RACING from Berlin to Munich | Plane vs Train: InterCity Express & Lufthansa

Nicky and Liam are racing from Berlin to Munich by plane versus train! Liam will be taking a Lufthansa flight while Nicky hops aboard Germany's InterCity Express (ICE), a high-speed train. From giant puddles in Berlin to wild traffic in Munich, these two are in for a bumpy ride (figuratively)!
BEFORE watching to the end, comment below who you think will win!
00:00
00:51 Start!
05:11 Buckle In
07:30 Food
08:25 Last Stretch!
Who will win?
Follow Nicky: / nickykelvin
Follow Liam: / liam_spencer
#Berlin #Munich #Lufhansa #InterCityExpress #Highspeedtrain #Train #Plane

[@jakerundell]

You could have definitely taken the U5 from the gate to the train station in like 2 minutes and avoided using the scooter 🤣

[@eimantas314-rblx]

This 😂

[@roderick8997]

yesss that would've been faster, just buy 1-way ticket at the machine, and U-Bahn trains do come every 5-10 minutes

[@Magy155]

I think he took the longest possible detour on the scooter that would have been possible 😅

[@paradonym]

They're richer. They don't take public transport that much anymore

[@linusluca8738]

@@roderick8997 2 stations are always free xD

[@ValueTech]

As someone who lived his entire life in Berlin... He took the most indirect route between the Brandenburg Gate and Berlin Central Station :D Just take the U5 from _Brandenburger Tor:_ Maybe 3-4 minutes and you arrive directly at the underground level, platforms 1-8 (ICE services to Munich usually on 1 and 2). And yeah, better choose the ICE Sprinter (only 1-2 stops between Berlin and Munich; Vmax = 300 km/h) instead of the regular ICE (5+ Stops; Vmax = 250-265 km/h) when traveling to Munich. The regular ICE services only make sense if you are traveling to smaller cities like Bamberg or Ingolstadt. PS: Nevermind, they booked the ICE Sprinter 1107 - just a slower replacement trainset this time.

[@lobby55_77]

i the end ther are 2 ice sprinter one with one stop and one whith 4 stops and he ended up on the one whith 4 stops which is about 10 minutrs longer

[@M.ICE.M]

@@lobby55_77no, thats wrong😂

[@smashin1988]

@@lobby55_77 nope, he was on the "normal" ICE that goes every hour with stops in: - Lutherstadt Wittenberg or Bitterfeld - Leipzig - Erfurt - Coburg (sometimes) - Nürnberg - Bamberg - Ingolstadt Sometimes they go the even further way via Augsburg and Dobauwörth Then there is the Sprinter, who only stops in Halle, Erfurt and Nürnberg. This service is about to be expended to an Sprinter every hour from Dezember. And then there are the Supersprinter, that run since December 2023 with only stopping in Nürnberg, three times a day.

[@ValueTech]

@@smashin1988 No, have a look on the signage at 4:05: He was supposed to ride the 1107, which is a Sprinter service (Berlin - Halle - Erfurt - Nuremberg - Munich). It was just a replacement trainset that day :)

[@smashin1988]

@@ValueTech you are right, I assumed it was the regular ICE because of the used ICE4. The sprinter usually are ICE3 trains.

[@zaphod4245]

0:37 "German trains are meant to be super efficient" - laughs in DB. German trains are just about the most unreliable in Europe lol (as Nicky experienced), Germany might be know for efficiency, but that trait doesn't reflect on their trains.

[@423er]

There are plenty of countries which have worse trains efficiency.

[@noemitakzentueberme]

@@423er of course, but Deutsche Bahn is horrible.

[@jimhearsonwriter]

Yeah, the myth of DB's efficiency was busted internationally during the Euros when so many fans had issues. I was in Berlin later in the summer too and I don't think I caught an on-time train - it worked out well at one point though, as I got to one station just as a 45-minute-delayed train was rolling in; would've had to wait for ages for the next scheduled one!

[@leonfinnwoodpeck5596]

You have never heard of TPE or Transport for Wales

[@Le.K]

France SNCF be like : hold my beer (or wine)

[@faraikwesha2217]

“German trains are meant to be super efficient.” Nicky, my sweet summer child, have you met DB? Hard emphasis on “meant to be”. 😂😂😂

[@kevwwong]

Never been on a DB train. But after watching Jet Lag, I think I've got a good idea of their "efficiency".

[@joeljustin]

He said the trains are super efficient, not the operator. He was kind of right.

[@EnjoyFirefighting]

and using cars to go the first / last mile instead of trains and local public transport, which is well spread-out in both cities? Are you kidding me?

