Planning a train journey from Germany to Netherlands

[LittleGreyCat]

I thought I had this sussed but I was having trouble today finding a train route.

I want to go from Wesel to Hook of Holland, but am told there isn't a train all the way.
Previous research suggested a direct train to the Hague/Den Haag then cycle down the coast to HofH.

All well and good but when I checked via DuckDuckGo search I kept getting Trainline.com which said there weren't any trains.

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Wesel/The-Hague seems quite happy that there is a train route, though.
Two changes, Arnhem Centraal and Utrcht Centraal.

So, apart from Rome2Rio, can anyone recommend a reliable train planner?

The plan is to book the tickets once we are in Wesel with our bikes (3 of us).

[Cyril Haearn]

Themaninseat61 has been mentioned
I think the line to hook was closed to be upgraded
Try searching these fora, has been mentioned before

[Jdsk]

As above, The Man in Seat Sixty-One for background:
https://www.seat61.com

Deutsche Bahn for details and booking, not just for Germany, and pretty good on bike options:
https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml

Jonathan

[st599_uk]

Bahn is showing you need to take 3 trains
Wesel - Arnhem - Utrecht - Den Haag

Remember to tick the bicycle option when searching as ICE trains don't accept bikes.

[yutkoxpo]

Two changes, Arnhem Centraal and Utrcht Centraal.

So, apart from Rome2Rio, can anyone recommend a reliable train planner?

The plan is to book the tickets once we are in Wesel with our bikes (3 of us).

This is the Dutch train site. https://www.nsinternational.nl/en
While you can't book bikes online I read that is not what you want. You can at least use it for planning & timing.

I understand you will be cycling through NL on your way to Germany so I would suggest stopping off at the ticket desk in any large town and purchasing your ticket in advance. English is generally easier understood in NL than Germany.

There will be several changes, so allow a reasonable time to change platforms. Arnhem/Utrecht both have lifts to access platforms - handy for loaded bikes.

Good luck!

[LittleGreyCat]

As above, The Man in Seat Sixty-One for background:
https://www.seat61.com

Deutsche Bahn for details and booking, not just for Germany, and pretty good on bike options:
https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml

Jonathan

Thanks to all.

seat61 doesn't do routes from less significant stations.

DB says that there is a bus replacement service between Emmerich and Arnhem Centraal which may explain the hiccup from Trainline.
Emmerich is apparently the border crossing.
Just checked on Cycle.Travel and that is about 100 km so not a short cycle ride between stations.

Now need to know if we can get 3 cycles on the bus replacement service.

[m-gineering]

Just checked on Cycle.Travel and that is about 100 km so not a short cycle ride between stations.

Interesting , given that Wesel is ~ 40 km's from the Dutch border. I'd say jump on the bike, aim for Arnhem or Nijmegen (could be the hillier option) and hop on the train there

[Will]

As above, The Man in Seat Sixty-One for background:
https://www.seat61.com

Deutsche Bahn for details and booking, not just for Germany, and pretty good on bike options:
https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml

Jonathan

Thanks to all.

seat61 doesn't do routes from less significant stations.

DB says that there is a bus replacement service between Emmerich and Arnhem Centraal which may explain the hiccup from Trainline.
Emmerich is apparently the border crossing.
Just checked on Cycle.Travel and that is about 100 km so not a short cycle ride between stations.

Now need to know if we can get 3 cycles on the bus replacement service.

An alternative would be to get the Arnhem train (RE19) in the opposite direction to Düsseldorf Hbf, and then via Venlo and Eindhoven to Den Haag Central. You can find this option on the Deutsche Bahn website by adding Düsseldorf Hbf as an intermediate stop.

Will

[LittleGreyCat]

Thanks again to all.

After some fettling on the DB site I did find a longer route which has more changes but circles around the engineering works.
Very impressed by the DB site as it allows you to filter for routes which allow cycles.

Also allows you to set a minimum time for changes.
I looked at the "Default" option timings and one change was 3 minutes.
For a first time user of continental train services this seemed too short, especially as you have to reserve bike slots on all the trains.
I took the "at least 10 minutes" option which made the journey longer but I would rather wait another 15 minutes at an intermediate station than try to get bike and panniers out of a train, across to another platform (possibly including stairs/lifts) and onto another train within 3 minutes!

At the moment it is looking good.

We shall see......

