LONDON TO BERLIN BY TRAIN | A Travelogue and Guide 

Brexit finally killed DB ambitions to run Frankfurt-London. But even then it was riddled with fundamental problems like crossing a border including immigration, customs and security, and DB Train stations didn’t consider it worthy enough to implement.

@@Jytami I actually think it's a great pity. I've travelled from Frankfurt to London (and back) a few times. And a through connection would be too nice.

​@@Jytami Even without Brexit, it never would have worked. The UK insisted on a dedicated London-Platform, to be used dir no other Trains. Frankfurt HBF, like almost all major Stations in Germany, is at or even beyond it's Capacity Limit and thus DB coupd not afford to waste an entire Platform to just a few Trains per Day.

Luxury product? You can still buy tickets from London to Paris for £39 each way. In May 2023 I'm going to Lille (presuming no strikes and I can actually get to St Pancras); journey out was just over £100 but journey back is £39. Oh, and Berlin is one of my favourite European cities and it's 2 hours each way by plane from Heathrow, then about 40 minutes by train from BER to Hauptbahnhof station for (currently) around 3 euros.

@@cmartin_ok agree. And I wouldn’t use trainline for Eurostar-cheaper to go direct through its own website

Interesting, thanks.

Ich hatte mich auch schon gewundert, was der nette Herr von der Insel da von sich gibt... 🙄

Eurostar, wants to make money, and this opportunity got dropped in their lap. Who or which developing company wouldn't take it? 😊

I thought the ICE in 2000 I used to get to Hamburg had much to commend it.

So nice of you

Indeed, and if nothing else, this has made me want to visit Koln/Cologne (I've been to Berlin 3 times in the past 6 years and am due there again in October)

I really enjoyed this video thank you so much for taking us through your journey was so wonderful…..

1. the exception is some parts of the RER and the Paris Metro, which run on the right. France and the UK are interestingly the only countries in Europe with trains driving on the left

I have driven from London to Istanbul and London to Morocco, anything but fly.

Agreed. I am just guessing here, since the Eurostar started from St. Pancras shortly after the 7/7 bombings which happened just around the corner from the new terminal there were a lot of anxiety, so probably they said well, they have to go through passport control anyway let`s throw in a security check to reassure everybody.

Recently went on an ICE for the 1st time in 10 years & would agree still fantastic.

DB: dammen und herren die ICE55 nach frankfurt hat verspatung i do not like DB they have nice trains but the delays are just way too often altough i must say in my own country (the netherlands) it isnt much better now but atleast we have 10 minute frequencies in some places and an 15 minute frequency all stop train through a city of 120000 and some smaller ones so kinda love the NS

Sadly the Deutsche Bahn is a total Desaster nowadays.

@@utethornburg7715 DB management and organization is horrific. Their infrastructure and trains are great. With connecting trains, dont panic if you have delays, chances are the next train you need to catch is also delayed -.-"

@@Max-hw7xl Don't know about that. When I was last in Germany, 2 years ago, I booked a slightly convoluted route from Kaiserslautern to Paris, in order to catch the Eurostar back to London and then Liverpool Lime Street (home area). I booked it about 6 weeks before actual travel date. On the actual day of travel, plans were scuppered from the start, when under the 1st day of the new Autumn timetable, my very first train had been completely removed from the new timetable. All onward bookings were completely screwed and I ended up missing my Eurostar connection. Fortunately, it wasn't the last service I'd missed so was able to rebook onto a later service at no extra cost. Only made the last train from Euston to LLS because it too was delayed by about 20-25 mins.

Glad you enjoyed it!

It will be slower for sure. Not only because sleeper cars usually to 160km/h max, but also because sleeper timetables are designed to take at least 8, or more commonly around 10 hours for the trip (so people _can_ actually get some sleep; also there would be no point arriving at 3:00 in the morning anyways). Plus night trains have to compete with freight on an overcrowded network, so the timetable usually contains some additional slack.

That’s the one that leaves London at 3 pm gets in at 6 pm then u have to change trains then it gets in to Berlin at 7am over nite

@@stephanweinberger Is that true of the ICE trains? I thought they were free of freight trains, even at night?

​@@2112jonron dedicated high speed lines. Not all lines are high speed in Germany.

You're very welcome!

Hi, do you know when passengers will be able to use ashford again? Its brexit related I guess? When I visit my grandad in kent I also find it super annoying to have to go in and out!

@@petewiggins Eurostar have said that Ashford won't be in use throughout 2023. We can only hope that it will re-open in 2024, and it's down to passenger volumes, so they say. They aren't able to run any of the trains full because it would take too long for all the passengers to be processed using the "new" post-brexit rules. Madness......

@@cmartin_ok If Eurostar's Kent stations reopen then surely that would reduce pressure on immigration and security staff at St Pancras International because it is fewer passengers to check

@@petewiggins Not only was there never a commercial case, the cost of extra immigration and customs officials never made sense. Nothing to do with Brexit, the UK was never in Schengen. That's why they built a great big viaduct that bypassed Ashford in the first place, rather than just use the through lines at the station.

My pleasure!

@TD B G'day from Cairns. As a seasoned German railway customer, here are a couple of pointers. German railway can be rather expensive if one just walks into a railway station and buys a ticket on the spot. The way to save up to 85% of a ordinary ticket is to buy a ticket in advance, this can only be done online!!!!! And requires only a credit or debit card and is straight forward. An electronic ticket will be send to your phone or email. The German name for that category is called.....Spaar-Preis-Ticket..... There are 2 main types available, ordinary and super saver tickets. Check out the difference, but the main disadvantage is that all oft those tickets are only valid for a particular train service, booked date and time, no flexibility at all. A refund prior to departure is no problem. And there is a new kind of ticket coming out in May, the 49 euro ticket. The German Government seems to still working on the details, but tickets are supposed to go on sale right now. This might be the one for you!!!! Imagine hopping on and off of every train, bus or subway all over Germany....all for $75 bucks per mth.? With the exclusion of ICE''s and some other express trains. Yes, you would need time, a 4 hr. journey by an ICE might take 10 hrs. by regional trains. But hey, you see the countryside slowly passing by your window. Now, this 49 euro ticket is not a on/off ticket as such, it requires a 12 mth. subscription. However, don't let that put you off. My understanding is one can subscribe for 12 mth. and than cancel any time within 10 days. You have to find out, DB international has very good English speakers. Well, I hope you find my suggestions interesting and perhaps useful. Any other questions regarding Germany....just asked! Cheers from Cairns

Personally would not bother with Frankfurt. Munich or Berlin are much better/more interesting!

If i could suggest you some things in Germany that are in the Area you liked to visit: Trier(Germany): Beautiful Roman City and the oldest German City Rothenburg( Germany): Nice Medieval town a few KMs from Frankfurt Heidelberg(Germany):Stunning atmosphere, clean historic Dinant(Belgium):Stunning clive side town on a River in Wallonia. Its pretty small and more of a side activity but its a hidden gem! The reason im telling you this is because from my personal view many people who come to that region are in my eyes wasting their time visiting Cologne or Dusseldorf, instead the less crowded much nicer places, wich are also cheaper✌️

Black Forest and the towns in that area are stunningly beautiful.