Cycling is another fantastic way to enjoy everything this country has to offer. I love the freedom being on a bike offers me – I can go anywhere I want, whenever I want. Taking the train clips my wings a bit, but I’ll show you all that I’ve learned traveling with two wheels on the rails. This is how to take your bike on the train in Germany!
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Don’t Take your Bike on the Train in Germany
Crazy, right? This is my best piece of advice if you want to travel around Germany with your bike. Don’t take your bike on the train. Honestly, it’s just a huge P-I-A. There are complicated rules about when you need a bike ticket, getting a reservation feels impossible, and even if you get one, there is a lot of hassle involved. I’ll get into more detail about each specific kind of train later on, but each one has its own special flaws.
Taking your Bike Long Distance on the Train in Germany
It’s not always possible to cycle from home (or your arrival point in Germany or the bike rental place) to your destination, so sometimes you really have to find a way to get you and your wheels from Berlin to Munich or Freiburg to Hamburg.
Take the Flixbus
Second best piece of advice: If you’re traveling long distance with a bike, take the Flixbus. Yes, the Flixbus is not as comfortable as sitting in an ICE and it doesn’t travel over 200kmh. But the Preisleistungverhältnis (value for money ratio) is unbeatable. A Flixbus ticket will cost you a fraction of what it costs to take an ICE.
Ultimate Packing Guide for a European Bikepacking Trip
Many bus connections to major cities have at least a few connections a day with a bike rack, meaning you can book last minute and still find a spot for your bike. Also, if you happen to miss a connection along the way, there is most likely another bike space on the next bus.
You can put all of your luggage under the bus and the driver or assistant will attach the bike to the rack securely for you. All you have to do is hop on.
All You Need for your First European Bikepacking Trip
If you couldn’t tell, this is really my favorite option when taking the bike for a long distance journey is unavoidable. Here are some of the direct connections we have taken to/from Berlin: Copenhagen-Berlin, Trieste-Berlin, Paris-Berlin, Berlin-Brno, Brussels-Berlin (1 connection), Berlin-Basel (1 connection), Gdánsk-Berlin
A serious drawback to the Flixbus: sometimes they place your bike UNDER the bus with the rest of the luggage. Your bike would have its own luggage compartment, but it not secured in place. This means your bike can wiggle around while in motion. Also, C and I travel with our bikes together and we have had to place them one on top of the other in the luggage compartment. I’m not too happy about this situation, but currently, there’s no way to know when you book if there is an actual bike rack.
Taking your Bike on an ICE Train in Germany
If you absolutely must take your bike long distance on the train in Germany and you want to do so as quickly as possible, you will have to take an ICE (intercity express). In my opinion, this option only comes with drawbacks. It is mandatory to reserve a bike space on this train (ICE and IC) in order to bring your bike with you. On an ICE, you purchase the reservation and the bike ticket together. For popular days, seasons, and times, you may have to book this ticket months in advance. Should you (um Gottes willen!) need to take two ICE trains, your booking will cover both trains. If the first train is delayed and you miss the second train, it may be near impossible to find another connection on an ICE on which the bike spaces aren’t already fully booked. Each train has less than 10 bike spaces.
If getting the booking wasn’t hard enough, getting on the train might be. Many train stations are not equipped with elevators to be accessible for those with mobility issues, baby carriages, or bicycles. You might have to lug your Fahrrad up and down the stairs and your luggage too!
Getting on/off the Train with your Bike
The bikes (all 6-10 of them for the entire train) go into one car, and no, the door was not adapted to be wide enough for a human and a bike to go through at the same time. Additionally, there will be an automatic sliding door once you get inside the train car in order to enter the bike room. Most likely it will close on you several times as you run in and out of the train, bumping into the other sorry cyclists who are also trying to get their luggage and bikes on before the train departs.
To be Delayed or not be Delayed?
ICEs also love to play this wonderful game where they are slightly delayed. Throughout your journey you will receive several texts from DB which alternate between you will and you won’t make your connection and that you should search for an alternative. Usually the result is that you now have 5 minutes to change trains, in which you frantically carry the bike and luggage up and down the stairs to your next platform, hoping the train doesn’t pull away from the platform without you.
As much as I LOVE traveling by train and not using a car, I do NOT recommend taking your bike on the train in Germany.
