Discover Great Britain by rail

You can generally book almost all journeys by train within Great Britain. Simply search for your desired journey in the journey planner. For example, travel from London

• to Edinburgh in around 4 hours 10 minutes
• to Manchester in around 2 hours 10 minutes
• to Cornwall (Newquay) in around 5 hours

In addition to these long-distance journeys, you can also book tickets for shorter journeys throughout Great Britain. 

Please note: Tickets for the Caledonian Sleeper and Night Riviera (GWR) sleeper trains cannot currently be booked through us.

In Great Britain, train travel generally works in a similar way to Germany. However, there are a few things to bear in mind.

• At major stations, the departure platform is often not announced until shortly before the train departs. Check the large departure boards at the station. Announcements will also be made. Please do not rely on the platform information in DB Navigator or on bahn.de, as real-time information is not available there.
• Train numbers are not published in the timetable. In Great Britain, trains are identified by the operator, departure time and destination.
• Please allow enough time to reach the platform and pass through the ticket barriers. Scan your ticket at the ticket barrier and the gate will open. If you experience any problems, staff are available on site and will be happy to help.
• Transport for transfers between stations is generally not included in the ticket. For example, if you arrive from Brussels on Eurostar at London St Pancras International and your next train departs from London Waterloo, you will need an additional ticket for the London Underground. You can simply use your credit card at the ticket barriers and pay for your journey using the contactless tap-in and tap-out system. 

 National Rail fares are broadly divided into Advance, Off-Peak/Super Off-Peak and Anytime:

• Advance is generally cheaper, but only valid on the booked trains
• Off-Peak tickets are only valid outside certain peak travel times
• Anytime tickets offer the most flexibility but are usually more expensive. You can use any train on the booked route

Please note: Check the conditions of your ticket, as flexibility and refund conditions vary depending on the fare. 

DB can currently only sell separate tickets for the outward and return journeys. Unfortunately, it is not possible to sell the outward and return journeys on one ticket (“Return Ticket”).

Tickets for long-distance trains run by some train operating companies automatically include a free seat reservation, subject to availability. This is not shown during the booking process. The reservation is automatically displayed on the ticket.

If you need a seat reservation for other trains, please contact a National Rail ticket office in Great Britain. You can also contact the relevant train operating company online. Unfortunately, it is currently not possible to make a reservation through DB unless it is automatically included when the ticket is booked.

As a rule, you can book National Rail tickets up to 12 weeks before your planned journey. Some train operating companies offer longer advance purchase periods.

Please contact only the operator of the delayed/cancelled train. You can find an overview with the relevant contact details at www.nationalrail.co.uk. 

Please also contact the train operator directly for all other service enquiries relating to your train journey (complaints, praise, criticism, etc.). 

Please note: Please do not submit your National Rail ticket to the Passenger Rights Service Centre using the DB passenger rights claim form to request compensation/a refund. As DB has no corresponding agreements with the operators in Great Britain, the Service Centre cannot process these claims, and submitting one would delay the process.

For some routes, the ticket cannot be issued as an online ticket. This may be because the ticket barriers for entering or leaving the platform do not have barcode readers. In such cases, you will receive a booking reference that you can use to collect a physical ticket.

In Great Britain, go to a National Rail ticket machine or ticket office and enter your booking reference. Then use a valid debit or credit card to confirm collection. This is only required to confirm collection. Your debit or credit card will not be charged again. Take your printed ticket from the machine. Please make sure you collect your ticket in good time before your journey.

Please note: National Rail paper tickets that have already been collected cannot simply be reissued. If you lose your physical ticket, you will need to purchase a new one.

Discount cards from Great Britain currently cannot be used for National Rail journeys booked through DB.