London to Leipzig & Dresden (& Colditz)
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Train times London ► Leipzig & Dresden (option 1)...
Travel from London to Berlin Hauptbahnhof overnight as shown in the London to Berlin by sleeper section.
For Leipzig, leave Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 09:52 by fast modern ICE train arriving Leipzig 11:05.
For Dresden, leave Berlin Hauptbahnhof by air-conditioned EuroCity train at 10:45 arriving Dresden (Hauptbahnhof) at 12:52.
Train times Dresden & Leipzig ► London (option 1)...
Leave Dresden at 17:04 by air-conditioned EuroCity train arriving Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 19:13. There's also a 15:04 if you'd prefer an earlier connection.
Leave Leipzig at 17:51 by fast modern ICE train arriving Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 19:07.
Travel from Berlin to London overnight as shown in the London to Berlin by sleeper section.
Train times London ► Dresden (option 2)...
Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar. Daily except Saturdays, leave London St Pancras at 15:04 arriving in Brussels at 18:05. On Saturdays, leave London at 12:57 arriving Brussels at 16:08.
Travel from Brussels to Cologne by ICE high-speed train leaving Brussels Midi at 18:25 and arriving Cologne at 20:15.
On Saturdays you can also take the earlier 17:28 Thalys train arriving Cologne at 19:15. You've time for a meal in Cologne.
Travel from Cologne to Dresden by sleeper train, leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving in Dresden at 07:00 next morning. This train is the 'Phoenix', with modern sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, there is a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms, all rooms have power points for mobiles & laptop computers), modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4 or 6-berth compartment), and basic seats (not recommended). Inclusive fares are charged covering travel and sleeping accommodation. The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast. Click for pictures & information about this train.
Train times Dresden ► London (option 2)...
Travel from Dresden to Cologne by sleeper train, leaving Dresden Hauptbahnhof at 20:53 and arriving in Cologne at 06:14 next morning. This train is the 'Phoenix', with brand-new German sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, there is a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms, all rooms have power-points for laptop computers), modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment), and basic seats (not recommended). Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation. The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast. Click for pictures & information about this train.
Travel from Cologne to Brussels by ICE high-speed train, leaving Cologne daily at 07:43, arriving Brussels Midi at 09:35.
Travel from Brussels to London by Eurostar. On Mondays to Saturdays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 10:56 and arrives London St Pancras at 11:57. On Sundays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 12:56 and arrives London St Pancras at 14:03.
Colditz...
Now part of WW2 folklore and well worth a visit. A train leaves Leipzig every hour (usually at .15 mins past the even hour) for Grossbothen (or on some departures, Grimma) where a bus connects for Colditz. Journey from Leipzig about 1 hour 7 mins. You can check train and bus times at
http://www.bahn.de. In 1992, I made the whole journey from Leipzig to Colditz by train - although now partly replaced by a bus, there's rumours of the train's revival some time in the future!
How to buy tickets online...
Step 1, buy your London-Cologne tickets. First, check to see if the cheapest option is available, a 'London Spezial' fare from €49 at bahn.de, using these special links I've set up for you:
Buy an outward ticket from London to Cologne leaving London at 14:34 any day except Saturdays or leaving London at 12:58 on Saturdays.
Buy an inward ticket from Cologne to London leaving Cologne at 07:43 any day except Saturdays or leaving Cologne at 07:43 on Saturdays.
You may or may not find a cheap fare this way, as availability of these 'London Spezial' fares is very limited as DB only have a small allocation of seats on Eurostar. If you find a cheap ticket, great, if not, buy tickets from London to Cologne at regular prices by both Eurostar+ICE and Eurostar+Thalys using the Belgian Railways international website
http://www.b-europe.com. Their booking system handles this two-leg journey well, usually seeming to find the cheapest prices. UK residents can also try
http://www.raileurope.co.uk.
Step 2, buy a Cologne-Dresden sleeper or couchette ticket at the German Railways site,
http://www.bahn.de. Book from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Dresden and back, looking for the cheap 'Savings' fares. You pay online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format on your own PC printer.
How to buy tickets by phone...
If you prefer to buy tickets by phone, call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge), or
http://www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee). Click here for a list of agencies and more information on how to buy tickets.
