Well I’ll be heading to Germany this July so I just want to ask about ground travel. It’s really confusing since I have never been to Europe before and I want to fly to Amsterdam and get off the plane there, then go to Germany by ground or something (gives me a chance to see the landscape I guess…) since while the ticket costs the same the airport tax is significantly less due to the fact that they run direct flights to Amsterdam from Taiwan. I’m not sure what are the ballpark figure to go from Amsterdam to Dresden (I can’t get a quote online) by train or bus (whichever is cheaper) and if it’s worth the difference. Finding a flight without significant airport tax (compare 4000nt to 7000nt or even 9000nt for airport tax!) to Dresden and have a seat available is really hard so I am exploring the option of just going to another city and go by ground.
Train up the Rhine from Amsterdam into Bavaria, say Heidelberg or Nürnberg, by low-class slow coach train is very pretty in the right season. No idea of the cost, I suspect it’s not cheap. Then train across central Germany to Dresden will also cost you an arm and a leg… may be cheaper to fly unless you can wangle a student Eurail pass.
I’ve taken the train from Amsterdam to Frankfurt Hbf a few times and also from Koln to Amsterdam a few times… Amstersam Centraal to Dresden should set you back about EU150 or so… Tickets couldn’t be easier to book, this is the German public transport juggernaut we’re talking about here… bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml
Wow, that seems cheaper than I dared imagine. Maybe not much difference to copping the airport tax and landing there, but the train trip is a beauty.
I travelled from Hamburg to Munich over night which was the cheapest option at the time. It’s worth looking into night travel. I love the German public transport system, especially when cycling around and using trains for the long stretches. Elevators at the platforms to get from one place to the next, beautiful carriages. Lush!
Heidelberg is not in Bavaria, it’s in Baden-Württemberg. 
Train travel is not cheap in Germany, and if the ticket costs EUR150 (which doesn’t sound too far off the mark) the trip will exceed NT10000 if you add the airport tax of NT4000.
well pardon me. But, you can throw stones at Bavaria from Baden Wurttemberg. 
What’s your time frame & budget for travel? Amsterdam is a pretty cool city & there’s lots to see in between, but why Dresden?
It might not be the most direct route, but you can train from A-Dam to Cologne/Köln, then down along the Mosel River to Trier before continuing east to Dresden. There are vineyards, cool little towns & Gasthauses all along the river until you reach the oldest city in Germany, complete w/Roman ruins. If you have time to spare, train from Köln only as far as Koblenz or Cochem, then take a river boat cruise to Trier. They usually stop at a few places along the way. Slower than the train & often full of old farts, but better than driving since you can enjoy more wine!
From Trier, Heidelberg is a good stop too, but beyond there I really don’t know anything.
Or spend that 150 Euro on a 16-hours sleeper through dull industrial cities. Either way.
Viel Spaß & Gute Reise!
My girlfriend and I did the same from Vienna to Amsterdam overnight, changing trains at Frankfurt. I don’t remember how much it was, but very reasonable. Vienna to Zurich overnight was reasonable, too. We didn’t go there because my girlfriend only had Schengen and British visas, and Switzerland wasn’t in the Schengen Area…same reason we didn’t go to Czechia. Then we went from Amsterdam to London by coach (bus) and ferry. Not expensive.
Czechia, Switzerland and a number of other countries have joined the Schengen Area since we did that trip.
Thanks for the replies. It sounds like it’s not really worth it considering the 2000 NT airport tax difference. I am going to Dresden because I am going to Herrnhut, Germany for a discipleship training program and Dresden is the closest major city. I think I’ll fly to Berlin then take the train or bus to Dresden then to a place called “Lobau” or something (I am not too keen on German geography…) where they will pick me up. I think it’s less complicated that way. I heard that drugs (that can get you into serious trouble elsewhere) are legal in Amsterdam, is that true?
Also the visa I got is a “long stay” visa (type D) which requires me to report to an office for a resident permit. I wonder if I use a one way ticket to Germany will I run into trouble? I’m not too clear on my return date and place of departure (I might leave from Dresden) and I don’t want to be locked into a date/place.
Cannabis/marijuana is semi-legal. You can smoke it or eat space cakes in certain licensed establishments that usually bear the title of “coffee shop.”
If it was going to be a problem I think they would have raised the matter when you applied for your visa.
don’t take an overnighter train and don’t take any drugs with you on the train if you’re leaving from A’dam to places outside the country. “coffee shops” are all over The Netherlands and it’s wise just to smoke some at the place you buy it then walk around the city or rent a bike for the day and cruise. experience speaking here.
Ok I booked a flight to Berlin. There isn’t as many flights to Dresden and if any was available they cost more. So I will just take the train or bus, whichever is the cheaper one, to Dresden. I also managed to find a return time around Christmas so I won’t need to worry about problems with immigration.
Hi Taiwan Luthiers,
yes, as far as I know the purchase and consumption of Mariujana (Cannabis) is legal in netherland. In fact there are many german teenager tourists whose sole motivation to ´drive to netherland is just buying that 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_polic … etherlands
For some time now the Deutsch Bahn is offering very cheap tickets for 30€ (one way) throughout Germany. All you have to do is buying the ticket AT LEAST 3 days before you want to take the train. Just to be on the safe side you should order your tickets one or two weeks in advance…
[quote=“Dater”]Hi Taiwan Luthiers,
yes, as far as I know the purchase and consumption of Mariujana (Cannabis) is legal in netherland. In fact there are many german teenager tourists whose sole motivation to ´drive to netherland is just buying that
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_polic … etherlands
For some time now the Deutsch Bahn is offering very cheap tickets for 30€ (one way) throughout Germany. All you have to do is buying the ticket AT LEAST 3 days before you want to take the train. Just to be on the safe side you should order your tickets one or two weeks in advance…[/quote]
I tried looking on the Deutsch Bahn website for information on this but I can’t seem to find anything and the price for a one way train trip from Berlin to Lobau(Sachs) is about 37 euro so getting the cheap ticket would be a saving. Can someone show me where to go to buy it?
I think it’s the “Dauer-Spezial” offer but I can only see it on the German sites: Dauer-Spezial You have to book it online, else it’s +5 Euro. If the distance is 250km or less the price is only EUR19. Offers are limited and a quick google shows they are hard to come by.
Edit: In English it’s called the “Germany Special”.
well pardon me. But, you can throw stones at Bavaria from Baden Wurttemberg. :p[/quote]You can also shout rude words across the border. Er… apparently. 
That’s against the law. Anyway, Heidelberg is on the other side of Baden Wuerttemberg, so you gotta throw really far or shout really loud. Map
