European Rail Travel - Frankfurt Airport-Cologne AND Cologne-Riga

Hi there,
I am travelling to Germany/Europe this upcoming summer ( I know, planning early :D), and have booked a ticket to Frankfurt on Icelandair. I know Germany has an excellent train system, and I am wondering how easy it is to get to the Frankfurt Airport Train Station in hopes of going onwards to Cologne for somebody who speaks 0 German. Will i need to have a ticket in advance or will I be able to show up and buy a ticket on the spot? From what I've seen, it seems that they have many many trains a day from Frankfurt to Cologne, but I was just wondering if anybody had any previous experience.

My second question is regarding the possibility of travelling by train from Cologne to Riga, Latvia. I know I will have to do the last leg of the journey on a bus from Vilnius, which is no problem, but does anybody know if the entire trip via train will be too long or taxing given that I am only going to be in Europe for 3.5 weeks? It would be a shame to give away a week travelling, but if it is only a one or two day thing I would like to try the train route.

Thanks!

First question. Everyone speaks English. Second. http://www.seat61.com/Latvia.htm

Thats not true, but thanks.

Indeed, English far from universally spoken, but you can be confident that railway staff in Frankfurt Flughafen station will speak enough to help you buy a ticket.

There are indeed many trains from the airport (look for the 'Fernbahnhof' - the long distance station) to Cologne Hbf. There are the ICE high speed trains and IC trains (taking around 50m and 2h05 respectively). While you can buy a walk-up ticket, this will be significantly higher than a prepurchased ticket - €61 (€41 IC) vs €19. However, this will give you no flexibility in case of delays.

Assuming you're travelling the same day, a better scheme is Rail+Fly, which allows you to travel anywhere in Germany, connecting from a flight. Icelandair do participate in the scheme, and so you can buy the ticket from them (in advance, not on arrival). You're not tied to a particular train, and don't have to pay a supplement for ICE (except for the few ICE-Sprinter services). It's usually €25, although can be a little more.

Cologne to Riga, well...

First, let me introduce you to the excellent site at http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e This is the German railways' website, and, as well as allowing you to book services to/from Germany, it will let you consult timetables for the whole of Europe.

You could also consider breaking your journey in Berlin and/or Warsaw (and Vilnius for that matter), all interesting cities in their own right. Do also watch out for trains that transit Belarus or the Kaliningradskaya Oblast, as you'd need a transit visa.

As an alternative route, you could consider travelling from Cologne to Stockholm, then the overnight ferry from there to Riga. There is an overnight train from Cologne to Copenhagen, where you could break your journey, a number of trains on to Stockholm, and a nightly ferry from there to Riga, with Silja line. This would mean that you're not losing so much time travelling during the day.

For pricing information, it's generally best to look at the national operator for the country you're starting a particular leg of your journey in (or contact German railways offline if you want to do the journey in one shot). In this case:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e
https://bilet.intercity.pl/irez/
http://www.dsb.dk/
http://www.sj.se/
http://www.tallinksilja.com/en/

Could all be useful!

Another option worth considering are the ferries from Germany direct to the Latvian or Lithuanian coast. There are several weekly ferries from Lubeck to Ventspils, Travemunde to Liepaja and Kiel/Sassnitz to Klaipeda. All are within reach of Riga (and the latter at the end of the amazing Curonian Spit).

It's worth pointing out to the uninitiated (which I guess describes the OP) that as with the UK, German trains do not "sell out" (except night trains and the small number of special ICE-Sprinters) - tickets are sold to as many people wanting them. They can get pretty busy, so reserving a seat can be a good idea, but doing this is not mandatory and you will be able to travel, standing if necessary, on whichever train you wish to.

Neil

There is one daily train from Warsaw to Vilnius that does not go through Belarus - depart 07.45 Polish time, arrive Vilnius 17.56 Lithuanian time (which is one hour ahead). You have to change at the border (a place called Sestokai), but it's literally a case of hopping off the Polish train, crossing the platform and hopping onto the Lithuanian train.

We did the journey two years ago (almost to the day, as it happens). The Polish train was great (old German Intercity stock), the Lithuanian train somewhat less so - more like a London Underground train.

I should mention that not all Lithuanian trains are like that - the one we took from Vilnius to Klaipeda was modern, comfortable and air-conditioned!

Thanks for all the replies!
I had not seen the 'Rail+fly' promotion before, that seems like a good deal and something i will jump on.

