Berlin Hauptbahnhof

[TMLAalum]

This is a landlubber inquiry! We have train tickets to Prague departing at 9am on a Tuesday. How do we find our train? How early should we get to the station?

 

The journey is 4.5 hours. I believe there is a dining car? Is it safe to leave our suitcases while we eat- we are in 1st class?

 

Danke!

[threetowner16]

This is a landlubber inquiry! We have train tickets to Prague departing at 9am on a Tuesday. How do we find our train? How early should we get to the station?

 

The journey is 4.5 hours. I believe there is a dining car? Is it safe to leave our suitcases while we eat- we are in 1st class?

 

Danke![/quote

 

look at www,Bahn.com the DB website for details of the station and services..why would it not be safe to leave your luggage in the luggage storage areas..everyone else does

[JMHamburg]

Is it safe to leave our suitcases while we eat- we are in 1st class?

No, unfortunately it is not safe!

[Globaliser]

How do we find our train?

When you get to the station, there will be a departures board (probably several) which lists forthcoming departing trains and their platform numbers. You then go to the correct platform. Just like at an airport, really, except that the wheels of your conveyance will remain at ground level.

[dogs4fun]

I've taken the train from Amsterdam to Prague (overnight train) & Berlin to Prague (day). Both times, we made sure our luggage was secure. If you purchase security anti-theft luggage cables for your luggage and affix the locks to the luggage rack, you should be fine. Luggage is usually not stolen en route - luggage is usually stolen during station stops - thieves jump on, grab the bag and jump off. So, plan your dinner when there are no upcoming station stops & you should be fine.

FYI: Thieves love small, portable items (camera, computers, ipads, phones, etc.). It is NEVER safe to leave these items at any time.

Below is a link to a good article:

https://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/safety-tips/how-to-avoid-luggage-theft-on-european-trains/

Edited May 3, 2016 by dogs4fun

[TMLAalum]

Lockable cable is a great suggestion- we have one we use for securing skis that should work.

 

Does the Berlin-Prague train make many stops along the way? The timeframe of the journey implies to me that it does in comparison to the Thalys train from Paris-Brussels which seems about the same distance but takes half the time.

[Travelanni]

This is a landlubber inquiry! We have train tickets to Prague departing at 9am on a Tuesday. How do we find our train? How early should we get to the station?

 

The journey is 4.5 hours. I believe there is a dining car? Is it safe to leave our suitcases while we eat- we are in 1st class?

 

Danke!

 

There is a dining car. This is often a Czech train and the food is usually top class at a reasonable price.

It is safe to leave your luggage, you would not be very welcome in the dining car with suitcases, there are no facilities for them. The cable lock is an excellent idea if you are at all worried. I have been travelling on trains all over Europe for the past twenty years and have never had luggage stolen, seen luggage stolen or even heard of luggage being stolen. That said the advice to eat between stations and not leave small valuables is sound. However it pays to leave a magazine or something on your seat to indicate that it is taken.

Tip - go to the dining car immediately after Dresden and get a seat on the left in direction of travel. You will not be disappointed, the scenery is stunning.

Happy travelling :)

Anni

Edited May 3, 2016 by Travelanni

[Travelanni]

Lockable cable is a great suggestion- we have one we use for securing skis that should work.

 

Does the Berlin-Prague train make many stops along the way? The timeframe of the journey implies to me that it does in comparison to the Thalys train from Paris-Brussels which seems about the same distance but takes half the time.

 

Hi, between Berlin Hbf and Prague Hbf the train makes 6 stops.

Berlin Suedkreuz, Dresden Hbf, Bad Schandau (last stop on the German side of the border), Decin (first stop on the Czech side), Usti and Prague-Holesovice.

Some sections are quite slow as the tracks twist and turn alongside the river Elbe but the scenery is great. I have done that journey many times and never tire of it.

Happy travelling :)

Anni

Edited May 3, 2016 by Travelanni
Spelling

[TMLAalum]

There is a dining car. This is often a Czech train and the food is usually top class at a reasonable price.

Tip - go to the dining car immediately after Dresden and get a seat on the left in direction of travel. You will not be disappointed, the scenery is stunning.

Happy travelling :)

Anni

 

Hi, between Berlin Hbf and Prague Hbf the train makes 6 stops.

Some sections are quite slow as the tracks twist and turn alongside the river Elbe but the scenery is great. I have done that journey many times and never tire of it.

Happy travelling :)

Anni

 

Thanks Travelanni for all this great information. I am getting hungry anticipating dining aboard. Looking forward to a slower journey to take photos of the beautiful scenery. I am hoping we have seats on the Elbe side of the railcar, but if not, will plan on our meal after Dresden.

[Ultima Thule]

How do we find our train?

 

The Berlin Haubtbahnfof has 5 levels. You enter on level 3. In your case the train will depart from to lowest level, (2. Untergeschoss)

 

Plan:

http://berliner-hbf.de/wp-content/uploads/berlin-hbf-karte-vergr%C3%B6%C3%9Fert.pdf

[TMLAalum]

The Berlin Haubtbahnfof has 5 levels. You enter on level 3. In your case the train will depart from to lowest level, (2. Untergeschoss)

 

Plan:

http://berliner-hbf.de/wp-content/uploads/berlin-hbf-karte-vergr%C3%B6%C3%9Fert.pdf

 

Thanks for this link. I've been googling around, but hadn't come across this!

 

We are at the Mercure Checkpoint Charlie on Schutzenstrasse. From my research, I believe there is a 3-stop cheap U/S transit fare. Since we are traveling light we can walk to either the Kochstrasse or Stadtmitte stations. I think we'd have to use the Stadtmitte stop and change trains at Frederichstrasse to get the the Hauptbahnhof, is this correct? Thanks!

[Ultima Thule]

I think we'd have to use the Stadtmitte stop and change trains at Frederichstrasse to get the the Hauptbahnhof, is this correct?

 

Sounds OK to me. Take U6 direction Alt Tegel from Stadtmitte. Note that two S-bahn lines cross each other at Friedrichstrasse, one is at sub level the other one is elevated over the street. You should go up to the elevated one to get to Haubtbahnhof and will thus arrive at level 5 there.

 

I have never used the 3-stop ticket so I cannot comment on that one.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Ultima Thule