TIPS AND HINTS FOR OUR GLOBE-TROTTERS
On German ice
The InterCity Express (ICE) train network is the pride of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn. They can run at up to 300kmph, are built by Siemens and others, and operated mainly in Germany and its neighbouring countries.
Main networks
North to south
Hamburg via Hanover, Kassel and Nuremberg/Würzburg to Munich
Hamburg via Hanover, Frankfurt to Stuttgart
Hamburg via Berlin, Leipzig and Nuremberg to Munich
Dortmund via Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart to Munich
West to east
Bonn - Cologne - Hamm - Hanover - Berlin
Cologne - Dortmund - Kassel - Leipzig - Dresden
Saarbrücken - Frankfurt - Leipzig - Dresden
International lines
Frankfurt - Cologne - Duisburg into the Netherlands to Amsterdam
Frankfurt - Cologne - Aachen into Belgium to Liège and Brussels
Stuttgart into Switzerland to Zürich
Some trains to Basel continue into Switzerland to Interlaken and Chur
Some trains to Nuremberg continue via Passau into Austria to Vienna
Some trains to Munich continue into Austria via Kufstein to Innsbruck
Some trains go in Austria between Vienna and Innsbruck |
highlights
- Most seats have an audio minijack, allowing passengers to plug in headphones and choose from about 7 music channels and radio stations. Basic headphones can be purchased on the trains
- On some trains, there is at least one carriage where seats are equipped with LCD screens that connect to Bahn TV
- The vast majority of ICE trains have power outlets for electrical devices, such as laptops, on all seats
- A display above indicates seats that have been reserved. Passengers without reservations are permitted to take seats with a blank display, or seats with no reservation on the current section
- At both ends of ICE-T and ICE3 trains there is a passenger compartment (one end 1st and the other end 2nd class) with a view of the tracks, through a clear glass window separating the compartment from the driver's cabin. The driver can, however, frost the glass at will through the press of a button
- There is a compartment with a play area for children
- All ICE trains have repeater carriages. These amplifiers greatly enhance mobile phone reception by taking the signals from within the car to the outside (and vice versa). Alternately, there are also silent carriages where laptops, mobile phones and other 'noisy' equipment should not be used
vital statistics
Official name
Federal Republic of Germany
Capital city
Berlin
Area
357,021 sq km
Population
82,398,000
Time zone
GMT/UTC +1 (central European time)
Official language
German
Religions
34% Protestant, 34% Catholic, 4% Muslim, 28% unaffiliated or other
Currency
Euro
Electricity
230V 50Hz
Electric plug details
European plug with two circular pins
Country dialing code
49
|
