Germany’s Rail Operator Just Put Munich to Rome on One Train

Deutsche Bahn’s new long-distance timetable takes effect on December 13, with tickets on sale from October 14. Headline additions include faster ICE Sprinter services: Hamburg to Munich three times a day in each direction in 5 hours 20 minutes, and Berlin to Stuttgart rising to three daily in 4 hours 45 minutes.

The biggest surprise is international. Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa trains are due to run in Germany for the first time from summer 2027, with one daily return service each between Munich and Milan and between Munich and Rome, in roughly 6.5 and 8.5 hours. Hamburg to Copenhagen gets seven daily services each way from March 2027, and Stuttgart to Paris rises to 12 trains a day.

Fares hold steady: the 6.99 euro saver fare and Bahncard prices stay put, and long-distance monthly passes get 25 percent cheaper from October 21. The 99.99 euro family ticket becomes permanent, with bookings reopening October 26 for travel from November 1.

Not everything is faster. Works on Berlin to Hanover add up to 80 minutes through December 2027, and the Cologne to Frankfurt high-speed line closes from May 15 to July 19, 2027. Only 52.4 percent of DB’s long-distance trains ran on time in September, a reminder that new timetables still depend on the tracks.

Sources: The Local Germany, Trip By Trip