Taking your Bike on a Regional Train in Germany
If you want to take your bike on the train locally in Germany, you would most likely use a regional train. You can also use this option if you want to avoid the hassle of the ICE; your journey just takes longer. There is no reservation involved here and the doors are much wider. 😉 You will, however, need an extra ticket for your bike on this train. Because no reservation is needed, lots of people may also want to take their bike on this train. You can enter the train anywhere there is a bike painted on the door.
Cycle the 100-Castles-Route in Münster
If there are a lot of bikes on the train, it is important to get ready before your depart to make sure your bike isn’t buried behind several others. You should remain aware of your bike and be ready to move it if someone needs to get their bike out before you.
Please, please, please do not take your bike with you to the Baltic Sea from Berlin on a warm weekend. I have been just a regular passenger on these trains and it is uncomfortable to watch the bike chaos that unfolds. There are so many bikes and people trying to get on and off the train that they can end up severely delayed. The driver gets annoyed and will let you know via loudspeaker. Sometimes he even comes to the car holding up the train and tells people and their bikes to get off! If you must go to the Ostsee with your bicycle on a delightfully sunny weekend, please leave extra early or extra late to steer clear of high traffic times.
8 Things I Learned on the Worst Bike Trip Ever
It is important to remember that if the train is too full, bikes are the first thing that will be left behind. Just because you have purchased a bicycle ticket for the trip/day does not mean you are guaranteed being able to take your bike on the train with you. Check this page to see if your trip includes an area of high traffic.
Regional Bike Tickets
If you’re taking a regional train, you’ll also need to purchase an additional ticket for your bicycle. If you are traveling between regions in Germany, you will most likely need a bike ticket from DB. In Berlin-Brandenburg, you would purchase a ticket from VBB (the local transit authority) for yourself as well as a bike ticket. For the entire VBB region (including as far as Szczecin in Poland) the ticket costs 3.80€, a 24-hour bike ticket for the region costs 6€.
This website has information related to each Bundesland (German state) about bike tickets as well as some FAQs for taking your bike on the train.
Work-Around for Taking your Bike on the Train in Germany
If we’re going on a big bike trip, we take FlixBus. But if we’re just cycling for the weekend, we’ll take the Berlin S-bahn out as far as we can (one-way costs 2.80€, 24-hours is 5.90€). The Berlin S-Bahn stretches out quite far into Brandenburg. On the weekends, there aren’t as many people traveling to work (though mid-day can be a bit more crowded, but less so the farther out you go), so it is much more relaxed than taking an RE.
I can’t say I have tested this in other cities, but I bet it would work in other big places too like Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, etc.
Some Berlin S-Bahn bike trip ideas
- You can take the train north to Oranienburg (S1) and then cycle through the Naturpark Barnim or the Biosphärenreservat Schorfheide Chorin
- We love to cycle to/from Hennigsdorf (S25) along all the lakes and canals. Or to pick strawberries
- From Bernau (S2), you can cycle to the Liepnitzsee and Wandlitzsee lakes. Liepnitzsee is a favorite!
- Take the S5 to Strausberg Nord and cycle to Poland
- Head south on the S25 to Teltow Stadt and explore the Diedersdorfer Heide (Return with the S2 from Blankenfelde)
- Travel to the end of the S3 to Erkner and follow the Spreeradweg along the River Spree or around the Muggelsee
- In Königswüsterhausen (S46), you can explore the lakes in the Naturpark Dahme Heideseen
- Cycle the Berliner Mauerweg – the Berlin Wall Bike Trail
Top Tips for Taking your Bike on the Train in Germany
- Plan and/or book in advance
- Don’t forget to buy a bike ticket!
- Take the FlixBus
- Avoid high seasons and times as well as very popular routes
- Remove your luggage from the bike to get on (especially ICEs!)
- Keep your luggage off the bike when it is on the train to make more space
- Do not block doors or pathways with your bike or luggage
- Get ready in advance to get off the train
- Lock your bike to something if you cannot see it from your seat
- Give baby carriages and people with mobility issues priority
- Take the S-bahn!
So even though it might be a huge hassle to take your bike on the train in Germany, THANK YOU for cycling! and THANK YOU for choosing an environmentally friendly mode of travel. You rock!