Praha hlavni nadrazi, Prague's main station and the EuroCity terminus for trains from Berlin.
Photo: Lynx1211 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Berlin to Prague by Train
An international route between Germany and Czechia.
Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30
- Duration
- 4h 00m – 4h 30m
- Price from
- 18 EUR
- Distance
- 388 km
- Operators
- EuroCity (DB/CD)RegioJet
- Frequency
- Six EuroCity round trips a day at roughly two-hour intervals, plus additional RegioJet departures on its own timetable
Compare and book Berlin–Prague tickets
Check pricesWhat makes Berlin to Prague different
- This route follows the Elbe river valley for much of its length, threading through the Saxon Switzerland National Park's sandstone cliffs between Dresden and Bad Schandau before crossing into Czechia - a landscape distinctive enough that this stretch is sometimes marketed as a scenic journey in its own right, not just a way to get from Berlin to Prague.
- Deutsche Bahn has committed to building a roughly 30km twin-bore base tunnel under the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirgstunnel) between Dresden and Usti nad Labem, with construction planned to start around 2032 and take about 12 years - eventually cutting the Dresden-Prague leg to about an hour, a reminder that today's under-4.5-hour journey still runs largely on a 19th-century mountain alignment.
- RegioJet, the private Czech open-access operator, broke Deutsche Bahn and Ceske drahy's long joint hold on this specific corridor with its own competing daily departures - a similar pattern to RegioJet's later 2020 entry on the Vienna-Budapest route.
Berlin station
Departs from Berlin Hauptbahnhof's upper level, Europe's largest crossing-point station (opened 2006), with a 321-metre glass roof over the through-tracks; regional and S-Bahn connections are one level down, and it's a short S-Bahn or tram ride to the Brandenburg Gate and central Mitte.
Prague station
Arrives at Praha hlavni nadrazi, whose Art Nouveau Fantova budova (the original 1901-1909 Josef Fanta-designed hall, complete with a historic cafe) sits above the functional modern departure hall used today; the station connects directly to Metro Line C (Hlavni nadrazi stop), two stops from Muzeum near Wenceslas Square.
Train vs. other options
There's very limited direct scheduled air service between Berlin and Prague given the distance, and city-center-to-city-center the roughly 4-hour EuroCity is competitive with flying once airport transfers are added; driving the approximately 350km via the A13 and D8 motorways takes around 3h30-4h without traffic, similar to or slightly faster than the train but without the ability to work or sleep en route.
Booking tips
- EuroCity advance fares from about 19 EUR and RegioJet's competing fares both get more expensive closer to departure - book a few weeks ahead for the cheapest price on either operator.
- Since 2025 all EuroCity departures on this route use Czech Railways' new ComfortJet trains, built by Siemens with power sockets at every seat and a restaurant car - a recent upgrade worth knowing about if you're comparing against RegioJet's own onboard service.
- The journey follows the Elbe river valley through Saxon Switzerland between Dresden and the Czech border, one of the more scenic stretches of track in Germany - sit on the west side of the train (right-hand side heading to Prague) for the best views of the sandstone cliffs.
Good to know: All EuroCity trains on this route switched to Czech Railways' new 9-car ComfortJet trainsets during 2025 - RegioJet, meanwhile, runs its own separate fleet and ticketing system, so a EuroCity ticket won't get you onto a RegioJet departure or vice versa.
While you're in Prague
Prague Castle rising above the Vltava, seen from the Charles Bridge.
Photo: Janmad / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)Between a 600-year-old astronomical clock, a hilltop castle complex big enough to be a Guinness World Record holder, and a beer culture that starts with the highest per-capita consumption on earth, Prague rarely needs to try hard to impress.
Full Prague travel guide →Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Berlin to Prague take?
EuroCity trains take around 4 to 4.5 hours to cover the 388km depending on stops; RegioJet's timetable runs on a broadly similar schedule.
Which operators run Berlin to Prague?
Jointly-run EuroCity services (Deutsche Bahn and Ceske drahy, using new Czech ComfortJet trains since 2025) and the private Czech operator RegioJet both run direct daily trains.
Do I need a passport to cross from Germany into Czechia?
Both countries are in the Schengen Area, so there's no routine passport control, though it's worth carrying ID as random checks do happen.