Paris and Berlin are about to get a little closer.

A year after its nighttime counterpart hit the rails, the highly anticipated daytime high-speed train linking Paris and Berlin is ready to launch on 16 December, Germany’s Deutsche Bahn has confirmed.

The new route promises faster, direct and daily journeys between the two bustling capital cities, and at a competitive price.

How long will the new Paris-Berlin train take?

Currently, travelling during the day between Paris and Berlin involves a connection and usually takes between nine and 10.5 hours.

The ÖBB Nightjet overnight train between the two capitals, meanwhile, takes around 13 hours and 15 minutes and only departs three times a week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

This overnight service also was suspended just eight months after it launched due to major works on the rail network. It resumed service in early November, about three months after it was paused.

The new direct train service will run daily and take around eight hours, departing Paris Gare de l’Est at 9.55am and arriving at Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 6.03pm.

In the other direction, the train will depart at 11.54am and arrive at 7.55pm.

According to the rail operators, it is the first to link the two capitals “from city centre to city centre”.

The inaugural journey will set off from Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 12.02pm on 16 December, with dignitaries including François Delattre, the French ambassador to Germany, and Kai Wegner, the governing mayor of Berlin, in attendance.

How much will the new Paris-Berlin train cost, and where will it stop?

The new high-speed ICE train sets off just in time for Christmas. It will stop in Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Frankfurt along the way.

Tickets are on sale now, starting at €59 one way.

“This creation of a connection contributes to a common objective of our two countries: to promote carbon-free mobility,” managing director of TGV-Intercités Alain Krakovitch tweeted after announcing the new service in September.

“Compared to the plane, the [train] journey between Berlin and Paris generates only one hundredth of the CO2 emissions,” he added.

Deutsche Bahn plans to make trains more reliable

Germany’s reputation for punctuality has, in recent years, not extended to its trains. In both 2022 and 2023, over a third of long-distance trains were delayed, DB figures show.

Short-term construction works, rail repairs, staff strikes and extreme weather were the main reasons behind the delays.

The operator hopes to improve the situation in the coming year, in part by adding more long-distance services with fewer stops.

Since October, it has also allowed passengers to pre-book 12 months ahead, up from the current six.

As infrastructure improvements continue, DB hopes that delays will gradually ease over the next two years.

As of 1 January 2025, Romania and Bulgaria will officially become full-time members of the Schengen Area, which allows free movement between member states for 450 million citizens.

The two countries have been members of the European Union (EU) since 2007, but as they were not part of the border-free area, travellers were still required to show passports upon entry.

Now, border controls for the two countries will be simplified.

Here’s what travellers to Romania and Bulgaria need to know about the changes.

Schengen membership: A milestone years in the making for Romania and Bulgaria

Back in 2011, the European Commission (EC) determined both eastern European countries were ready to become Shengen members.

Despite the pronouncement, neither were immediately granted entry into the group.

Fellow EU members, including Germany and France, denied their joint candidacy over governance and immigration issues, delaying their Schengen accession year after year. But the opposition gradually eased.

Last year, the Netherlands – one of the last two holdouts – lifted its veto, leaving Austria as the only country still in opposition. They lifted their veto in November, leaving the path free for Romania and Bulgaria to enter.

Despite Austria’s resistance to Romania and Bulgaria’s Schengen membership, the EC lifted air and sea checks earlier this year, signalling bigger changes to come.

Do you need a passport to enter Romania and Bulgaria?

When Romania and Bulgaria join the Schengen zone in the new year, it will be easier for travellers to visit the two countries. At least in principle.

Citizens of Schengen countries do not need to show their passports when flying between countries in the Schengen zone, although not always when travelling by road.

But while Romania and Bulgaria will be fully-fledged members, the EC isn’t ready to pull all border checks yet.

The EC anticipates maintaining checks at land borders between Hungary and Romania and between Romania and Bulgaria for “at least” six months to “prevent any serious threat to public policy and internal security” – a decision likely made to appease Austria.

This means if you are driving or arriving by train or bus into Romania and Bulgaria, you will still need to carry your passport.

Travellers arriving by air or sea from other Schengen countries will no longer have to show passports upon arrival, however.

Meaning, passengers on flights, cruises and ferries will not be subject to passport checks.

Which European countries can you enter without a passport?

Travellers without EU citizenship should remember that stays in Bulgaria and Romania count towards time spent in the Schengen zone, which cannot be longer than 90 total days within 180 days.

If a traveller spends 30 days in Bulgaria or Romania and enters another Schengen country such as Greece, for example, those 30 days will count toward the 90-day maximum stay in the Schengen Area.

Exceeding this limit can result in penalties, including fines or bans on re-entry.

How many countries are in the Schengen Zone?

The latest country to join the Schengen zone was Croatia in 2022.

Every year, 1.25 billion trips take place within this area and 3.5 million people cross the borders of its member countries every day.

