Book Bike Holland to Germany by train

[davidknibb]

I'm trying to book my bike from Hook of Holland to /from locations in Germany by train.

Neither the Dutch nor German rail web sites seem to be able to manage to book bikes across borders - and give phone numbers to ring.

Any advice as to how to book on line without having to make phone calls please

Thanks

David

[pal]

As far as I'm aware a phone call is the only way to do it -- but you can talk to D. Bahn's UK office (08718 80 80 66) and they can sort it out very efficiently (they are sometimes also able to help solve the problems which might be caused when travel tickets -- esp. the very bargain ones -- are released before the window for bike reservations opens, by making a preliminary reservation of the travel ticket and allowing you to call back at a later date to add the bike to it).

[davidknibb]

Thanks

David

[foxyrider]

+1 - Deutches Bahn are very good and helpful with ticketing

[davidknibb]

Thanks for this. Yes I use the DB site frequently. But they won't book bikes going over the border from Holland to Germany on line. Only for internal German rail journeys it says.

David

[pal]

Yes, that's right. I don't think it's DB (or NS) being deliberately unhelpful, just a foible of the system which handles trans-border bike bookings (which, as far as know, isn't properly integrated with the rest of the booking system - hence also the problem of the booking 'horizon' sometimes being set differently for bikes than for people). Having to phone is a bit of a pain, I agree, but the results have always worked out ok (in my experience...)

[davidknibb]

OK thanks again.

I'll ring in the morning - and try to get HvH to Lubeck and then Berlin back to HvH

David

[davidknibb]

Very helpful folk at the DB office in London sorted it all out in a very friendly straightforward way. As it happened they confused the dates on one of the bike tickets - the bike was to travel a full 4 weeks by itself and before me ! Again sorted with no fuss at all.
A good and helpful outfit.

David

[pal]

That's good to hear!