Travelers planning to take the train over the Christmas holidays are advised to book early and reserve seats, as current bookings for trips around the festive season are approximately six percent higher than last year, Deutsche Bahn announced on Sunday in Berlin. The main travel days fall between 18 December and 23 December.
Deutsche Bahn highlighted the expansion of seat availability in recent years and the timetable change on 14 December, which will include connections such as ICE trains linking 21 cities every half hour. “Therefore, despite the high demand for the entire Christmas and New Year period, many affordable Super-Saver fares are still available, even on popular routes,” the company said.
Passengers with tickets that are not tied to a specific train are particularly advised to check the train occupancy display, which indicates how busy each service is. Less crowded and usually cheaper options are generally available outside peak travel times, such as early mornings or late evenings. In any case, the railway strongly recommends reserving a seat.
Seasonal considerations mean that construction work on the rail network will be “reduced to a minimum,” Deutsche Bahn added. Additionally, key construction projects are scheduled to be completed by the timetable change before the holidays. This includes routes such as Berlin to Leipzig/Halle, as well as connections between Berlin, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), Dresden, and Prague.
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