[@Andrew-jv7tc]

Ok I'm going to say why these videos annoy me so much, and that's because the Points Guy team seems to almost never use the public transit option to get to and from the airport or even train station! The Toren in each city was 1-2 U-bahn stops from the respective Hauptbanhöfe. A city ticket to use the public transit was in the cost of the ICE ticket. Figuring out the scooter and calling an Uber took longer than just getting on the U-bahn in both cities. You had close to four hours sitting on a train to Munich to figure this out for your end destination. How did you simply not?

[@ettiroy4515]

Next time take a ICE 3, it’s 300 km/h instead of 265 km/h on the ICE 4 you took and it has fewer stops

[@leonfinnwoodpeck5596]

Exactly what I was gonna comment

[@theclockwork6598]

He booked the ICE 3 Sprinter train. In the video he mentioned that the trains were switched, probably because the ICE 3 Train wasn't available so DB used the ICE 4 as a substitute Train

[@andrewabel3927]

You can walk from the Brandenburg Gate to the Hauptbahnhof in 10 minutes!

[@zadarthule]

It's funny when he moves away from the Reichstag. I think he made a detour around the Chancellery.

[@Andreas-rm7yc]

Scooter?! Why are you not taking U5 from Brandenburg gate station straight into the central train station as any normal person would ? The DB Navigator app will give you all the connections and real time departures for any means of public transport from any location in Germany to any target location 😂

[@Sellerieknolle76]

Same goes for Munich. It would hav been 9 to 12 minutes to the Siegestor with subways or a bus. Instead: Ordering an Uber, waiting for the Uber, waiting for the lights to go green and pedestrians crossing…

[@tobi-toaster480]

DB Traindriver here, I believe the delay of your ICE is due to the switch of train type. While both are ICE for sure, you got a type 412 (known as ICE4), where maximum speed is 250/265 km/h, while the normal train on this route is a type 403 (known as ICE3), where the maximum speed is 300 km/h. This and the fact that the seat reservations were not valid anymore, so passengers got confused and boarding took longer. I am however glad that DB won in the end.😄 Pro tip for next time: Take the underground line U5 from Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) to Berlin Hbf, it only takes about 3-5 minutes😅

[@TinyHannes]

yeah. all the wrong choices made. never take a cab from munich airport... express train is much faster

[@Sellerieknolle76]

Express train? Afaik there is only the S-Bahn and the Lufthansa bus going from the airport to the city.

[@GregCurtin45]

Thanks to everyone on the Points Guy team for making this video happen. During the rare bad weeks one has in life Liam, Nicky and the team make sun come out again. Always original and always fun. Cannot say thank you enough.

[@NeovanGoth]

The aircraft guy cheated by taking Uber twice, which probably was more expensive than the other guy's whole train ride. Also with the ICE Sprinter there is an even faster train connection between Berlin and Munich. I really love flying, but inside Germany it's just stupid. Yes, Deutsche Bahn is always late, but so is Lufthansa. Train is more spacious, offers better food, there are no annoying security checks, and you don't have to go to and from the airport.

[@christianbayerstein5243]

As I German guy I can only apologize for the state of Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn, both are not as reliable as they used to be. 20 minutes delay on Deutsche Bahn is nothing, they even don't count delays under 5 minutes anymore. Nicky was lucky to use the ICE on the latest high speed track in Germany , all other tracks are in a bad state causing technical failures and heavy delays every day. And Lufthansa has also serious problems with not having enough staff, and Berlin airport and Munich airport are far away from the city center without any fast train connections.

[@Patrick-on2ty]

Airport Express in Berlin

[@gunnar-STR]

So better everyone avoid Germany, we are so crab, the worst on planet

[@icecranberry2148]

The best part is when they realize the delay is too long (mine was like 45 minutes coming into Frankfurt) so just cut it short to Darmstadt. (those of us to Frankfurt went out in Heidelberg and got there faster, otherwise S-Bahn would have taken us longer). But like, how is this any of our fault?! xD

[@christianbayerstein5243]

@@icecranberry2148 that is not unusual at the moment since the main track between Frankfurt and Mannheim is completely closed until mid December, all trains have to detour via Mainz or Darmstadt and which is 30 minutes longer and Frankfurt is sometimes cut out if delay is too big.

[@icecranberry2148]

@@christianbayerstein5243 That happened last November though. (I don't remember if there was any work back then tho)

[@edmundcarew7235]

This comparison isn't optimal. Why didn't both take an S-Bahn or U-Bahn train to connect at either end? However, I'll take the train over a cramped aluminium tube any day. The bonus is the train is not only more comfortable, especially with a dining car, but is also usually more environmentally friendly.

