The 320km/h ICE3neo is Germany’s Best Train…. BY A MILE!

Book Great Deals on Train, Plane, Bus & Ferry Travel through my Omio Affiliate Link here: https://omio.sjv.io/QO0XMx

Hello and welcome back to Germany, where today we’ll be riding their new high-speed train!

We’ll be riding from Cologne to Frankfurt onboard the NEW ICE3neo. An updated interior to this 320km/h highspeed train has brought them right up to date with the very best in Europe now, so let’s go and check them out together!

Date of Filming: 6/1/24
Camera: GoPro Hero 12 Black
Operator: DB (Deutsche Bahn)
Departure: Köln Hbf
Arrival: Frankfurt (Main) Hbf
Cost: First Class – €29.80 (£25.35, $32.57)

To check out my ICE4 review from Munich to Berlin, click here:

Here’s a link to the DB onboard menus:
https://www.bahn.de/service/zug/bordgastronomie

Here’s a link to my Germany playlist:

Become a valued YouTube channel member to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBqWe9KKYUavknEaaZLk7cQ/join

Kindly send me a tip! Any donations will be reinvested to make bigger and better videos:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/nonstopeurotrip

All music in this video is provided by Epidemic Sound, sign up for a FREE 30-day trial using my affiliate link here: https://share.epidemicsound.com/pspegs

Easily book GREAT VALUE Asian Flights, Trains, Buses & Ferries with my Baolau link:
https://www.baolau.com/?source=nonstopeurotrip

Follow me on Social Media:
http://www.instagram.com/nonstopeurotrip
Tweets by nonstopeurotrip

A HUGE thanks to my Valued Channel Members:
Pedro Rubio Tejero Mark Jaynes
amillionbooks George Dover
Holdymar V. Arndt Jr Fabricio Renovato
Linda Vainomae Will Getz
Westy331 Ingrid lengkeek
Oliver W eng91755
Sam Jennings Lebjohnson
Rahill Rick Sipes
Tim Crawford Daniel Young
Peter Harrison Peter Tuck
Chris Winchell Debbie Winchell
Leaving Behind Thomas Roell
Severity One Janet Rusky
Roy Parker Peter Russ
John Michael Dornoff Robert S
Luke211286 Ana Lämä
Dirk Schultz Tom Kennedy
Roy Meister Malcore Gaming
Piotr Kilczuk Colin Davies
Alz Brian Rosson
William Boon Cheng Tan
Shay Muhammad Nur Ihsan
Jak Marzhall False Prophet
Rafi Muhammad Agung Heryadi
Kiel Regmount
Luigi Bharath Ghanta
Avirup Some Co Akker
治那涧初 Dean Shaw
T.Suzuki František Lukeš
doublea Djsaccess
Nibih Tiolina Theresia Purba
Kilian Teemu Lokka
Robert Heywood Clark Olsen
František Lukeš Sacha Reichmuth
YorAis Lois Johnson
Sina Diatta Dharma Pratama
Harry Hopkinson Paul Hayes
Gene Bowker John Doughty
Luke D Springrita Levinthal

00:00 – Intro
01:25 – Arrival at Köln Hbf & Tour
02:35 – Heading to the Platform
03:48 – ICE3neo Arrival & Route Info
04:55 – Boarding & First Impressions
05:35 – Departure & Pricing
06:45 – Crossing the River Rhine
07:24 – First Class Seat Tour
09:54 – A Look at the Toilets & Dining Car
11:15 – A Look at Accessibility & Second Class
12:36 – First Class Dining
12:56 – 320km/h Speed & Window Views
13:31 – Calling at Frankfurt Airport
14:30 – Trip Summary & Arrival at Frankfurt Hbf
15:41 – Outro

Today we’ll be taking a trip on the BRAND NEW  ICE3neo in Germany. Have Deutsche Bahn succeeded   in creating the PERFECT high-speed train? Come  along with me and let’s find out together! Hello & welcome to Cologne in western Germany.  I’m really excited to be back in Europe, and  

Taking this trip today, to finally see if all the  hype about this new train is actually justified. But first, let’s take a quick look around  Cologne, which is an absolutely stunning city. The 13th century Catholic  Cathedral dominates the skyline,   with its 157m (515 ft) twin towers  being the tallest in the world.