Ive lived in Latvia for a year so I am familiar with the level of 'comfort' to expect in the Baltics. The ferry to Ventspils or Liepaja could be a great way to get there, thanks for the ideas.

Hi there,
My second question is regarding the possibility of travelling by train from Cologne to Riga, Latvia. I know I will have to do the last leg of the journey on a bus from Vilnius, which is no problem, but does anybody know if the entire trip via train will be too long or taxing given that I am only going to be in Europe for 3.5 weeks? It would be a shame to give away a week travelling, but if it is only a one or two day thing I would like to try the train route.

Hi Nabbyfan,

Are you already aware of the Ryanair flight from "Duesseldorf" Weeze airport to Riga? Granted, it's a twice weekly 6:35 am departure, which entails either catching a 2:30 am bus from Cologne or an overnight near the airport, but it should be absolutely unbeatable from a travel time and pricing perspective, especially if booked far in advance.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Did some more checking - Air Baltic actually fly nonstop to Riga from the real Duesseldorf airport daily except Saturdays, departing at 14:00, and their lowest fares are similar to Ryanair's at about EUR 60 all in one-way. So a no-brainer to go with Air Baltic, provided you can snag one of those cheap fares, and have no issue with spending 2.5 hours on a prop plane (Q400).

Hope this helps,
Andre

OK last post from me for now ;)

Air Baltic are basically bust, so I would unfortunately NOT book them until further notice. Ryanair from Weeze does appear to be the least bad option after all...

See the following for more info:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/awx/2011/09/23/awx_09_23_2011_p0-373895.xml&channel=comm

Thanks for all the info, Andre! I had forgotten about Ryanair into Riga, that would probably be my best option, flying from Weeze. It is too bad about Airbaltic, but unfortunately it seemed that this was pretty much inevitable for them.
Thanks again

There is no chance at all that taking the train from Cologne to the Baltics is going to be worth the time or money.

There is no chance at all that taking the train from Cologne to the Baltics is going to be worth the time or money.

Why are you saying that?

I have extremely fond memories of my train journey from Warsaw to Vilnius - beautiful scenery, real sense of adventure. And one of my best journeys, ever, was my train journey from Munich to Athens some 30-odd years ago.

If you're into train travel then almost any journey is worth doing.

Why are you saying that?

I have extremely fond memories of my train journey from Warsaw to Vilnius - beautiful scenery, real sense of adventure. And one of my best journeys, ever, was my train journey from Munich to Athens some 30-odd years ago.

If you're into train travel then almost any journey is worth doing.

I say this because most people have limited time and money to spend in Europe. I also enjoy train travel, but this route in particular is not even close to cost or time effective.

I've already lived in Europe, and am not really going for sight seeing but more for seeing friends and relatives. The ride via train from Cologne-Riga would not only kill a day or two but would let me see parts of Poland and Lithuania where my family emigrated to the USA from, so it is most certainly not pointless. Gotta enjoy the journey, not just the destination.

There is no chance at all that taking the train from Cologne to the Baltics is going to be worth the time or money.

If you apply that comment universally, you would deem a lot of long-distance train journeys in Europe worthless.

I travel regularly by train between central Europe and the UK. Hardly worthless in my opinion. It would certainly be cheaper to fly, but the benefits of train travel outweigh the cost and extra time issues for me.

Each to his own.

Indeed, it depends on how you view the use of your time.

For me, short-haul plane travel is largely 'dead' time - queuing, waiting, faffing, and a little bit of reading in the middle. A little people watching at the airport, if you're lucky.

Train travel, however, is part of the day. Minimal faffing, then free time to gaze out the window, people watch, read, watch a film, doze or work as appropriate.

Of course, if you have minimal time at your destination, it makes sense to get there quickly. But if you've a little more time, you might as well enjoy the whole package...

The ride via train from Cologne-Riga would not only kill a day or two but would let me see parts of Poland and Lithuania where my family emigrated to the USA from, so it is most certainly not pointless.If this is the case, I hope your schedule can accomodate some time off the train (a stopover); it would be a shame to be in the land of your ancestors and 'only' see it go by out of a train window.

If you apply that comment universally, you would deem a lot of long-distance train journeys in Europe worthless.

I travel regularly by train between central Europe and the UK. Hardly worthless in my opinion. It would certainly be cheaper to fly, but the benefits of train travel outweigh the cost and extra time issues for me.

Each to his own.