[@cat5636]

Next time, take the U-bahn instead of an Uber. Much faster!

[@stefanf6495]

3:40 "...what if the train's delayed?" that'd be a pretty safe bet with DB.

[@joebaillar]

You guys should do this again but no taxis or limes allowed only public transport.

[@ProfTydrim]

would've been faster

[@Danny30011980]

A team from a German show have once done the race in the opposite direction, from the city centre in Munich to the Weltzeituhr at Alexanderplatz in Berlin. The plane won by a mere three minutes, yet the train won in terms of more hassle free and comfortable travelling (Stations mostly right bang in the city centre, opposed havin to go out to the airport, no check-in, no security procedure, quicker on the means of transport, on the road ehm...rail way quicker than the airplane was on route and not to forget the carbon footprint. Curious to see how your comparison goes.

[@wkaemena]

Again in Munich I would have taken the -S Bahn to Marienplatz and then the underground. And it is unfair to take an expensive taxi to and from the airport instead of an express train and he should have dispatched luggage for better comparability. train would have won by one hour or more

[@bruch63]

Top Gear Style. Great Guys! 😂

[@matnatale]

Despite the delays on both ends, this is proof why high speed train is a better option than flying

[@DarientheG]

You got the slow ice train, there is one that only takes 3:35min from Berlin südkreuz, it’s a sprinter and only stops in Nürnberg.

[@Calebs_Aviation]

Great video guys! I always love these races. However, that is not an A321neo just a standard Lufthansa A321 classic. Thanks for a GREAT RACE as always! Cheers mates! 🥂 Caleb’s Aviation 😊

[@slypear]

+1

[@flyingtiger4572]

True

[@amberflokstra88]

DB is super efficient. I was supposed to leave Munich at 13:41 on Sunday, and arrive at Arnhem (Netherlands) on Sunday at 22:15. I actually got out of Munich at 17:29 and arrived at Dusseldorf at 23:15, stranding me there. DB did absolutely nothing, refused to get me an hotel (even though German law obligates them to do so). Took arguing for an hour, calling the Dutch railways (we booked through the Dutch railways), the Dutch railways arguing with the DB worker for an hour (he even read the DB worker the actual law, in German). Eventually had to book our own hotel room. Got to the room at 2:30am. Didn’t get out of Düsseldorf till 14:27 on Monday. And finally home at 16:35. I totally agree that DB is super efficient. At least, supposed to be😂

[@rogue7up]

only 20 delay thats like on time

[@user-ln4dt1gv5s]

at 5:35 that is not a A321NEO but a A321CEO (the older variant)

[@qlemens6273]

Who the fuck calls it „ceo“ tho

[@ricardosam8050]

I just love how u guys keep us informed great thanks 🙏 😊

[@ellenthorne818]

Love the challenges, more please.

[@okeesmokee6658]

Looks like Liam switched seats. I believe he was originally in 11D - with the crew seat in front of him. Next thing you know, he is in a window seat in the back of the plane.

[@MyFlights-n2b]

a321ceo 🤓☝️. Nice video, I always love races where it's in the country and not in a city or some

[@Jan-fv6nr]

After the Inauguration of the new route between Munich and Berlin DB actually made an Add with a race between the two cities.

[@kessas.489]

Good luck guys! 🍀

[@maxeany]

Now Milan- Rome race is a must!

[@astorMorisson]

They should have done the return this weekend :D

[@and1baumann]

That's a surprise to oll of us Germans :D But, DB has the best marketing team out there!

[@williamdfr1715]

Montpellier Airport is currently running an ad to celebrate the opening of Line 14 of the Paris metro to Orly which, without openly mentionning the SNCF, is making it very clear that to get from central Montpellier to central Paris the plane can now beat the train. Perfect test for you guys

[@Short_and_tweet]

Love the races

[@monikaunterwegs7960]

3:39. "Hang on a minute, I'm worried about me being late, what if the train is delayed" Welcome to Germany Nicky!

[@jacquihughes6172]

Great video

[@Marenthyu]

How can you take that long from the Brandenburg Gate to the HBF? 😅

[@mkkm945]

I love how they run when they have a scheduled train/plane to catch and there is are 0.00 reasons to actually run. All in the name of filmmaking eh?