It wasn’t actually fully completed to  its present form for over 600 years,   until 1880, but major refurbishments started  in the 1990s, and still continue to this day. Cologne’s Central Station, is  located right next to the cathedral,   so let’s head down there now  and get this video started.

A station first opened on the site of the current  Köln Hauptbahnhof as far back as 1859, 20 years   before the Cathedral was actually completed.  This station amalgamated the 5 smaller stations,   owned by 5 separate companies, which had sprung  up since the railways arrived in the city.

As with most main stations in Germany, inside  more resembles a shopping centre rather than a   train station. This is great for  doing some last minute shopping,   or grabbing a quick coffee  from McDonalds in my case. There is an information booth, staffed  ticket office, ticket vending machines,  

ATMs, luggage lockers, and  even an Ibis hotel in here too. There is a large departure board displaying  the vast number of trains that serve this   station from s-bahn commuter services  to high-speed and sleeper trains. The shopping centre continues down the  central corridor which runs underneath the  

Station’s 11 platforms, all of which  are accessible step-free by lifts. We’ll be departing from Platform 5 today,   so let’s head up there as our  train should be arriving shortly. Wow, it’s busy up here today! This will come as no surprise to  regular German train travellers,  

But this ICE3 on the right here is delayed for  some reason, and it’s causing a bit of a log jam. If you’d like to see my video onboard one of   these ICE4 sets between Munich and  Berlin, click the link above now.

And now our train is up on the board,  scheduled running one minute late. And here it comes now. It’s the newest  generation of ICE high-speed train,   the ICE3neo. Built by Siemens, an initial order of   30 eight-car sets started delivery  to Deutsche Bahn in November 2022.

They have since ordered another 60 sets,  which will bring the fleet to 90 by 2029. The ICE3neo has a top speed of 320km/h (200mph),  and a power output of 8,000kW (10,728hp). Each 8-car set can seat 439 passengers,  and comes with a vastly superior interior  

Design that previous generations, which  we’ll look at during our trip today. Before we get on-board, let’s check out  today’s route from Cologne to Frankfurt. If you need step-free access to the train,  then you’ll need to speak to station staff  

To make use of this ramp as there are  three steps up from the platform to   every coach. The train also has integrated  wheelchair lifts, which we’ll see later on. I’m travelling in First Class today, in Coach  29, which is at the front of the train. This  

Is laid out in a 2+1 configuration, and I  pre-reserved this rear facing solo seat,   which I really didn’t need  to do, as the train is dead! We depart around 4 minutes late, at 10:03am.  This trip from Cologne to Frankfurt is 180km  

(112mi) in distance, and is scheduled to take 1  hour and 24 minutes of travel time this morning. Now on to the price. I paid €29.80 (£25.35,  $32.57) including seat reservation for this   advanced purchase, non flexible ticket  in First Class. I think that’s pretty  

Good value for a high-speed train  trip with this level of comfort. Bear in mind that a walk-up fare can be  substantially more, double or triple this price. Second Class tickets starts  from €19.90 (£17.00, $21.75). Top Tip about using an Interail or EUrail pass  in Germany. Reservations are NOT required on  

Any domestic service, so you can just turn up  and take any free seat in your class of travel. Immediately after exiting Köln  Hauptbahnhof, we cross the majestic   River Rhine, one of Europe’s most important  rivers which also flows through Switzerland,   Liechtenstein, Austria, France & The Netherlands.

If you want AD-FREE early access to every  video, great perks and to help me to do   BIGGER & BETTER reviews, then become a  Channel Member from just £1.99 per month. Just click the link above now, or the  JOIN button in every video. Thank you!

One of the main upgrades on the ICE3neo is the new   interior and especially the new seats.  So let’s go and check them out now! Most are airline style, but there are a  few bays of 2 or 4 seats in each coach.

These new First Class seats are excellent.  Not that the old ones were bad at all,   but the padding and ergonomic  shape seem to have been improved. I also love the winged headrest  with padded head cushion. Legroom is plentiful, and there is  an adjustable footrest at every seat.

