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Last updated Mar 20, 2026 · 23:00
This weekend, I traveled from Berlin to Frankfurt on the ICE. When booking, I discovered I could choose the "Sprinter" option.
I've traveled with the ICE many times for work, but I never quite understood the difference between the various versions until now.
Just a heads-up: if you take the Sprinter, it runs non-stop. In my case, it was 30 minutes faster. Personally, I didn't enjoy it as much because I prefer when stops allow fresh air to circulate through the train. Also, the other trains seemed more modern to me.
But just so you know, I'm no train expert, even though I can watch the trains daily from my place.
Booking was super easy thanks to the Deutsche Bahn app, and paying with PayPal was very straightforward. Compared to my trips from Beijing to Shanghai or Seoul to Busan, I find the German ICE to be on par with trains from other countries. For me personally, the Chinese trains were the fastest reaching around 400 km/h and offered a super comfortable ride.
I'll try to find some photos from my train rides and post them here soon.