Now, including Romania and Bulgaria, the Schengen zone comprises 29 states. 25 belong to the EU and four are associated states of the European Free Trade Association: Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The Schengen Area was created in 1995 following the signing of the Schengen Agreement 10 years earlier between five member states of the European Economic Community: Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Several other agreements followed until the 2007 enlargement, integrating nine additional countries into the free movement area.

As the end of the year approaches, thoughts begin to turn to plans for next summer and a welcome getaway to another country. Travelling by ferry is a popular option, with the European ferry sector transporting some 794 million passengers a year.

Ferry route-finding site FerryGoGo has crunched the numbers to find out what we could be paying for our ferry trips in 2025. On average, a crossing with two people and a car in the high season will set travellers back €1,017, slightly less than the €1,097 evaluated in 2024.

Part of this is down to the inclusion of eight new routes in the study this year, some of which are shorter and therefore cheaper. Co-founder of FerryGoGo, Jan Willem van Tilburg, noted that, although the overall average cost has reduced, value for money is getting worse.

He tells Euronews Travel, “The price per mile has increased by seven cents per mile, likely due to inflation and the inclusion of shorter routes. For instance, routes such as Portsmouth to Caen and Portsmouth to Jersey are cheaper overall because they cover fewer miles, but they are less efficient and therefore more expensive per mile. A similar pattern is seen with routes like Barcelona to the Balearic Islands.”

What are the most expensive ferry crossing in Europe?

According to the study, the most expensive ferry crossing in Europe in 2025 is from Denmark to Iceland. Priced at €2,222 for two people, a cabin and a car on a round-trip itinerary in high season.

Sailing just once per week, Smyril line sails the M/S Norrona from the Danish fishing town of Hirtshals, passing the Shetland Islands and docking briefly in Torshavn on the Faroe Islands. The final leg sees the ship arriving in the small Icelandic town of Seydisfjordur a whole 66 hours after leaving Denmark.

Onboard are the usual ferry amenities, such as cinemas, a children’s playroom and a gym. In addition, the Norrona offers an indoor pool, open deck hot tubs and a football pitch, as well as a multitude of decent restaurants to choose from.

Although the cost for this crossing is still the highest in Europe, on a per kilometre basis, it’s actually very good value. FerryGoGo pointed out that, per hour, this mini-cruise costs under €17 per person, or €0.73 per kilometre.

Compared to 2024, the cost of the Hirtshals-Seydisfjordur crossing has decreased by 19.7 per cent – down €546 from this year’s price of €2,768.

The best and worst value ferry crossings in 2025

In terms of bang for your buck, the best value to be had for the distance travelled is the 854 km route from Barcelona to Rome. Costing €755 return for two and a car, it works out at just €0.44 per kilometre.

Other crossings that come in at great value, all under €0.70 per kilometre, include the 40-hour trip from Sete in southern France to Nador in Morocco, Germany’s Travemunde to Helsinki and Bilbao in France to Rosslare in Ireland. All three of those crossings are over 1,000 kilometres long, requiring one, maybe two nights on board too.

“In general, we’ve observed that the longer the crossing, the cheaper it is per mile,” explains van Tilburg.

“For example, crossings from Ireland and the UK to Spain are relatively cheap when you consider the cost per mile. Similarly, the crossing from Barcelona to Civitavecchia-Rome is one of the most cost-effective crossings per mile.”

In terms of the worst-value crossings, the most expensive per kilometre is the popular route from Barcelona to Palma, Mallorca. Covering just 270 km and costing over €1,000, it works out to a fee of €1.89 per person, per kilometre. Up there with the expensive trips is also Barcelona-Ibiza and the shortest route on the list, the six-hour hop from Rostock in Germany to Trelleborg in Sweden.

The Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry has seen the biggest price increase

Across the surveyed routes, some services had largely remained at a similar price to 2024, but many did not. Almeria to Nador was the service with the biggest fall in price, dropping 29 per cent to €586 this year.

Travemunde-Helsinki and IJmuiden-Newcastle also dropped in price by around 20 per cent, while Hirtshals-Seydisfjordur and Bilbao-Rosslare are around 15 per cent cheaper this year.

Of the routes where price rises have been seen, the most dramatic increase is on the Harwich to Hoek van Holland service, where prices are up almost 60 per cent. From a cost of under €400 last year, this year’s report puts the fare at €620.

The Liverpool to Belfast ferry also increased in price substantially, going from €500 to €768. Other routes had moderate rises of around 20 per cent, although van Tilburg noted that the use of dynamic pricing means prices may still go up.

Dynamic pricing is widely used in transportation and works by increasing the fares on particular services as more of the seats sell out. January is a key month for ferry bookings, therefore the prices quoted in the report could well change in the new year, says van Tilburg.

“If you’re travelling with a car, it’s best to book early,” he notes. “Parking decks on ferries tend to fill up quickly as the season approaches, leading to rapid price increases. Booking before January can also help you save – Stena Line, for example, often offers discount codes.”