Berlin to London by train in July and also fun?

April 29, 2023 2:13 PM

I'd like to plan a fun trip from Berlin to London by train, this July. I already did this all the way back in 2005, spending 30+ hours on board a train non-stop, and though the London part was fun, the train part was not, although I normally love trains (just not 30+ hours non-stop). I have 20 days to spend and would be happy to take my time this time. Please help me actually have fun on the way.

I thought I'd go [my city in Poland] -> Berlin -> Amsterdam -> Brussels -> London and stay overnight in Berlin and later Amsterdam (my city to Berlin is 6 hours, and Berlin to Amsterdam is another 6 hours). But large cities are exhausting to me, and the hotels are more expensive and more likely to be booked already, and I also do not like Berlin.

So maybe it would be more fun to go [my city] -> Berlin -> another German city -> a city in the Netherlands but not Amsterdam -> Brussels -> London. And stay overnight in not-Berlin and not-Amsterdam.

I was thinking one location in Germany and one in the Netherlands that are not too much out of the way. My biggest priority is conserving my spoons, and just having fun. I am perfectly happy to miss all the must-sees as long as get a feel of the place. I like food, and books, and bookstores, toys and crafts, parks and gardens, reading in cafes. I do not like crowds, and being out in the heat in the height of summer, so a walkable city with plenty of shade in the park, or museums to pop into is preferable to somewhere with a beach.

Oh, and also, flying is out of the question for me.

Any tips on the best itinerary? Anything I am not thinking of? Bonus points for tips on low-key low-effort things to do. I'd really appreciate your advice!

posted by M. to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

You could do Berlin -> Hamburg -> Rotterdam. And then skip the whole Brussels/Eurostar part, and instead take the overnight ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich. I've done this recently. Hamburg and Rotterdam are both great cities to explore, and the ferry's a nice change of scenery from a long string of trains.
posted by automatronic at 2:44 PM on April 29, 2023 [3 favorites]

You could sleep the journey away on the new sleeper service that starts next month. Depart Berlin 22.56 arrive Brussels 09.27
posted by boudicca at 2:59 PM on April 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

So, I personally loathe the Netherlands (expensive, not great food, kinda boring, people kinda unfriendly, bikes act like cars) and enjoy France, Belgium, and even Austria and Switzerland a lot more. Since you dislike Berlin and say you are six hours into Poland, I wonder whether the ÖBB Nightjet service from Warsaw into Vienna would suit you or even going to Berlin and then taking the night or day train to Basel, slowly making your way up to Paris for Eurostar would be more fun.

If you do decide to go via Brussels, Brussels itself is lovely, as is Leuven, which is smaller; Aachen is nice and Liege. In the Netherlands, Haarlem is a pleasant alternative to Amsterdam.
posted by dame at 3:06 PM on April 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Yeah, I'd like to travel through Germany and the Netherlands and stay away from large cities. London will be exhausting on its own and it would be nice to save my spoons.

I've been to Paris and Vienna twice and I don't think I'd have the spoons for either of these during the same trip.

Harlem sounds nice, will look up Leuven & the other suggestions!
posted by M. at 3:28 PM on April 29, 2023

If you don’t like Berlin or Paris, I don’t think you’re going to enjoy Hamburg or Rotterdam much either. Luckily there are a million smaller towns in between the cities where you need to change. If you wanted the Southern route for the night & to avoid Berlin but also avoid Vienna, go to Linz. If you want the northern route, stay in Potsdam, Leipzig, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Bad Oeynhausen, Osnabrück. Go to Dijon.
posted by dame at 3:48 PM on April 29, 2023

Antwerp is worth a stop and they have an interesting printing museum.
posted by soelo at 4:48 PM on April 29, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Just a clarification thar I'm looking for a train itinerary ie where to stop (and sleep) on the way to London, not ideas for side trips (I still want to get to London soonish).
posted by M. at 10:42 PM on April 29, 2023

I think I'd be looking at.where the night trains go from and too with a view to staying in locations at either end. Bear in mind that while these are typically major cities the trains often pick up at nearby cities after starting their journey. For example, the Munich-Amsterdam calls at Nuremberg.and Arnhem thus avoiding the big cities.
posted by biffa at 2:05 AM on April 30, 2023

If you can deal with Berlin as a transit point: [poland] - Berlin - (5h12) - Deventer (hotel) - (1h20) - Amsterdam Schiphol (transit only again) - (1h38 Thalys) - Brussels - (2h05 Eurostar) - London.

Takes about 11h on trains excluding transfer times and getting to Berlin. Deventer is a mid-size Dutch city, couple of parks, medieval center. Haven't looked at hotels and their pricing.
posted by Stoneshop at 5:23 AM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Homework, history: Cold War Express Braunschweig to Berlin in 4 hours 1945-1991 = 48 mins 2023.
posted by BobTheScientist at 5:58 AM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Why not stop in Potsdam instead of Berlin, and then Cologne or Aachen? Cologne is biggish, but has a certain charm. Aachen is not big, and has a lot of border-town atmosphere. Or you could go from Potsdam straight to Brussels and stay there. Brussels is a bit expensive for hotels and stuff, but has good restaurants and is really nice in its own way. Visit the cartoon museum.
posted by mumimor at 8:59 AM on April 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Have you ever been to The Hague / Den Haag? Lots of museums, parks, beautiful buildings. Much less frenetic than Amsterdam, and very walkable.

As for Germany, I really like Dusseldorf, again for museums and parks. Also very walkable.

Both are cities not towns, but they're on the small side. They're not overwhelming the way Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris etc. can be.

If I were going to do just one thing in Den Haag, it would be Panorama Mesdag. And in Dusseldorf, it would probably be the K21 contemporary art museum.

It looks as if there are direct trains from Berlin to Dusseldorf, taking about 5h20. Dusseldorf to Den Haag involves a change at Venlo and possibly also one at Eindhoven, and takes 3h20-4h. Den Haag to London could go via Hoek van Holland for the overnight ferry to Harwich (then train onward to London), or via Rotterdam for the Eurostar.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 9:28 AM on May 1, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: After some more discussion with my travel companions, I decided to go to Amsterdam and leave London for another year. I won't be going through Berlin after all as the tickets for the Berlin train sold out very quickly - but I am happy with the final itinerary. I've been to Amsterdam before but only for a very short visit and often wished to come back and spend some more time.

Thanks again to everyone who responded and all the thoughtful tips!
posted by M. at 4:32 AM on June 11, 2023