by train to Frankfurt?

[birkhead]

We have read all sorts of posts and blogs that say how easy it is to travel by train with bike.
Previously we have traveled to Paris and beyond by train without too much hassle, setting aside minor issues like tgv hitting 'animal' and getting delayed by 3 hours. After soem years, we reckjon to have the SNCF well sussed.
We are finding getting info quite challenging for international sections, eg Belgium.
Here is our plan:
[list=]Virgin Train from bonnie Scotland to LondonKX,
Eurostar LondonStP to Brussel
Brussel to Aachen with 1 change
Aachen to Frankfurt with several changes
[/list]
Bahn.de is a good mine of info for intra-German sections
Belgian website info is not very useful for bikes.
Any advice from more experienced rail users welcomed. Is there a better way that does not involve sea or air journeys?
We are planning to head via the Romantische Route to the Danube to Vienna.

[Cyril Haearn]

In Germany there are plenty of IC (not ICE) trains from Koeln to Frankfurt/Main that take bikes, no change, via Koblenz, reservation advisable. The ICE on the new line is faster but the very first ICEs with bike space have just been introduced, I doubt whether any will be running there. The route via Koblenz is much more scenic

Make sure to distinguish between Frankfurt/M and Frankfurt an der Oder, the latter is beyond Berlin on the Polish border

[foxyrider]

Book by phone with Bahn.com - their number in London is on the English language version of their site.

Do not change in Aachen - the Thalys service from Brussels goes through to Köln where you can get connections to literally anywhere in Germany. There is a stopping express too which is probably cheaper and easier to get bikes onto. You could also potentially use Flixbus from either Brussels or Köln - somewhat cheaper than the rail fare!

The ICE trains might be fast but the fares are outrageous so use the IC/RE network. Try to avoid journeys that go via Mainz, you may have to make an extra change whereas those via Wiesbaden go direct to Frankfurt. Of course depending on your plans you might not want to be in central Frankfurt, get off at the airport instead and in a few minutes you are in the Hesse countryside.

If you are heading for the Romantic Road you could either go by train direct to Würzburg from Frankfurt, ride across the Spessart hills to same or to the Taubertal (Wertheim on the Main is the entry point) which will take you down to Rothenburg. An alternative is to follow the Main to the Tauber or Würzburg.

To put it in some context - following the river is a fairly relaxed two days to the Tauber and a further day to Rothenburg. Via Würzburg is another day on the journey as the river wobbles about quite a bit. The route through Spessart can comfortably be done in a day to the Tauber, I have done Würzburg in a day but it was a long day. There are quite a lot of camping opportunities and plenty of other accommodation in places like Miltenburg and Wertheim although i'd avoid staying in Würzburg as its pretty expensive.

There are good campsites outside of Wertheim, Rothenburg, and Dinkelsbuhl, I always stay at the Alte Rose in Nördlingen as a treat for old bones then at Donauworth the Kanuklub offers very cheap basic camping facilities a few minutes from the town centre. On the Danube there is camping at Ingolstadt and Regensburg which is as far as i've followed the river.

Hope it all works out for you

[pal]

Do not change in Aachen - the Thalys service from Brussels goes through to Köln where you can get connections to literally anywhere in Germany. There is a stopping express too which is probably cheaper and easier to get bikes onto.

I think that the Thalys only takes bagged/folded bikes, doesn't it? As already discussed, too, the ICE trains are v. restricted in bike carriage. Otherwise, taking a bike on Belgian trains is, in theory, unproblematic: a charitable way to explain the lack of info on the Belgian Rail website is because there are almost no restrictions, other than the requirement to buy a bike ticket (which can be done online, or at the station/from a ticket machine). Some trains have a specific bike storage area (though this can sometimes be locked, and the guard with the key nowhere to be seen...), and there's sometimes a bit of a climb from platform up to train; but in general people are pretty relaxed about bikes in the vestibule areas, etc.

+1 for foxyrider's advice to give the D.Bahn UK ticket office a ring, though: they've always been very helpful indeed in my experience.

[birkhead]

I thought it might be helpful to update this post with our experiences. I was very pushed, since I was 'working' full time finishing a new build, so did not have much time to prepare and plan. I could not find bike bag, so Susie and myself spent a day making two lightweight bike bags [recipe available on request]. Bikes wheels were zip-tied to the frame, handlebars and pedals removed.
We booked trains from Arbroath to LondonKCX, but could only get one bike booking on the desired East Coast train, so one bike went in its bag in the guards van, the other whole. Then took bikes to the luggage bureau at London StPancras station for overnight delivery to Brussels, no booking required and CTC discount obtained [not very willingly]. We planned to spend a day in Brussels, so did not pick up the bikes until 36hrs later, not a problem.
We booked ICE trains to Frankfurt via Koln [change]. Belgian Rail was the best info source we found, and good for booking trains too, tho it was not easy to get the info about what trains would take what bikes from anywhere. Having retrieved the bikes from the luggage office in Brussels Zuid station, we took the whole bike apart and packed it into its bag near to the lift to the departure platform. It was not easy to carry bikebag plus 2 panniers plus bag of food and drink, so logistics were critical. Then found the place on the platform relevant to our booked coach.
There were no places on the train where packed bikes could be easily placed, but a space was found at the entrance to the adjacent restaurant, and I kept an eye on them to remove suitcases occasionally piled on top. Change in Koln involved platform change, which was a bit of a struggle, and we arrived in Frankfurt, where I spent a good 40mins fitting the bikes together on the platform, both undamaged.
The following day we had booked the bike bus to Wurzburg. It turned out to be an ordinary coach, so bikes went in the under floor side boot. After a rapid drive along minor motorways, we were dropped at Wurzburg station, and after a coffee we set off following signs and gps track through the town.
We really enjoyed the whole trip, and I will just pin a few highlights here. We followed the route of the Romantic Way south to the Danube. I think that when I downloaded the gps track, I failed to pay enough attention to the options of west/east route, and we found our first day was much longer than intended, since it followed winding river valleys to Tauberbischopsheim. But it was an altogether delightful route, and one highlight was being offered fresh 'mackerel' [ie trout!] grilled over a charcoal fire by the river. Each town we came to seemed to be a walled town, beautifully restored, paved squares full of cafes, bike racks, charging points for e-bikes, free wifi, many gasthaus equipped to deal with cyclists. We saw a few cyclists along the wayof all sorts - families with very young children, older people, roadies training near the towns, e-bikers, day riders and shoppers - but never crowded on the road, though the cafes were often busy. The route was almost entirely on cycle paths, very occasionally on minor rural roads, and not hilly at all. Sometimes the paths were dust finish, but c.90% was tarmac. The route book gave details of all accommodation, so we often did not book until late in the day [late August is fin-de-saison] or not pre-booked at all.
When we reached the Danube, we turned left and headed east to Vienna. Again there was enough variety to keep our attention, and enough cafes to keep us fed and watered. Reached Vienna just in time for a few days for the 70th birthday celebration, and then went on to Bratislava, where we were welcomed in the Parliament etc during National Day, and really enjoyed this little capital city too. As vegetarians, the focus on wurst was not very welcome, but the coffee and cakes more than compensated. No rain, no p****res.

[Cyril Haearn]

+1
Germany is great, Austria too (a bit different)
I would have taken the train to Wuerzburg