I have spent a large % of my life living in Europe, and yes...I certainly do regard a number of long-distance train journeys in Europe to be totally without significant merit. I LOVE train travel...but given the fact that the VAST majority of visitors to Europe do not have unlimited time and money, I think it is wrong to attempt to convince someone to spend too much money for a totally inconvenient journey like this.

I have spent a large % of my life living in Europe, and yes...I certainly do regard a number of long-distance train journeys in Europe to be totally without significant merit. I LOVE train travel...but given the fact that the VAST majority of visitors to Europe do not have unlimited time and money, I think it is wrong to attempt to convince someone to spend too much money for a totally inconvenient journey like this.

No one is trying to convince the OP to do anything.

The OP came here, to the European Rail Forum, asking for advice on a train journey he had already decided to take... and he has even given us his reasons for wanting to travel by train.

Why are you trying to talk him out of it?

I took the train Vilnius to Warsaw last year. Wonderful adventure, but more adventure than I'd planned. I think it was to be 10 hours. I'd packed a bag lunch, planning to get a second meal on the train. WRONG! No food service all the way. Can't say as it hurt me, but I was really hungry when I got to Warsaw, since the train was also a couple hours late.

Hot and no air conditioning. A feisty older lady in our particular little compartment didn't like the wind blowing from the open windows so insisted they be closed. I'm not sure just what she said, as she communicated with the other younger passengers in Lithuanian. But I could tell by the expressions who was happy and who wasn't. I spent a lot of time outside the compartment in the passage, hanging out a window like a dog in an auto.

I'd read in www.seat61.com of the smooth train change, but mine didn't go that way. At the border we were directed off the train and onto a nearby bus. No signage, just people in uniforms talking and pointing. I showed them my ticket with the words Vilnius and Warsaw and they would nod. I kept asking passengers if this really was the way to get to Warsaw. Mostly they ignored me, but one took pity and in broken English said "Is OK". I took it on faith as there didn't seem to be any other alternatives. The bus took about 30 minutes to get loaded because some of the partying passengers didn't understand that they were to get off the train. Eventually everybody was loaded into the bus. It took off, and drove for a LONG time. Through country side. After maybe 45 minutes it pulled up to a tiny old train - one engine and maybe 2 or 3 cars. Out in the country. No other businesses around. Again, with no alternative in sight and because everybody else did it, I piled into the waiting train.

As we continued on the trip, the train added on cars, so by the time it got to Warsaw it was probably a dozen cars long.

Maybe in the reverse direction things will go more smoothly, but thought I'd warn OP.

Wonderful memory, even though it was a bit nervous-making at the time.

Gorgeous scenery, and the people were always kind.

Romelle

Thanks for the trip report, Romelle.

I wonder if your bus adventure was perhaps a one-off - say, they had engineering work on the line? (Something I'm very used to as it happens a lot here in the UK!) www.bahn.de lists the connection as being train all the way, with a change at Sestokai.

My journey to Vilnius a couple of years ago went perfectly smoothly - like clockwork, really. Fortunately I guessed that there was not going to be a restaurant on the train (as bahn.de didn't mention one) so stocked up on snacks before setting off.

It very well could have been something like line repair. It seemed to be treated as just the normal course of events by the other passengers, but I had no way of understanding announcements or signage. And maybe line repair or issues happen pretty often. I really don't know. I was pretty happy to reach Warsaw though.

Romelle

Ha yeah, Im not too concerned about a percieved waste of time or money you associate with train travel. I have a month to spend there at it would be great to see some parts that most tourists dont get to.

2 Years ago i took a train/bus trip from Riga-Daugavpils-Vilnius-Kalvarija and back. It was alot of fun and Im sure the options given here won't dissapoint.

Again, I know I can pay Ryanair 10 bucks to get from Weeze-Riga but whats the fun in that??

Stut,

I'm arriving on LH 441 in January 2012 but they could not book me on AIRail from Frankfurt to Stuttgart because my ticket was written by Continental.

Any suggestions? I didn't know they would pay for rail, I thought it was just a courtesy reservation.

Instead of AirRail, have you asked about rail+fly? You will need to pay a supplement, but it's usually much les than the rail fare, and gives you complete flexibility.

Instead of AirRail, have you asked about rail+fly? You will need to pay a supplement, but it's usually much les than the rail fare, and gives you complete flexibility.Would I call LH for this combination?

Would I call LH for this combination?

Yup - full details here (http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/uk/info_and_services/from_to_airport?nodeid=1771075&l=en).