Berlin to Athens by train

Travel from Berlin to Budapest by train. Train tickets start from 29 EUR. A comfortable overnight train is available. The journey time by the direct day train is 11 hours.

The night train offers as cheapest category seats from 29 EUR. More comfortable is a berth in compartments for 4 or 6 persons. Or a sleeper compartment which you can book for one to three persons. The departure time in Berlin is 18:40. The arrival time in Budapest Keleti railway station is 08:35.

Train ticket fares for the direct day train start from 46,90 EUR. The departure time in Berlin is 09:15. The arrival time in Budapest is 20:20.

Find the exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.

The train connection from Budapest to Belgrade is currently only possible with two changes. The line has been under reconstruction since 2019 and should be fully operational again from 2026. Until now, direct trains took around six hours to cover the 350-kilometre route. In 2026, the journey time should be reduced to 2 hours and 40 minutes, at a possible speed of 200 km/h.

Your train departs from "Budapest Nyugati" station. You have to change trains in Szeged and Subotica. Then you continue via Novi Sad and arrive at "Beograd Centar" station.

You have to buy the following tickets:

#1 From Budapest to Subotica with the Hungarian railway MAV. If you buy one train ticket, it costs 26 EUR. If you buy two train tickets, it is cheaper. First from Budapest to Szeged from 6 EUR. Then from Szeged to Subotica for 5 EUR.

#2. From Subotica to Belgrade, the ticket costs 15 EUR. These can be bought on the Serbian Railways website. At the moment it is only in Serbian, but you can understand it. Otherwise, buy the ticket at the station.

There are currently three train connections per day with departure from Budapest at 05:50h, 11:50h and 14:50h. Arrival in Belgrade is at 12:40h, 18:40h and 21:20h. You can find the exact timetables on the websites of the Hungarian and Serbian railways.

Travel from Belgrade to Thessaloniki by direct overnight train. The journey time is 16 hours.

Important note: this direct overnight train only runs in the summer months June to September. If the this train is not available you have to travel from Belgrade to Sofia. And from Sofia to Thessaloniki. Please search for these train connections to find details.

The departure time in Belgrade (Topcider) is 18:30. The arrival time in Thessaloniki is 10:30.

The overnight train offers one wagon with seats and one couchette-car with 6 beds per compartment. The couchette-car is recommended. Buy train tickets for 35 EUR. The supplement for the couchette-car is 8 EUR per person. Usually there is enough free seats and berths available even on the day of departure. Ask the train conductor to optimize the occupancy of the couchette compartments if you want to have more space. Just be friendly.

To travel by train from Thessaloniki to Athens, use one of the direct IC connections for day travel. There are usually five connections per day with a journey time of four hours.
The ticket price for a one-way journey starts from EUR 35 in second class.

There is one overnight train available with a journey time of about seven hours. Ticket prices start from EUR 20.

Find the train-schedules and ticket fares via our booking links.

To travel by train from Germany to Italy you have two main travel routes. The western route on the line Frankfurt-Basel-Milan. And the eastern route Munich-Verona.

German railways "Deutsche Bahn" offers special fare tickets called "Sparpreis Europa" to selected destinations in Italy starting from 19 EUR.

If you want to include a night train, have a look at the "nightjet" train connections from Munich to Milan, Rome and Venice. Train tickets are available from 29 EUR.

Buy your tickets via the given booking links. There you will find as well the exact train schedules and ticket prices. If it is not possible to book your whole journey in one ticket, split it and buy two separated tickets.

Travel from Bologna to Ancona by direct train. The journey time is 2:20 hours. The train ticket fares start from 14 EUR. There are frequent train connections available, at least every hour. You will travel with an InterCity or a Regionale Veloce train. The departure station is "Bologna Centrale". The arrival station is "Ancona stazione".

Find the exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.

Travel from Ancona to Igoumenitsa by ferry. The journey time is 18 hours. The ticket price starts at 70 EUR. The ferry companies Superfast Ferries, ANEK Lines and Grimaldi Lines serve this route.

You will find these service categories on board of the ferry:

- standard inclinable seats which are the cheapest travel option
- shared cabins with beds: you share the cabin and the shower and toilet with other travellers.
- private cabins: from standard to luxury cabins with private bed, shower and toilet. This is the best option if you want privacy, travel with your family or friends.

The check-in time is two hours prior to departure.

How you get in Ancona from the train station to the ferry port:
It is a distance of 2 kilometres from Ancona railway station to the port. You can either walk which will take about 30 minutes. Or you travel by bus line number 12 or 20. Frequent departures are available. The bus journey time is 10 minutes. You will arrive at the „Ancona Ferries Terminal“, the departure place of all ferry companies. The bus ticket price is 1.50 EUR. Show your boarding pass (if you have it already) and you may travel for free.

How you get in Igoumenitsa from the ferry port to the bus station:
There is no railway station in Igoumenitsa. You have to take the bus to continue your journey. From the ferry terminal you have to walk 10 minutes to the south to get to the KTEL bus terminal. There are many cafes, restaurants and shops nearby.
There are daily bus connections for example to Thessaloniki with a journey time of 4 hours.

Train tickets for Greece can be bought locally or online. Advance tickets for Intercity connections are cheaper than normal fare and are available online only.