How to Travel From Berlin to Paris by Train, Bus, Plane, and Car

With over 500 miles between them, Berlin and Paris are not at all close together. Both cities are the capitals of two of Europe's largest countries, so many people, from tourists to business travelers, have good reason to travel between these two major epicenters. For that reason, you'll find the variety and quantity of transportation services between Berlin and Paris to be frequent and plentiful. Despite the distance, traveling from Berlin to Paris is easy to do, but it could take a long time depending on how you travel.

Air travel is always the fastest option and with so many planes flying between Paris and Berlin every day, it's usually pretty cheap. However, if you'd rather not fly, it's also possible to make the trip by train or bus. Or you could rent a car and make a road trip out of it. This would give you a chance to visit some other cities along the way and you'd have the freedom to leave and stop whenever you want.

Unless you choose to fly, any ground journey will take you well over 8 hours, even if you make use of Germany's high-speed trains. If you don't have a lot of time to spare, flying is probably your best option.

How to Get from Berlin to Paris

By Train

Trains from Berlin to Paris leave throughout the day. You'll find the quickest routes with the least transfers leave earlier in the morning, but any train that leaves after 2:30 p.m. will be an overnight journey. These later trains tend to take almost twice as long as the morning trains and arrive in Paris between 7 and 9 a.m.

Even on the fastest routes, you can still expect a few stops and transfers along the way, most likely in the cities of Hannover, Frankfurt, or Strasbourg. If you can't leave early in the morning, but don't want to sleep on the train, consider stopping overnight in one of these cities to break up the long journey. However, if you're willing to spring for a more expensive ticket, you can book a seat in the sleeper car on which you'll have a full bed.

By Bus

Flixbus and BlaBlaBus offer the most service options from Berlin to Paris, but the total travel time can vary significantly. While the fastest bus might get you there in 16 hours, 20 minutes, some routes can take as long as 22 hours. When taking the bus, you should expect to make one or two transfers. Buses leave either from the Berlin Bus Station or the Berlin Airport and arrive in Paris at the Bercy Seine Bus Station. When booking your ticket, make sure you don't book a ticket to Marne-la-Valée Station in Chessy. Doing so would be convenient if you want to go to Disneyland Paris, but if you want to see the Eiffel Tower, you'll find yourself almost 30 miles (48 kilometers) away.

Traveling the distance between Berlin and Paris by bus is a grueling process and not recommended. If you must, consider stopping overnight in another city along the way to break up the journey. Although you can find bus tickets at some very cheap prices, you are only saving a couple of bucks in exchange for losing a whole day to sitting on a bus.

By Plane

Only two airlines, Air France and easyJet, offer direct nonstop flights between Berlin and Paris. It's worth noting that German airline Lufthansa does not currently offer a direct route, but it is possible to fly through Munich. If your schedule is flexible, you'll find the best deals with Easy Jet with fares sometimes offered for as low as $20. If your schedule is not flexible, one-way fares typically hover between $40 and $120 on easyJet or $150 to $250 on Air France.

EasyJet operates flights out of Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Orly Airport (ORY). Both are connected to the city center via metro lines, so it will be easy to get from the airport to your accommodation in town.

By Car

A road trip between Berlin and Paris takes at least 9 hours to complete. It's a big undertaking, but if you're up for the challenge, you'll have the opportunity to see a lot of great cities and sights along the way. With high costs of gasoline and somewhat hefty toll fees at several points along the way, don't expect this to be an inexpensive trip. Depending on the cities and landmarks you want to see, you may decide to deviate from the route. For example, a side trip to Brussels or Amsterdam could make for a nice detour, or you could simply stop for lunch in Cologne. However, if you just need to drive from Berlin to Paris as quickly as possible, follow these directions:

Travel west from Berlin until you can get on the A2, where you'll keep going west for 255 miles (410 kilometers) until you can use the right two lanes to get onto the A1, which will take you past Cologne. After Cologne, stay west on the A4 until you can take the exit to get onto the A44, which will take you all the way to Belgian border. After you cross the border, you'll be on the E40 for about 17 miles (27 kilometers) until you can merge on the E42, where you'll stay for 87 miles (140 kilometers) until you reach the French border, at which point you will get onto the A2/E19. After you cross the border, stay on the A2 for about 44 miles (70 kilometers) until you can connect to the A1. You can follow this highway 75 miles (121 kilometers) south until you start seeing signs directing you to the Paris city center.

What to See in Paris

No matter how many times you visit Paris, certain sights and activities never get old, but there's always a new way to do them. If you've already seen the Eiffel Tower, try scoping out a view from a new angle like from the top of the Montparnasse skyscraper or from the terrace of a romantic restaurant. If your budget is tight, there's plenty of free attractions, such as the parks and gardens or the famous Montparnasse cemetery, the resting place of famous icons like poet and playwright Oscar Wilde and the Doors' frontman Jim Morrison. For a guaranteed moment of romance every day, make sure you go to one of the best spots to watch the sunset in Paris, such as the Place du Panthéon or the backstreets of Montmartre.