[@747-8]

I love flying Lufthansa, but ICE trains are a close second (except when they are canceled and you are sitting on the floor in 1st class). Loved watching your video as I know all of your Berlin locations very well, and for future visitors, visiting Berlin via Hauptbahnhof is very convenient and the new airport is outside of town but really nice as well.

[@wkaemena]

How stupid to take the scooter , right under Brandenburg gate runs the underground every 5 min in five minutes directly into the train station even near to your track 3

[@Alex-qj1bf]

Both, Lufthansa and German trains are everything but super efficient….expensive, unfriendly, chaotic and unpunctual!

[@merlin4180]

Trains > planes

[@FoxTrain245]

If I saw it correctly, the actual train Nicky would have taken would have been a class 403 ICE, whose higher top speed would have gotten him to Munich even faster. Unfortunately (as is often the case) it was just a replacement train with a slower series. But it still worked.

[@aletoro58]

I like these "race" videos very much. I think you should add the price of each trip at the end to give an idea about which choice was better. I mean the full price, including scooter, uber, meals etc.

[@dhbmario]

First mistake: didn't use the U-Bahn the reach the main station in Berlin. It's just two stations to go and you arrive inside the main station. Second mistake: use the ICE Sprinter! It's takes under 4h from Berlin to Munich. Third mistake: didn't use the U-Bahn in Munich

[@Wagnerismus]

Hmm. It would have been better - and a more accurate comparison - to stick to public transport to and from the start and end points.

[@Marenthyu]

I love this, considering i just took a plane from MUC to BER after connecting through from LYS. Lufthansa goes a long way

[@Marenthyu]

Also don't use Cabs/Uber if you want to go "fast". Scooters or Public Transport are THE way in Berlin. If not by foot.

[@TravelTheCraftyLife]

Sehr cooles Video! The police officer in the back at the end of the video just looking curiously at you both 😅 🇩🇪

[@Cpumod1Bos]

Coool

[@Travelwithemre]

If you would take the ICE "Sprinter" from Berlin it would be quicker by up to 45min. These ICE 3 Trains only stop at Erfurt, Halle and Nuremberg. Some only at Nuremberg on their way to munich. You were in the ICE 4, which can only go up to 249kmh (265kmh) per hour.

[@SongXueHua]

This journey is all about luck lmao. Last time I had to fly with LH from BER to MUC I paid over 500€, they changed and canx my flights twice each journey, in the end I ended up on the Eurowings LCC, all delayed etc.. and got a 800€ bill for it when they promised me its free. So 800€ for 4 delayed Eurowings flights, I was late everywhere and the vouchers I got from LH were fake too LOL. DB? Oh well. they sometimes cancel all the last trains and when you ask for a hotel in the cold winter they flip you off LMAO.

[@alexandervs3369]

You both seem never have heard of public transport, haven’t you?

[@bill4198]

being so early feels illegal 😂

[@tomstravels520]

Sorry but that wasn't a NEO

[@smith5312]

What brand of backpack are you using Nicky? I’m heading overseas soon and it looks like the style I’m after. Cheers mate. 👍

[@IgnitedCobra]

Yesss, a new video, live the SAS one❤❤ And now this, you should try Vietnam Airlines 787

[@cgl434]

5:37 that is not a a321 neo its a ceo.

[@skylineXpert]

From what i remember hearing about Deutsche Bahn: they drive as the wind blows In certain areas. Their regional rail is annoying, but the ICE Is a-ok yet has Its problems as well.

[@Kevbot6000]

I remember my first experience with Deutsche Bahn was when I was gonna go to Dresden from Berlin and my train got canceled, so I had to take another train an hour later and it got a platform change 5 minutes before departure. There were lots of people waiting so it took forever to switch platforms with the big crowd of people all going at once. I had heard bad things about them but definitely not a good first impression lmao.

[@1968Christiaan]

Lovely seeing you guys wander round Berlin... but you should have taken the U-Bahn... entrance was in front of you at Brandenburger Tor and there are two stops to HBF.... it leaves you in the middle of the station. The same line in the other direction would have taken you to Alex. get the Regional from there to the airport and save 20 minutes of traffic. PS DB is a question of luck these days thanks to 16 years of cut backs.....

[@Erik24296]

Nice one, now include the prices you paid and the plane might come out on top (outrageously). But at least you didn't portray the eco friendly form of travel in too bad a light.

[@lennythe13]

"German trains are meant to be super efficient." famous last words

[@gustavm3895]

ICE winning against Lufthansa speaks a story by itself 🤣

[@dreamvlog1573]

You guys should race from Kuala Lumpur to Penang by plane versus train.

