Planning Rail Trip in Germany and Poland

[jis]

I will be in Berlin for a week long standards meeting in mid-June. I am extending the stay over the two weekends and hoping to get some significant amount of rail riding under my belt using a 4 days in two months Europass for Germany and Poland.

The Polish part of the trip I am looking at involves riding a regularly scheduled Steam train between Leszno and Wolsztyn. The trip is currently planned for Saturday the 20th and the itinerary I am looking at is Berlin Hbf - (EC) - Poznan Glowny - (IC) - Leszno - (RE Steam) - Wolsztyn. The return later in the day is Wolsztyn - (KM Osobowy) - Zbaszynek - (EC) - Berlin Hbf.

Has any of you ever taken this steam train and visited the Steam Museum in Wolsztyn, and if so any suggestions, things to look out for, gotchas etc.?

I believe everything except the Steam RE is covered by the Europass, and I will need to get reservations for all EC and IC in Poland, which can be handled through Eurail or DB.

The other trips I am looking at is a day roundtrip by ICE from Berlin to Munich, and a short visit to Dresden one day.

As for Visa, since Poland is part of Schengen, I have confirmed that I don't need any visa as a US Passport holder.

 

[jis]

Oh well, looks like the Steam train is most likely not operating on any predictable schedule this year, though it may show up in Poznan in the afternoon I am told by the locals who understand Polish. I don't. So scratch that idea. might just get to see it. I will just go for a day trip to Poznan by EuroCity (powered by ... guess what? ... Siemens EuroSprinters!) and ride around on the interesting tram system they have there. A Day Pass is around 10 Zlotys.

In addition I will be doing a round trip from Berlin to Munich, mainly to experience the tilting ICE-T in all its glory including the passenger cabin just behind the Engineer. I will also do a round trip from Berlin to Frankfurt on the Sprinter ICE Service, which is a nonstop 4 hour run between Berlin and Frankfurt with upgraded food service in the Bord/Restaurant I am told. I plan to have one meal on the train each way, and no the meal is not included in the first class ticket.

I have armed myself with a First Class Germany-Poland Railpass to enable my rail adventures in those two countries. I am yet to figure out what I am doing on the fourth day that I get with the pass. maybe just exploring far and wide around Berlin. I am thinking of going out to Dresden, which the ride to Munich will miss, since it heads straight for Nurenberg without making the jog to Dresden.

Anyway, now y'all know what I will be upto the weekends of 13-14 and Friday 19th afternoon and the 20th of June! My work is from Monday to Friday morning in Berlin.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Nice work if you can get it eh! Smiles

 

[Seaboard92]

If you get the chance go to the Baltic Sea Town of OdtseebadBinz. If you like narrow gauge steam that places is awesome.

 

[Railroad Bill]

I think Jis should lead an Amtrak Group Tour of Europe for those of us who have never ventured across the sea. Sounds like a lot of great European train riding..

 

[jis]

I generally try to get a bunch of trai riding under my belt whenever I got Europe for work or pleasure. I will be in the UK over Thanksgiving weekend and will be duly armed with a Britrail Pass. Haven't exactly figured out what I will actually ride yet. It's too far away.

And yes, I have always invited people who are around to join me, and sometimes we have ahd great spontaneous group trips. One of the most memorable was a day trip from Yokohama to Hiroshima which was joined by some 14 people to make a total group of 15, all assembled over after dinner drinks in the hotel in Yokohama Harborfront the previous night

Another memorable trip was on another Saturday out of Stresa Italy, where we had a week long meeting. 7 of use did a circle trip Stresa - Domodossola - Brig (Switzerland) {Glacier Express Route} - Andermatt - Goeschenen - {Gotthard Tunnel and the famous triple loop near Faido} - Bellinzona - {Centovali Light Rail } - Domodossola - Stresa. It was pronounced the most beautiful journey leading to sensory overload by one participant!.

