What to know about trains in Germany?

The trains connecting German cities are called Intercity (IC) trains and the ones connecting German cities with neighboring countries are called EuroCity (EC) trains. The ICE trains have laptop connections and repeaters to make use of cell phones easy.



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Reserving a seat is optional on most German trains.

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Can you sit anywhere on a train? If the train company does not offer seat reservations on the train you are travelling on, the reservation ticket will specify the date and time of travel. In this case, you may sit in any available seat on the specified train, appropriate to the class of your ticket.

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You can always take any seat that is not reserved and available, but if you want to sit together, I'd suggest you reserve seats. You can select a compartment during your reservation process. Compartments usually have 5-6 seats, depending on the train. 1st class has a few advantages, but it's not a huge difference.

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You can generally drink water from the tap in Germany, as tap water is subject to strict controls. There are exceptions, and these are indicated with the sign Kein Trinkwasser (not drinking water). You cannot drink the tap water in trains, for example.

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The name S-Bahn is an abbreviation of the German Stadtschnellbahn (city rapid railway) and was introduced in December 1930 in Berlin.

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In Germany, ticket checks on trains are usually carried out by the train attendant or designated ticket inspectors. When you board the train, you may encounter ticket barriers or validators at the entrance.

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Hbf – Hauptbahnhof, the main or central station of a town or city.

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