There is also a small storage  net, and very small litter bin. The tray table is large and sturdy,  ideal for getting some work done. Above this is a phone and tablet  holder which I absolutely love! On this side, you’ll also find  a coat hook and a drinks holder.

The seat has adjustable armrests, and 1x  European style power socket at every seat. It can also be reclined a small amount,   by pulling this lever and shuffling the base of  the seat forwards. Here it is fully reclined. Up above, you’ll find sliding coat  hooks, personal reading lights,  

And a window blind, that is  quite frankly, pretty thin. Overall, this new offering from DB  is an excellent First Class. One   of the best in Europe without a doubt. Great job! The ride quality of the train is super smooth too!

There is also plentiful room for luggage  storage, on either these large stacks at   the carriage ends, or the overhead racks  which run the length of the coaches. Let’s make a quick check on the toilets  now. You can find one in every coach.

The water and soap were stocked up, but the soap  dispenser obviously decided it didn’t like me! Tissues and toilet paper were present, and  on the whole, the bathroom was very clean. Let’s go for a walk about now and  check out the rest of the train.

First up is the coach that is half  Second Class, and half dining car. There is a small sit-down restaurant area,   with table service and a good selection  of small meals, snacks and drinks. There is also counter service where you can  order and take your food back to your seat.  

Prices are fairy high, but not the worst I’ve  encountered. I’ll link the full menu below. Then just beyond this, is the multi-function  coach. This has integrated wheelchair lifts,   an accessible toilet, family compartments,  and of course, wheelchair spaces. There is also a dedicated pram or  buggy area, which is great to see!

Second Class is in a 2+2 layout,  with these blue cloth seats. I found these to also be very comfy  and have a good ergonomic shape. Most of the features of First Class are also   included here with the exception of  footrests and slightly less legroom.

Free WiFi is available throughout the  train. Just scan this QR code to get online,   however it was painfully slow, and only  good for googling or browsing twitter. Back at my seat now, and the attendant has  taken my order for the at-seat service,   which serves the same menu as in the dining car.

I went for the Blueberry porridge  and a large coffee. They were both   delicious. The price was €8.20 (£6.98, $8.97). Even though these trains are capable of 320km/h  (200mph), the maximum line speed in Germany is   currently 300km/h (186mph). However, the fastest  I saw us achieve today was 284km/h (176mph).

Another excellent design feature of  these trains, is the overhead screens,   which display real time information about  the routes, stops, and connecting trains. We are calling at Frankfurt Airport. All connecting trains will be reached. Thank you for choosing Deutsche Bahn today. Take care, good bye.

This train calls at the infamous  Frankfurt Airport, the main Lufthansa   hub within Germany. It’s excellent that  you can transfer from high-speed train,   to plane so seamlessly here, if you don’t count  navigating the actual airport as part of that!

Ladies and gentlemen, in just a few minutes of  time, we will be at Frankfurt Central Station. All connecting trains will be reached. Thank you for choosing Deutsche  Bahn today, take care, good bye. We are now crossing the River Main, and  approaching the end of today’s journey,  

So let me give you my summary onboard the DB  ICE3neo from Cologne to Frankfurt, in First Class. It’s definitely a step up from  all previous ICE versions. The   new interior is fantastic and there has  been much more though about accessibity,  

Along with provisions for families travelling. The  ride quality is also one of the best out there. The First Class too is one of the best in Europe,   and all amenities are top  notch. Great job Deutsche Bahn! I’d highly recommend travelling on this  train, if you get the chance too… I  

Can’t wait for my next ride! They’ll  even start operations to Amsterdam soon! Also, we arrive on-time, at 11:23  to Frankfurt Am Main Hauptbahnhof,   the main station in Germany’s financial capital,  having made up the 4 minute delay we started with. For more of my videos travelling  around Germany by train,  

From high-speed to scenic regional  lines, click the link above now! Have you been on any ICE trains in  Germany before? Which type did you ride,   and on which route? How did you find  it? Let me know in the comments below!

By the way, I’m always open to new  video ideas, so send me a DM on   Instagram or Twitter if there’s anything  you really want to see on the channel… Don’t forget to subscribe as I  publish a new review every Friday,   thanks for watching and I’ll see you next week!