Regensburg is a tiny, cute German town situated on the majestic Rhine.
Just an hour away from Munich, Regensburg is a popular travel destination in Germany for Germans and foreign tourists alike.
We travelled to Regensburg to enjoy a European river cruise.
Frankfurt Station waiting for the train to Regensburg
Frankfurt to Regensburg
It’s a 3.5 hour drive from Frankfurt to Regensburg. Sure, the autobahns can be fun … while the traffic is flowing.
A better way to get from Frankfurt to Regensburg is the train.
We’ve fast become rail converts after travelling around this summer with Eurail.
Read More: Michelstadt the cute town near Frankfurt you shouldn’t miss
Frankfurt to Regensburg Train Facts
Time: 5 hours 18 minutes (ICE train)
Distance: 276km
Overnight train: Yes, reservation required with Eurail pass. Fees apply
Price: €14 – €134 (using Eurail pass)
The NightJet train from Frankfurt to Regensburg continues to Munich. Keep an eye out
One of the cool things about train travel in Germany with Eurail is you don’t need to make a reservation for most trains.
Simply arrive at the station, jump on your train and take a seat. After you get going just show your Eurail to the ticket inspectors and ‘Viola’!
This is true even for the the train from Frankfurt to Regensburg. We jumped on without a reservation and got a seat.
However, we recommend making a reservation in advance to ensure you secure a sleeper cabin.
Nightjet Fare Types
The overnight train from Frankfurt to Regensburg is operated by Austrian Railways using the Nightjet train.
There are 3 main ticket classes on the Nighjet:
- regular seat (standard seat)
- couchette
- compartment
Regular Seat
The regular seat is really not set up for overnight train use. Unless you’re keen to lay on a stranger’s lap to get some ZzZzs, we’d recommend avoiding this.
Reservation Fee: €14 surcharge with Eurail pass
Regular seat cabin on the NightJet sleeper train. Far better than we expected
Couchette
Great for families or on a tight budget. Couchette can be shared with up to 6 people.
You can also book a 4-berth couchette which is shared by 4 people.
Couchette’s on the Nightjet feature bunk beds with linen and a pillow. Triple bunk beds on each side of the cabin (in the case of a 6 man couchette) or double bunk beds for a 4 man couchette.
There is also a shared toilet and washroom in the same carriage.
Reservation Fee: €34 – €44 with Eurail depending on whether you will share with up to 4 or 6 people.
Compartment
A compartment contains 3 bunk beds and can be reserved for up to 3 people or as little as 1 person.
It is possible to reserve a single bunk in a carriage. However, as a couple we prefer to make a 2-seater reservation which will give you access to the whole cabin (the middle bunk will be folded away).
It is also possible to book a compartment as a single. You will just have to pay more to cover the other two beds (like a single supplement on a cruise).
Below is a photo of the sleeper cabin on the Munich – Budapest sleeper train. Spoiler: all these cabins were reserved on the Munich – Regenbsurg NightJet.
Price: €60, €80 or €130 with Eurail (triple, double or single fare)
Our 2-Bed Sleeper Cabin on the Munich – Budapest overnight train (middle bunk folds down to make 3-bed sleeper)
The Verdict
Ideally you want to book a compartment as this gives you a bunk bed in a 3 bunk carriage. As a couple we planned to do exactly this.
However, as we made our reservations at the very last minute, we had no time to use Eurail’s reservation service (must be done at least 8 business days in advance).
We planned to make a seat reservation when we arrived in Frankfurt from Brussels. However, when we arrived at 10pm the DB sales office was closed for the evening and it was not possible to make a seat reservation.
When the DB sales office is closed, the only option is to book a ticket at one of the vending machines.
If, like us, you are travelling with a Eurail you don’t need to buy a ticket. Instead, jump on the train towards the front where the regular seat compartment is.
When the train chugs off, show the conductor your Eurail Pass and ask to purchase a ticket for the €14 supplement. They take cash or credit card.
Fortunately, our train was relatively empty and we had an entire cabin to ourselves. The regular seats were more comfortable than a park bench and we could turn the lights off and get a few hours sleep.
We probably got lucky, and we entirely recommend making a reservation in advance, but we should give credit to German Railways for providing a decent cabin even in the cheapest seats.
NightJet Train at Regensburg Station
How to Reserve Seats
We travelled from Frankfurt to Regensburg using a Eurail Global Pass.
We recommend making a seat reservation in advance on the Eurail website at least 8 business days prior to departure to allow time to post tickets to you.
You may also make a seat reservation in person at the train station. However, bear in mind that the couchettes and compartments get reserved in advance + DB offices close by 10pm each night.
Find out more information about Eurail and book a pass on their website https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/global-pass.
More European Rail Adventures
We are using a Eurail Global Pass to explore some of Europe’s best destinations in style this summer.
Check out some of the other interesting train routes we’ve done and see all the goodies you get on a first class train in Europe.
London to Brussels train – the essential weekender just got better with the Eurostar train which you can book with a Eurail Global pass. We enjoyed the journey so much, the most disappointing thing was we arrived so fast! We were in Brussels in less than 2 hours – usually we’d be about to board the flight in London!
Brussels to Frankfurt train – One of the funkiest bits about riding trains in Europe is you can order a stein of German weissbeer while you watch the stunning countryside roll by. Forget driving or flying – we’re becoming rail converts!
Munich to Budapest train – we learned our lesson and reserved a compartment on the Kalman Imre sleeper train – one of the most unique overnight train journey’s in Europe. It was great.
Budapest to Bratislava train – this EuroCity train was a pleasure. The seats were comfortable, there’s no transfers and this train was only 25% full. Perfect!
Bratislava to Prague train – we continued our EuroCity train journey. We enjoyed the first journey but this was even better because we spent most of the journey in the awesome dining car.
Prague to Wroclaw train – travelling from the Czech Republic to Poland is a little tricky. You’ll need to negotiate at least 2 transfers, which is pretty simple. We’ll show you what to do.
