Both Berlin and Paris are known for their cultural sites, their long histories and their scenic architecture. It’s not surprising, then, that plenty of people seek to go from one city to the other — whether as tourists or for business reasons. And now, travelers seeking to make their way from Paris to Berlin (or vice versa) have a new option to consider — one that doesn’t leave the ground but gets you from one city to the other faster than by car.
As Lyndsey Matthews reports at The Points Guy, the first high-speed rail line between the two cities is now up and running, and it’s capable of getting travelers from one city to the other in about eight hours. This isn’t a non-stop route; the train makes stops along the way at the cities of Frankfurt, Karlsruhe and Strasbourg along its journey. Matthews also reports that this is significantly faster than a previous overnight train option, as well as another route that involved changing trains midway through the journey.
The route is a joint venture between Deutsche Bahn AG and SNCF Voyageurs, the latter of which also recently announced a high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. Deutsche Bahn AG’s Alain Krakovitch took to social media in the fall of 2024 to announce the project.
“This creation of a link contributes to a common objective for our two countries: to promote low-carbon mobility,” Krakovitch wrote. He went on to point out that the rail option “generates only one hundredth of the CO2 emissions” compared to flying from one city to the other.
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Mass transit and technology took a strange turnSeveral countries in Europe, including France, have considered banning short-haul flights when a comparable rail option exists for travelers. It’s not hard to look at this new cross-country route as a manifestation of that; in the months to come, we’ll see if frequent travelers view it the same way.
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