[@GeisterFahrer2]

You didn't take the fastest train from Berlin to Munich. There are so called "Sprinter" trains, which only take 3:50 hours

[@CoraVanLincolnius]

I feel like this race needs to be redone. The person taking the train was unlucky they got an ICE4 over a ICE3 as replacement, They were smart in booking the ICE Sprinter but unlucky they got a 250-265kmh replacement for a 300kmh service. They should attempt the race again on a day where theres actually an ICE3 set on the Sprinter as it goes 300kph.

[@karlmuller9824]

You would have walked more chilled and faster from Brandenburg Gate to the Hauptbahnhof. You would even have a lot of Selfies taken

[@DanNick.Daniel]

There was a Deutsche Bahn spot with Nico Rosberg (German F1 star) with exactly the same idea, just after the new track Berlin - Munich was finished. (Of course, the train also won) Coincidence?😂

[@firmanprawirawardhanafirma5644]

i choose both

[@WaiferThyme]

WTG Nicky!

[@carsten2293]

Little correction. Liam that was no A321neo 🤭

[@ukdavepianoman]

These race videos are meant to be a bit of fun - not a rigorous optimal journey explanation. So much depends on delays - Liam's 55 minute delay killed off the challenge. Would be interesting to know what each journey cost.

[@Brauiz90]

4:05 - typical DB - "Ersatzzug"/replacement train and the delay of "only" 4 minutes - at least you chose the sprinter line with around 4 hours of travel time. The end result surprised me a bit... with the traffic in Munich itcould've been a close one...

[@Uknowncookieeater]

Maybe you should race from Munich to Zurich, alternatively from Munich to Vienna, or why not from Stockholm to Gothenburg?

[@Gerviator_yt]

credits to that aviation

[@bsr6823]

It’s much faster by plane. Much more enjoyable by train. I’ve done this journey dozens of times.

[@wkaemena]

@@bsr6823 flight is never faster , take a suitcase and take the AirPort Express or s-Bahn to and from airports then the flight will take easily 5 h

[@maximusg88]

They should really not be allowed to use taxis or ubers

[@ProfTydrim]

They're the far worse option here anyway

[@marcelscheew6704]

Funny like always, but no information about the price differences at all. That’s a pity!

[@banchnotok]

What bloody route did you take from B-Tor to Hauptbahnhof

[@MegaNassu]

This is just German transportation in a nutshell. The trains are always late, Lufthansa is always late and the whole road system is just a big traffic jam.

[@Patrick-on2ty]

Question ! was it the ICE Sprinter Berlin - München ca.4h ?

[@Patrick-on2ty]

@@mb-yc6wh weiss ich doch, deswegen ca 4h

[@Max_Jeko]

When DB Wind against Inland flights womp womp to all haters

[@adityarajpoot-qm9lf]

A German person can only know the pain of DB 🫠. Delays are part of our life.

[@hansmuller3604]

The train guy could have taken U5 to the station

[@juliank.5355]

He could have literally been half way to the station in the time it took him to walk half way to Potsdamer Platz to get a scooter instead. Not to mention the major deroute he then took to get to the station

[@karthikkamathp]

How many of us were sure going into this video that the ICE was going to get delayed😂

[@mattdarling9450]

20 minute delay on DB might as well be on time.

[@katinabianca]

„German trains are meant to be super efficient“ Uhm, have you ever trävelld wif se Deutsche Bahn my friends? 😂

[@bobw5338]

I remember DB ICE telling us to drop off at Mannheim Hauptbahnhof because they couldn't continue the journey to Basel SSB from Amsterdam..dark days..no refunds no communications lol

[@dodaz2049]

I hate those annoying lime scooters

[@MattiBlume]

1:10 Why is Nicky going in the wrong direction? The train station is right behind him.

[@TheGerminator200]

Diese Kommentarsektion ist nun Eigentum der Bundesrepublik

[@jennahamilton247]

DBB train was my worst experience in trains around Europe. They sold a lot of tickets and 4 wagons missing. I had bought bussiness class because it was 4 hours. I had to sit on the floor with oother people in the same situation as mine. A lot of old people and they did nothing to help. And from Amsterdam to Berlin they changed our route and I had to get off in Hanover.

[@astgafl4427]

Usually the ICE has much, much more delay than any plane. Deutsche Bahn is the least reliable company in the world

[@SaadSuglatwala-ms7cj]

Do aer Lingus long haul please

[@deuter458624]

This race seems to be in Liam’s favour usually it’s Liam that gets the train 🚂 🤔 it’s anyone’s win at this time morel of the story take the train 🚊