[st599_uk]

Thanks again to all.

After some fettling on the DB site I did find a longer route which has more changes but circles around the engineering works.
Very impressed by the DB site as it allows you to filter for routes which allow cycles.

Also allows you to set a minimum time for changes.
I looked at the "Default" option timings and one change was 3 minutes.
For a first time user of continental train services this seemed too short, especially as you have to reserve bike slots on all the trains.
I took the "at least 10 minutes" option which made the journey longer but I would rather wait another 15 minutes at an intermediate station than try to get bike and panniers out of a train, across to another platform (possibly including stairs/lifts) and onto another train within 3 minutes!

At the moment it is looking good.

We shall see......

In Germany, the ticket will tell you if you have a seat reservation (1 sitzplatz) and if you do it will have a carriage (Wg.) and seat number (Pl.). There will be a map near the timetable board showing how far along the platform the carriage will be.

Also, you may wish to book in advance as tickets on DB are cheap! I did a week earlier this year Berlin to Colditz, Colditz to Dresden, Dresden to Prague - all for less than £50.

[Slowroad]

Also, you may wish to book in advance as tickets on DB are cheap! I did a week earlier this year Berlin to Colditz, Colditz to Dresden, Dresden to Prague - all for less than £50.

Hmm... you've got me tempted there! I do want to go and stay in the Jugendherberge (youth hostel) at Colditz! What was the cycling like round there? (Apologies for going a bit off-topic...)

[Cyril Haearn]

For long-distance trains there is a Wagenstandanzeiger on the platform, shows where to find first class, cycle storage etc
If you use local trains try asking fellow passengers, some platforms are long, the train might not stop in the middle
Often one can use the vestibule which is not strictly allowed, stay with your bike and make room for people to get on and off
If you are lucky you may use double-decker trains, they usually have one or more multipurpose coaches for cycles, wheelchairs etc

Colditz is great, I stayed in the old hostel there before the castle was converted
Might meet British people there, mind

[st599_uk]

Also, you may wish to book in advance as tickets on DB are cheap! I did a week earlier this year Berlin to Colditz, Colditz to Dresden, Dresden to Prague - all for less than £50.

Hmm... you've got me tempted there! I do want to go and stay in the Jugendherberge (youth hostel) at Colditz! What was the cycling like round there? (Apologies for going a bit off-topic...)

Really nice town and the JH is really good - 30 euros for a single room with breakfast. You can do a tour round the prisoner's part of the castle in the morning.

The castle is just off a cycle track that takes you off towards the Danube or a walking track (that you could probably approximate on a bike) following Luther's escapades in the region. Leipzig and Dresden within a day or twos cycle in each direction.


http://www.mulderadweg.de/

[steelframe]

as ICE trains don't accept bikes.

This has changed recently and is no longer true. Some of the newest ICEs do, but currently this is only a fraction of the ICEs. With the ICEs you do have however to reserve a place for a bike in advance and as there are only about eight spots for the whole ICE they are quickly sold out way in advance and you may be out of luck.

[Will]

as ICE trains don't accept bikes.

This has changed recently and is no longer true. Some of the newest ICEs do, but currently this is only a fraction of the ICEs. With the ICEs you do have however to reserve a place for a bike in advance and as there are only about eight spots for the whole ICE they are quickly sold out way in advance and you may be out of luck.

The new ICE trains are the ICE 4s, and they currently only run on the following routes:

Hamburg – Stuttgart
Hamburg – Munich
Berlin – Munich (via Leipzig/Erfurt)
Dortmund – Munich (via Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart)

Prior to the introduction of the ICE 4, there were some "ICE" trains that can take bikes. There is a variety of ICE called ICE-T. This is the tilting version of the ICE 3 , but has a much lower top speed. They were designed to be used on the non-high speed tracks (hence the tilting), but are still designated as ICE. These trains typically have space for three bikes, though I don't think they are numbered racks like on the ICE 4 and IC trains.

If you do a search on the DB Bahn website for trains that can take bikes, and the results show an ICE train, then it may be one of the ICE-Ts (3 bike spaces) rather than an ICE 4 (with 8 spaces). For example: ICE 1556 leaving Dresden Hbf at 14:10 heading to Wiesbaden Hbf shows "Bicycles conveyed - subject to reservation , Number of bicycles conveyed limited" on the DB Bahn website - This is an ICE-T, not an ICE 4.

Will