro Rail or whatever you are calling buying tickets in advance thru a U.S. - the latter two should have the same prices as www.raileurope.com but may not have the same mailing or handling fees and RailEurope can be competitive on full fare tickets - maybe at times even a bit cheaper - but do not offer the deep discounter 29 euro fares Man in Seat 61 is on about. But check out to see if that has changed.
Oct 7th, 2013, 11:56 AM
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Well, the lowest fare from Berlin to any station in NL is €39, not €29. At least from now on to any dummy date in November or early December.
The €29 fare applies only on shorter distances to A'dam, e.g. from Cologne.
Technically, you can score those discount fares also when you add a stopover - as hetismij explained, e.g. Berlin-Amsterdam, with 6hr stopover in Hannover, all on one ticket.
But in real life, it can happen that trains later in the day (from Hannover to A'dam) are in a different price bracket.
So the total fare can rise to €59 or €79.
If you wish to save any possible penny, you can tick in the advanced query the box which says "all trains except ICE" (or similar). Because also slower IC trains run on that line, which are usually less pricey but do not get shown in the results otherwise as the ICE trains are faster.
If you do this, you should find some connections with stopover still at a total of the lowest possible fare.
The €29 fare applies only on shorter distances to A'dam, e.g. from Cologne.
Technically, you can score those discount fares also when you add a stopover - as hetismij explained, e.g. Berlin-Amsterdam, with 6hr stopover in Hannover, all on one ticket.
But in real life, it can happen that trains later in the day (from Hannover to A'dam) are in a different price bracket.
So the total fare can rise to €59 or €79.
If you wish to save any possible penny, you can tick in the advanced query the box which says "all trains except ICE" (or similar). Because also slower IC trains run on that line, which are usually less pricey but do not get shown in the results otherwise as the ICE trains are faster.
If you do this, you should find some connections with stopover still at a total of the lowest possible fare.
Oct 7th, 2013, 01:19 PM
#12
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Hannover to me was a real nice city -nice meaning nice but nothing to go out of your way for - that said it is a real German regional city and can certainly delight anyone for a few hours - train station if I recall right in town and has luggage lockers.
Oct 7th, 2013, 02:02 PM
#13
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The most exciting thing in Hannover (imo) was the Nikki De St Phalle Gotto in the Herrenhaeuser Gaerten. We went in May and the gardens weren't in full bloom yet, I'm sure they're pretty in the summer. As PalenQ says, it's a "nice" city. Should be on the "meh" list.
Oct 8th, 2013, 12:23 PM
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The gardens were one thing about Hannover that makes it nice - I think probably due to war damage large swathes of parks were created right in the town center, giving it a nice feel for yes a big bustling city.
