Berlin to Munich by Train
The Direct ICE in Around Four Hours

Direct trains to Munich leave from the lower level of Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the city's great glass crossing station, where the north-south lines run below ground. Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the stop most travellers use: it sits in the centre near the government quarter, with S-Bahn, the U5 underground line and trams on the doorstep.

It is not the only option. Many Munich trains start a few minutes earlier at Berlin Gesundbrunnen in the north of the city, which suits travellers from Prenzlauer Berg, Wedding or Pankow, and regular ICEs usually also call at Berlin Südkreuz on the southern Ringbahn, handy for Schöneberg, Tempelhof and the south. The fastest limited-stop trains may skip Südkreuz. Stopping patterns vary by train, so check which Berlin stations your departure serves before you set off.

Out of Berlin the line runs south across the flat, wooded country of Brandenburg into Saxony-Anhalt. Regular ICEs call at Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the town where Martin Luther set the Reformation in motion, and at Bitterfeld, before reaching Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, one of the largest station buildings in Europe and a lively city well worth a stopover.

Not every train goes through Leipzig. Some of the fastest limited-stop ICEs call at Halle (Saale) instead, on a parallel branch that joins the high-speed line towards Erfurt, and pass Wittenberg and Bitterfeld without stopping. If you want Leipzig or Halle specifically, check the stops shown for your train when you book.

From Leipzig or Halle the train joins the high-speed line west to Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia and the hub of this route. The direct Berlin to Munich ICEs normally call here, and the station is a short tram ride from one of Germany's best-preserved medieval centres, with the cathedral and St Severus church above the Domplatz and the inhabited Krämerbrücke bridge, which makes Erfurt an easy break in the journey.

South of Erfurt comes the most striking part of the trip. The high-speed line, completed in 2017, cuts through the Thuringian Forest on a long sequence of tunnels and viaducts, so views come in short bursts of wooded valleys between stretches underground. It is this line that brought the fastest journeys down to around four hours, and it emerges in Upper Franconia on the way to Bamberg.

This is a fast, practical trip rather than a scenic railway, but the run through the Thuringian Forest, all tunnels and high viaducts over wooded valleys, is worth looking up from your screen for.

Out of the forest the line drops into Franconia. Regular ICEs call at Bamberg, whose old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and at Erlangen, while the fastest trains pass through without stopping. All the direct high-speed ICEs between Berlin and Munich normally call at Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof, which stands just outside the medieval city walls, a walk from the old town and the Kaiserburg castle.

From Nuremberg the trains normally run on the high-speed line via Ingolstadt to Munich, and most Berlin trains do not stop at Ingolstadt. From 30 October to 12 December 2026 that line is closed, so trains are diverted and some call at Ingolstadt; check the stops shown for your train. If you want to break the journey here, Railero's Nuremberg to Munich guide covers the final leg in detail.

Direct trains from Berlin arrive at München Hauptbahnhof, Munich's main station on the western edge of the old town. The station is being extensively rebuilt, so expect construction work and changing walkways around the main hall, and allow a few extra minutes to find your way.

The centre is close. Marienplatz is two S-Bahn stops away, or a walk of around 15 to 20 minutes through Karlsplatz and the pedestrian streets, and the U-Bahn, trams and S-Bahn lines from the station reach the whole city. Munich is also the gateway to Bavaria and the Alps, with trains on to Salzburg, Innsbruck and beyond.

Seat reservations are optional on ICE trains within Germany, and Deutsche Bahn sells tickets with or without one. On a journey of four hours or more on one of the country's busiest routes, a reservation is worth considering, especially on Fridays, Sundays and around holidays. Interrail says you can travel around Germany by train with an Interrail Pass, and it lists reservations on Germany's high-speed ICE trains as optional, though recommended at busy times; the reservation is not included with the pass, so book it separately if you want a guaranteed seat, and check the conditions of your specific pass.

For tickets, the cheaper Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis fares are tied to a specific train and usually cost less the earlier you book, while the Flexpreis costs more but lets you travel on any train on your chosen day, which matters if you might stop off on the way. Fares change with demand, so compare a few departures.

Luggage is not weighed or measured, but Deutsche Bahn allows usual hand luggage plus one larger piece you can carry yourself, which must fit through the doors; store it on the racks, between seat backs or under the seat. Full-size bikes need a long-distance bike ticket and a reserved bike space booked in advance, and only some ICE trains carry bikes, so filter for bike-friendly connections when you search. Folded bikes travel free as hand luggage.