Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 10:43     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
For train info, seat61.com is a gold mine. Start there.

Trainline has a good reputation but national train sites are also reasonably good. I've never had trouble buying on DB (bahn.de).

PPs mentioning driving are right that it can be cost effective for a group.

Other PPs mentioning the need for flexibility and delays are also right. German trains used to be very punctual but now not so much.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 10:39     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
Anonymous wrote:I agree driving is now much better. Train cost has gone way up, you miss out on all the small, more charming and less touristy areas, too many travel disruptions. The fee we had to pay to go to a different country with our rental was not high.


The fee to go into another country is reasonable, but it does get expensive if you want to return the car in a different country.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 10:38     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That’s a lot of train time, I would just fly.


How long you think flying would take?


Better to take train. By the time you get to airport early and wait etc, it would be similar time on train


If you are using DB trains, build in a lot of flexibility. In recent trips we’ve dealt with delays of up to 8 hours. Recently flew Munich to Copenhagen, and it was much less stressful than the train portions.
Anonymous
Post 01/05/2026 10:24     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
I agree driving is now much better. Train cost has gone way up, you miss out on all the small, more charming and less touristy areas, too many travel disruptions. The fee we had to pay to go to a different country with our rental was not high.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 23:37     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:That’s a lot of train time, I would just fly.


How long you think flying would take?


Better to take train. By the time you get to airport early and wait etc, it would be similar time on train
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 17:20     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We prefer to drive in Europe.


Fine for regional travel especially in smaller towns and mountain areas with less transit options. But usually more time consuming if going between big cities. And most rental car companies charge huge drop fees if you pick up a car in one country and drop off in another.


We ship our own from USA and drive it while in Europe.


How much does that cost and how long does it take?

I've heard of factory pickups where you buy in advance, drive in Europe, and ship the car home after your vacation. But never this situation.


It cost $2,000 to ship the car from NY to Germany, and then we keep it in Europe to use when we are here (at least half the year). Otherwise we store it. We also keep a car in USA obviously.


Obviously
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 17:02     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We prefer to drive in Europe.


Fine for regional travel especially in smaller towns and mountain areas with less transit options. But usually more time consuming if going between big cities. And most rental car companies charge huge drop fees if you pick up a car in one country and drop off in another.


We ship our own from USA and drive it while in Europe.


How much does that cost and how long does it take?

I've heard of factory pickups where you buy in advance, drive in Europe, and ship the car home after your vacation. But never this situation.


It cost $2,000 to ship the car from NY to Germany, and then we keep it in Europe to use when we are here (at least half the year). Otherwise we store it. We also keep a car in USA obviously.


And you thought sharing your experience would be responsive to OP’s question?
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 16:10     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
Anonymous wrote:That’s a lot of train time, I would just fly.


How long you think flying would take?
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 15:36     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
That’s a lot of train time, I would just fly.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 13:51     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
Definitely reserve seats. It is about 6 hours so make sure you're prepared to entertain yourselves. The trains are generally pretty easy to navigate.

I don't know why anyone would ever attempt to drive in Amsterdam, it's very narrow and with the bikes everywhere it's a bit perilous to drive. The public transportation is extremely easy to use. My brother used to live near Amsterdam with his wife and kids and they never had a car the whole time.
Anonymous
Post 01/04/2026 13:47     Subject: Trains in Europe - Berlin to Amsterdam
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We prefer to drive in Europe.


Fine for regional travel especially in smaller towns and mountain areas with less transit options. But usually more time consuming if going between big cities. And most rental car companies charge huge drop fees if you pick up a car in one country and drop off in another.


We ship our own from USA and drive it while in Europe.


How much does that cost and how long does it take?

I've heard of factory pickups where you buy in advance, drive in Europe, and ship the car home after your vacation. But never this situation.


It cost $2,000 to ship the car from NY to Germany, and then we keep it in Europe to use when we are here (at least half the year). Otherwise we store it. We also keep a car in USA obviously.