Trains and bikes in Germany - how to

[redfalo]

To whom it may concern...

The German bicycle lobby group ADFC has produced two fantastic maps illustrating which long distance trains in Germany accept bicycles.

day:
http://www.fa-oeffentlicher-verkehr...hme/Fahrplan2013/Fahrradmitnahme-Tag_2013.pdf

night:
http://www.fa-oeffentlicher-verkehr...hme/Fahrplan2013/Fahrradmitnahme-CNL_2013.pdf

explanations (in German): http://www.fa-oeffentlicher-verkehr.adfc.de/Fahrradmitnahme/Fahrplan2013/

Please notice that you have to buy a bicycle ticket AND make a reservation to take bikes on long distance trains in advance, at least officially. Outside of holiday peaks, I had no issue taking a bike on an Intercity Train without a reservation. All short distance trains accept bicycles without reservation, but most cases you need to buy a special bike ticket.

You can also use Deutsche Bahn's excellent website, which has an English version. http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/qu...riffClass=2&&getstop=1=Further+search+options

Follow "further search options" on the main page and choose "carriage of bicycles required" in the "connections" section.

Folded bicycles can be carried in all trains, including high speed ICE trains, for free.. And you don't have to cover them.

Deutsche Bahn even runs a special bike hotline on the phone (+49 (0) 180 5 99 66 33.) I'm not sure if you can call from abroad, though. :
Hope this is helpful.

Cheers Olaf

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Cheers for the useful info

 

[vernon]

Booking German trains is uncomplicated and does not need mastery of German.

There's a great online booking service which will indicate the availability of trains here in English

The night poster mentioned above is for the City Nightline trains which are a bargain. Normal seating is available but a couchette bed for 49€ from Paris to Munich takes some beating.

There is a london Office for DB, the German rail service. Its number is 08718 80 80 86. The service is methodical and a tad slow but they do go the extra mile to deliver you a cost effective package.

Those wondering how to get to Germany by rail should look at the Man in Seat 61 web site.

I'm heading back to Germany this year via Prague and the Elbe River Trail. Can't wait!

 

[Yellow7]

I'm heading back to Germany this year via Prague and the Elbe River Trail. Can't wait!

Likewise Vernon, I'll be cycling it Berlin - Prague direction.

 

[andym]

Thanks that's a useful bit of information.

It's worth bearing in mind that while buying tickets is easy, unfortunately you can't reserve a bike space online so you need to call the call centre.

I seem to recall reading when I was in Switzerland that there is an international day ticket which might be useful if you have to do a multi-leg international journey. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything on this.

 

[TheDoctor]

Seat61.com is the place for finding out train-related stuff.
Getting the sleeper train to/from Berlin is easy - it goes from the Gare de l'Est, about a 10 minute walk from Gare du Nord. Food on the train isn't great, you're better off eating before you get the train if possible.
There are spaces for fully-assembled bikes. Sadly, getting a bike onto Eurostar is a right pain, unless it's disassembled in a bag.

 

[steveindenmark]

Thanks for this Olaf. Living in Denmark, this will be useful for me.

Steve

 

[snorri]

I don't do the forward planning on tour, but have never had any problems with trains in Germany.
There is usually a staffed help desk at the bigger stations where the staff speak good English and answer your queries and sell tickets in a helpful and friendly manner.

 

[Brains]

Getting to Germany;

We have found the best land/sea route for both the fully loded cycle tourist and the car based cycle tourist to be the Harwich/Hook of Holland overnight ferry

Trains will cary bikes from London to Harwich
and from Hoek van holland to Berlin

 

[BalkanExpress]

Seat61.com is the place for finding out train-related stuff.
Sadly, getting a bike onto Eurostar is a right pain, unless it's disassembled in a bag.

And a recent tightening of the rules means that only baggage under 85cm long will be accepted on board: anything longer will need to go as registered baggage

 

[TheDoctor]

And a recent tightening of the rules means that only baggage under 85cm long will be accepted on board: anything longer will need to go as registered baggage

Really? That's pretty rubbish.In fact, that probably stops any bike that isn't a folder of some sort.
Ventoux on a Brompton, anyone?

 

[mmmmartin]

indeed it does stop you taking any bike that is not a folder, which is precisely what is intended, I bet. You can book it on as a bike, at a cost of £25. And Eurostar most helpfully tell you that it will put the bike on the next available train, which might even be the next one after your train. Or not.

We live in a world where, increasingly, the best way of getting a bike somewhere is to ride it there. Unless you have a car, which isn't really the point of having a bike, if you see what I mean.

OK, that's the end of today's philosophy lesson.

 

[vernon]

indeed it does stop you taking any bike that is not a folder, which is precisely what is intended, I bet. You can book it on as a bike, at a cost of £25. And Eurostar most helpfully tell you that it will put the bike on the next available train, which might even be the next one after your train. Or not.

That's not strictly true.

You can book you bike on as a bike and it will travel on the same train as you for £30. The pain is having to check for bike spaces before booking the passenger ticket and the bagge handling company's unwillingness to hold a bike space until you get back to them with a passenger booking reference.

It's only if you book it on as baggage when you can't guarantee when it will arrive.

I used Eurostar last year and having been forewarned about the ticketing logistics and bike drop off and pick up points in London and Paris, I found the journey to be problem free apart from when my SPD cleats set off the detectors at the check in at St Pancras.

 

[BalkanExpress]

That's not strictly true.

You can book you bike on as a bike and it will travel on the same train as you for £30. The pain is having to check for bike spaces before booking the passenger ticket and the bagge handling company's unwillingness to hold a bike space until you get back to them with a passenger booking reference.

It's only if you book it on as baggage when you can't guarantee when it will arrive.

I used Eurostar last year and having been forewarned about the ticketing logistics and bike drop off and pick up points in London and Paris, I found the journey to be problem free apart from when my SPD cleats set off the detectors at the check in at St Pancras.

I have done this several time: both booking the bike on the same train and setting off the metal detectors.

I must confess that as I usually book as far in advance as possible I simply book the bike on after having made the reservation.

However, somewhere on here there is a topic where the Dellzeqq method is explained (I think it is a FNRttC Dieppe thread) as far as I recall it involves 1) calling Rail Europe getting a reservation number 2) on a sceond phone calling esprit Europe (Eurostar baggage people) to book the bike 3) paying for the train ticket on the first phone. I may of course have this totally wrong

 

[Brains]

Does anyone know of a book in English, or simply a map that shows all the German (and next door countries) main long distance cycle routes ?
I have found this book, that goes under the catchy easy to remember name of the "Deutschland Radfernwege attraktivsten Radtouren + kaart: Die attraktivsten Radtouren durch Deutschland" [German] [Paperback]

Which looks like 500 pages (in German) and a map from the wonderful BikeLine people.
Here is the equally short and easy to remember URL
http://translate.google.co.uk/trans...a=X&ei=wfQMUcPvJ9HY0QXZioCQCA&ved=0CDUQ7gEwAA


But is there an easy overview map for general planning ?
We have done two of the "classics" the Elbe and Danube, now looking possibly at the Baltic route but open to ideas and suggestions