It's the age of the train, we're told - Europe is expanding and simplifying its international services and more and more people are choosing trains over planes for both domestic and cross-border trips.
I'm one of those people - I'm fully on board with the (latest) golden age of rail and have enjoyed exploring France and further afield by train.
It's a wonderful and relaxed way to travel - I've happily whiled away whole days reading books, gazing at lovely views, day-dreaming and drinking coffee/wine.
7 of the most beautiful train journeys in France
There's only one tiny fly in the ointment - Deutsche Bahn.
The German state rail operator runs German domestic services, but also an increasing number of international services, including the new Paris-Berlin direct route.
To say that DB's reputation for reliability is poor would be a profound understatement. And this isn't just a problem if you're going to Berlin, Munich or Hamburg - the country's inconveniently central position within Europe means that a lot of long-distance trips go through Germany.
Here are my 5 tips for staying (relatively) sane while DB screws up your journey;
Don't make plans
You may be late - the punctuality rate for Deutsche Bahn's long-distance services in 2024 was 62.5 percent - the lowest figure since statistics began getting recorded in 2001.
Overall one in three DB trains are delayed. So do you feel lucky (punk)?
The key here is not to make any firm plans for the time immediately after your arrival. Train due in Hamburg at 7.30pm and you have tickets to a concert starting at 8pm? You are either an optimist or simply delusional.
Delays are a lot less stressful if there's nothing riding on them - if at all possible leave the day/evening of your arrival as flexible as you can so that you're not stressing about missed reservations or standing up your friends.
Likewise if you're connecting in Germany, leave plenty of time between trains.
If you're travelling for something truly important like a job interview then arrive the night before - €30 for a cheap hotel is more than worth it to save you from burning holes in your stomach lining from anxiety as you watch your appointment time come and go while your train is inexplicably stationary in a siding somewhere near Worms.
Don't get too comfy
One of the main plus points of train travel is that it is comfortable - sure it takes a little longer, but you have a comfy seat, a charging point for your devices, you can bring on your own food and drink (no 100ml limits) or saunter to the buffet car for a coffee, glass of wine or snack.
However, DB appears to like to mix things up - so that your 'direct' train might suddenly stop half way, your connection might end up being at a totally different station or train staff might abruptly decide to shift all passengers to a different train.
Information can be limited and it's not totally unprecedented to be told that you now have three minutes to get off this train, sprint through the station and board another one, or face a three-hour wait in Weimar.
You need to therefore keep your stuff together, not unpack too much and be prepared to very hastily gather everything together and get off the train.
Likewise train naps - usually one of the best bits of a long journey - should be kept short and light. Sleep too deeply and you'll miss the single announcement about changes and find yourself spending the night in Wittenberg.
If you end up on a different train to the one you were booked on, you won't have a reserved seat. You may get lucky and find a vacant seat or, depending on how busy the train is, you may not.
If you have the opportunity to charge your phone, go to the toilet or get a coffee from the buffet car then take it - you never know when this will change.
Learn as many languages as possible
The general rule for international trains is that announcements are made in the languages of the departure and arrival point, with English often added as a third option.
However, Deutsche Bahn announcements can vary quite substantially between the various languages. It's often the case on international services that the English announcement has less detail, but DB appears to like to switch things up by giving contradictory information in different languages.
On a recent trip from Paris to Berlin, when approaching Frankfurt the conductor said in German that there would be a delay in Frankfurt, while French speakers were told that the train would unexpectedly terminate in Frankfurt and English-speakers were just informed that Frankfurt was the next station.
In this case the French-speakers got the correct information, and the supposedly direct train to Berlin stopped in Frankfurt with passengers instructed to find their own way to the German capital.
Or make friends with your fellow passengers
If learning another language just for a train journey sounds a bit much (especially if you're only passing through Germany) then make friends with your fellow passengers, who will be happy to translate for you.
Either I've been extremely lucky or DB changes people - but on each of my German train trips I've been struck by the fact that the German passengers are exceptionally helpful to non-Germans, translating announcements and offering information, help and tips.
Going back to the problem of announcements, if you don't speak three languages then you can form a collective with your seatmates and pool the information gleaned.
You may also need local knowledge - when travelling through Germany to Copenhagen we were unexpectedly turfed off the train in Flensburg and issued with complicated instructions to take a replacement bus service, then a local bus service, then a different train line onwards to Denmark.
No replacement bus service arrived, but as we waited a helpful Hamburg man pointed out that the journey to the next train station was a €100 taxi ride, or €20 if five of us clubbed together. I leapt at the opportunity, and on the ride he helpfully told us all which service we needed and how to claim compensation for the journey from BD.
I find that German passengers tend to be very apologetic (needlessly) about their country's awful train service, and seem keen to help foreigners.
Remember why you're doing this
There are lots of advantages to taking the train over the plane - comfy seats, good views, train wine, four-person tables that allow for epic card games with friends that continue for 1,000km, no hanging around in airports, the list continues . . .
But environmental reasons also play a part for many travellers - your three-hour wait on a platform in Wolfsburg is helping, in a small way, to save the planet. (Admittedly a very small way, but if the whole world did it then it might help, although Wolfsburg would get pretty crowded). That warm glow alone will keep out the cold of a German winter.
Plus, you will have made a lot of new German friends on those train journeys, and will have a story to tell when you finally arrive and slide into a bar to start sampling those wonderful weissbiers.
Do you have tips for international train journeys? Or have you experienced wonderful service from Deutsche Bahn and want to stick up for the German operator? Share your views in the comments section below
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