Analise

I am thinking about taking the train from AMS to Stuttgart this summer. For high speed rails, the Dutch website is actually more expensive than the Deutche Bahn website.

If I buy my ticket from the DB website, will I be able print the ticket at the rail station at AMS from their machines when I arrive? Am I right to assume that I can buy the from the Deutsche Bahn website instead of the Dutch Rail website since the DB is much cheaper even though my journey starts in the Netherlands? Thanks.

Aviatrix

DB tickets are print-at-home (or you can have them posted to you, for a surcharge). I don't think there is any option of printing them at a station.

I regularly travel from the Netherlands to Germany and always buy my tickets from bahn.de. As long as you are able to print your own ticket you should have no problems whatsoever.

Analise

I didn't remember that, thank you. I can certainly print them at home. As long as DB tickets are accepted starting on an AMS regional train (an IC) heading to an ICE train, I'm all set. Thanks.

Analise

Thinking about buying 1st class DB tickets b/w AMS and Stuttgart. Does the higher price include drinks and snacks/meals? Or is there an extra charge? Also, is wifi free in 1st class on ICE and IC? What is the cost of Wifi in 2nd class?

KQ321

There is at-seat service in 1st class, but I don't think it is complementary. See
Die Angebote der Bordgastronomie for more details (in German; the English version of the site doesn't have so much detail, but you can use Google Translate or similar on the German).

If you're travelling 1st class on the ICE/IC you should have access to the 1st class lounge in both Amsterdam Centraal and Stuttgart Hbf. The DB lounges have complimentary drinks, but not food (unless they have a dedicated 1st class area, which Stuttgart doesn't) - details at DB Lounge: Die 1. Klasse im Bahnhof (again, in German). I'm not sure what the Amsterdam lounge offers. (EDIT: However, bruce80 has provided a review here: Amsterdam C Railteam Lounge (NS Hispeed Lounge). That said, if the OP is starting from AMS Schiphol, they won't need to pass through Centraal...)

DB has wifi on some of its ICE trains/routes, but not on the ICs. The bahn.de journey planner should indicate which trains are equipped with wifi. Coming from Amsterdam, you might get wifi from Frankfurt Flughafen or Duisburg to Stuttgart, but I don't think you'll get it in the Netherlands.

More details at Hotspot im ICE (also in German).

I thought wifi was free in 1st class - but I can't find confirmation of that on the DB site. It directs to www.HotSpot.de for regular prices - which appear to be €4.95 for 24hrs (I thought it was significantly more than that, but maybe they've dropped their prices recently; or perhaps it's more expensive on the train than at static hotspots).

Wifi in the DB lounges is free.

1st class also gets you more space (1+2 seating, rather than 2+2) and is generally less likely to be crowded.

Aviatrix

Dutch Intercity trains have free wifi in both first and second class - but this only applies to Dutch rolling stock. A lot of cross-border services use German rolling stock.

bruce80

Not all of them; on several routes (like Heerlen-Schagen) it's a matter of luck whether you'll get wifi or not.

Regarding the AMS lounge: It'a a bit hard to find (go upstairs to platform 1), but it's quite nice (although the seating is not too comfortable). I've posted something about the lounge in this forum a few weeks ago, maybe you want to do a search for it.

On the DB part, wifi on the trains is definitely not free (nor is the 1st class at-seat service, except for newspapers and, if you're lucky, a tiny piece of chocolate/crackers/etc.), and it's probably not woth paying for. The network is really weak and it's only offered between Dortmund, Frankfurt and Stuttgart (high-speed routes only) and between Frankfurt and Hamburg (via Hannover).

The lounges use the same t-mobile sevice, but it's free (you just have to accept the TOS).

Analise

I'm not a fan of Google Translate which is why I asked here. I'll try it though.

Yes, I'm starting from AMS not Amsterdam Centraal. Good to know in advance that food/meals aren't complimentary.

I'll do the search. If there is an AMS lounge for 1st class rail passengers that will allow me to get drinks, that will be nice. My wait may be 2-3 hours so having a lounge to enjoy is a nice perk which is further making me lean toward 1st class.

Thanks.

Wifi isn't worth the price or did you mean 1st Class?

I don't have t-mobile. But its wifi is free?

KQ321

Bruce80's review was of the lounge in Amsterdam Centraal, not Schiphol. However, there is also a NS Hispeed Lounge at Schiphol, which you should have access to (with a 1st class international rail ticket).

Analise

Thanks. The flight I'll probably take from JFK arrives around 6am. The lounge opens at 8. Oh well!

The ICE between Duisburg and Stuttgart goes through Köln. If I reserve a seat which faces forward leaving Duisburg, will the train change direction in Köln as I remember it sometimes doing?

flyingfkb

It should not. Cologne is a through train station. Does your train stop at Frankfurt central station? If yes, it will change directions there because Frankfurt central station is a terminus.

KQ321

It seems that all the Duisburg - Stuttgart direct ICEs (which in fact run Dortmund - Duisburg - Stuttgart - Munich) go via Frankfurt Flughafen (which is also a through station), not Frankfurt Hbf.

Although Cologne is a through station, I thought a few trains reversed there - but I might be entirely wrong. However, the Duisburg - Stuttgart ICEs only have a 6 minute stop there, and I think DB schedules generally allow a bit longer than that, if a train is reversing.

bruce80

The train definitely reverses directions in Cologne Central station. There have been a few trains from Frankfurt to Amsterdam vv which took the southern route via Cologne South (thus not reversing direction in Cologne Central), but I'm not sure whether they still take this route.
However, the direct trains between Dortmund and Munich (via Cologne, Frankfurt Airport and Stuttgart) definitely reverse directions in Cologne and Stuttgart (and only there).

Another hint: If you are using the ICE service from Amsterdam to Duisburg, you should actually stay on board of this train until Frankfurt Airport. Changing there is much more convenient (you'll only have to walk across the platform from track 4 to track 5, and if travelling first class you may also use the DB Lounge in Frankfurt Airport) and you'll avoid the usually pretty crowded section between Cologne and Frankfurt Airport on the Dortmund-Munich trains.

Some clarification on wifi: the wifi on the train and in the general areas of the station is not free (and it's not worth paying for, some also say that paying for first class isn't worth it, but as I'm usually travelling first class I would say that it's worth it for me) while wifi in the lounges is usually free. All of these services use t-mobile as their provider, but once in the lounge (or near the lounge) you don't have to provide login credentials, just tick the "accept TOS" checkbox and there you go.

Yep, you are entirely wrong Sometimes, they even couple a second unit there which will be readily waiting at the platform when the train from Dortmund arrives.

tom911

I have some first class photos from last month. I was with two friends and the additional fare to F was only about $10 each for these 4-5 hour trips--very worthwhile for the extra space. Can't recall seeing that minimal difference before when I booked solo.

ICE Second Class Berlin-Leipzig



ICE First Class Leipzig-Munich





EC First Class Salzburg-Frankfurt

Analise

Great pictures, tom911!