Coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives and also the way we travel. There are many restrictions and rule to follow while travelling now all over the world. It has also affected mine and your favourite mode of transport: Trains. So, that's why today I will take you to a train journey from Brussels, Belgium to Frankfurt am Main in the state of Hesse in Germany which was the International leg of my trip to Ravensburg in South Germany. This trip report will also give you the information of all the hygiene and social distancing measures you will have to follow while travelling with Deutsche Bahn (German railways). And a glimpse of how travelling looks like now.
I was planning this train journey for a long time to visit my friends in Ravensburg. Due to the closure of borders, I couldn't do so. So, when the borders opened again and thanks to the goodwill policies of DB to able to use my old ticket flexibly, I planned this journey.
Start from home
I woke up at 5 AM with this amazing view of sunrise from my balcony. After having my shot of espresso and fresh up I started from my home at 5:30 A.M. to catch the tram to the Brussels South station. Brussels has a really vast and well connected public transport connectivity. The only drawback is you have to be a bit careful about the timings: most of the times buses and trams run ±5 minutes. I will suggest you to reach the stop at least 5 minutes before your connection. You can buy public transport ticket from any of the machines like this. On most of the machines, you can pay by cash, coins and cards. Also do not forget to validate your ticket from these red machines otherwise your ticket will still be regarded as invalid. After the validation you have 60 minutes to travel anywhere in Brussels. Tram takes around 25 minutes to reach Brussels south station. Like me, you will also have to have a careful look on the screen in the tram to get down at right time and stop . Otherwise tram will just carry you further.
Departure from Brussels South station
Also called as Brussels Midi or Gare du Midi (French) and Brussels Zuid (Dutch) this station is one of the three main stations of Brussels. Others being Brussels Central and Brussels North station.
Most of the International trains of Belgium leave or terminates from here. Brussels Midi have some platforms specially dedicated to the International trains like TGV leaving to France, ICE International leaving to Germany, Thalys in direction of Amsterdam, Cologne and Paris and a channel terminal for the Eurostar trains leaving for London.
You can reach this station very easily from any corner of Belgium using Belgian railways and from any corner of Brussels using metro, bus, tram or taxi. The moment you will enter the station this big notice board with the information of all the arrivals and departures will welcome you.
Here at the Brussels South station, you can also buy the train tickets for the French railways (SNCF), German railways (Deutsche Bahn DB), Thalys high-speed trains, Eurostar to London and tickets for the Belgian railway from the ticket office of the respective rail carriers. Belgian domestic train tickets can also be bought from the ticket machines in case you have an early morning train when the ticket office is closed. They are available at every corner of the station so don't worry about locating them.
After locating my platform for the train which is most of the times fixed (6A) I could see my ICE international train to Frankfurt. Here you have to be a bit careful about reaching the platform on time because locating it can be confusing due to the design of the station. So my advice is to reach there at least 45 minutes before departure.
If you have a seat reservation you can directly locate your coach and take your seat. In case you did not reserve your seat you will have to look for a free seat: just have look on the display above every seat. DB uses mostly 2x2 seating in the second class with some coaches having the family zones, seats with the table in the middle and also a very special coach called quiet zone ("Ruhebereich"). The quiet zone is for the passengers who want the peace of mind and don’t want to get disturbed by phone calls and conversations during the journey.
After I was able to find a free seat near the window and with the table I settled down there with my backpack. The seats were very comfortable (in 2x2 pattern) you can find enough space to store your luggage above the seats and also between the carriages.
Train just started leaving the platform and now it was time to say goodbye to Brussels. After 10 minutes train made a short halt at the Brussels North station and continued its journey towards Frankfurt.
Journey
Suddenly my co-passengers asked me if I needed a photograph of myself as she saw me taking pictures of the train and I explained to her why I am doing this. Then we started chatting with each other. She was travelling back to Berlin after visiting some friends in Brussels and we shared our contacts to keep in touch. After some time train left the city and I got up to have a look around. You will always find the train restaurant in the ICE international and you can get fresh cakes, coffee and meals. Before the corona crisis, you could also sit there and enjoy your meal. Now everything is for takeaway. So, I got a coffee for myself and continued my conversation with my co-passenger and now one more joined us.
The train reached Liege Guillemins railway station in around 45 minutes after departing from Brussels for a short halt. The Liege station is very spectacular and I will suggest you visit Liege. To admire its train station architecture and design and also the beautiful city. But anyway I will take you back to the journey, so after the train left Liege it started travelling through the forests, farmlands and small hills.
In just 30 minutes train crossed the border and we reached Aachen central station where many people got down and many got in with their big luggage. I guess because this train also stops at Frankfurt Airport station. It was a very smooth journey of just 50 minutes to Cologne where I said goodbye to my lovely co-passengers.
From Cologne, it takes around 55 minutes to reach Frankfurt airport station. From there, further 10-15 minutes to Frankfurt am Main station. When the train gets closer to Frankfurt you could easily spot the Lufthansa fleet from far away taxied on the airport. If you are a plane enthusiast then this train journey is I will recommend you to do.
It is not very difficult to spot Frankfurt because of its high rises and skyscrapers. I immediately packed my backpack and took my luggage from the luggage rack to get down from the train after it stops. I was greeted with this amazing view of the station.
I rolled my luggage towards the main pier after finishing this amazing and very comfortable journey. I had indeed a nice time due to the excitement of the journey and also because of the nice co-passengers.
Find cheap hotels in Frankfurt
Covid-19: Remember you need to wear a mask through the whole time on the train and also on the stations both in Belgium and Germany. Don't forget to bring your mask. In case you forget it, the train restaurant also sells it.
I continued my journey further to the Ravensburg through the black forest. But that is for the next trip. Till then: Ciao. :)
Verdict
I did not find any change in the comfortableness of the trains and during the journey, everything went very smooth. Just follow the rules about wearing masks and social distancing and you are good to go for your next trip.
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