So yeah, that has pretty much been my MO over the last 30 years of traveling work related and otherwise.

I even dragged along two random people that I met at the hotel in Singapore on my train journey Singapore - Kuala Lumpur - Butterworth - Padang Besar - Hat Yai - Bangkok! It came complete with an encounter with Thai Police in Hat Yai due to mistaken identities, fortunately resolved rather quickly. If you think TSA is weird, Thai Police is ten times weirder and with many fewer legal constraints.holding them back. However, somehow being able to flash an American Passport at them seems to help calm down their passions considerably, unless of course you are involved with drugs. Upon reflection, it was probably not the most prudent thing to drag along two random people that I knew for less than 48 hours, but then the follies of youth are endless. However, one of them being a rather pretty woman changed the equation considerably apparently.

 

[cirdan]

I don't know if its on your itinerary but possibly the Berlin to Munich train will be passing Nurenberg. When there, and if you can fit it in the rail museum is an absolute must if you're a museum sort of person. The collection is pretty amazing.

If you have some time to kill in Munich, the Deutsches Museum there is worth it. It's basically all about science and technology and has a rail section. But the rest of the museum is worth it too.

If you do Dresden, just the city itself with all its baroque architecture is simply amazing to look at. Much of it was destroyed in the war and under socialist rule much of that was left to rot so although it looks pretty authentic, much of it wasn't put back together until the last 20 years or so. That makes it even more amazing when you bear that in mind. A lot of it was financed by private donations from across the world.

 

[jis]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been to Munich many times for weeks at a time, so this time I am there only to ride the ICE-T and not spending more than a couple of hours there. Yes the train will go through Nurenberg, but unfortunately, Nurenberg will also have to wait until my next trip to Berlin, but I will keep it in mind. Until; the new high speed line goes into service in east Germany cutting the running time between Berlin and Munich by 2 hours in 2016 a round trip to Munich from Berlin pretty much eats up most of the day unfortunately. Afterall and ICE-T does not travel nearly as fast as a regular ICE.

I am still waiting to figure out what my "must go to" meetings are in the agenda and how they are scheduled. If I can find a suitable opening for an entire afternoon I will make it to Dresden, otherwise not. So we'll see. but I will keep the advice in mind. Thanks.

And meanwhile the moral equivalent of the "Great Dig" in Germany - the Brandenburg International Airport - goes on and on and on. It won;t be in service for another few years at least. So I will still be using the old and trusted Berlin Tegel. The more famous Tempelhof of the Berlin Airlift fame is now shut down and turned into a park.

 

[jis]

Man! Getting a reservation on a Polish Euroocity for a Eurailpass is right up there with many other tedious experiences, like getting an Indian or Russian or Brazilian Visa for example. It took me several hours on the phone this afternoon to finally extract a pair of reservations and have the reservation slips issued for Berlin - Poznan and Poznan - Berlin!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Enjoy the Cabbage Soup,Potato Pancakes, Sausage and Black bread along with Vodka when you're in Poland!

And perhaps the old ways of "tipping" the officials would expedite any paperwork or customs hassels when crossing the Border!

 

[railbuck]

And perhaps the old ways of "tipping" the officials would expedite any paperwork or customs hassels when crossing the Border!

There's no paperwork or customs formalities at the German-Polish border, it's all intra-Schengen. No different than crossing the border from Illinois to Missouri.

 

[Bob Dylan]

And perhaps the old ways of "tipping" the officials would expedite any paperwork or customs hassels when crossing the Border!

There's no paperwork or customs formalities at the German-Polish border, it's all intra-Schengen. No different than crossing the border from Illinois to Missouri.

Thanks, you can tell how long its been since I traveled in Eastern Europe! (back in the Cold War era!)

 

[jis]

Yes, I have just crossed the bridge across Oder into Poland at Frankfurt the last time I was in Berlin a few years back. No hassles at all.