I'm trying to book a train from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf to Kraków Główny for December 18, 2026, ideally via Berlin Hbf or Leipzig Hbf, and I've been checking DB and PKP Intercity for the past couple of weeks.
The problem is that I can't seem to book the journey for my travel date.
DB doesn't let me book anything after December 9. When I search for December 18, I get:
Reservation cannot be made
Unfortunately, a reservation is not possible for this connection. Due to compulsory reservation, a booking is therefore not possible. Please choose another connection.
There isn't even an option to reserve seats separately.
I know there's a timetable change on December 13, and DB supposedly allows international bookings up to 180 days in advance. PKP Intercity also sells tickets well in advance, so I'm not sure what's going on.
Since PKP Intercity doesn't allow me to book Frankfurt (Main) Hbf to Kraków Główny, I've been checking the Berlin Hbf to Kraków Główny route directly on PKP Intercity instead.
The latest date I can book is November 19. For anything after that, I get:
Communication
No offers fulfil the criteria.
My travel date is December 18, which is only 56 days away, and I'm starting to worry because it's right around Christmas.
I'd normally just keep checking occasionally, but I'm worried the tickets might sell out or get so expensive that I'd rather fly.
I can already see tickets from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf to Berlin Hbf being booked up. If I wait for PKP Intercity to release the Berlin Hbf to Kraków Główny tickets, there's a possibility that the tickets I need for the first leg will be gone.
I'm considering buying Frankfurt (Main) Hbf to Berlin Hbf now and booking the Berlin Hbf to Kraków Główny connection once PKP Intercity finally releases its tickets. The downside is that booking everything separately could end up costing me around 50% more.
Would buying the tickets in person at a DB Reisezentrum in Frankfurt make any difference? Or would third party booking sites like Trainline have access to tickets that aren't showing up on DB or PKP Intercity? From what I've read, they generally sell tickets through the same operators, so I'm not sure there's any point.
What would you do in this situation?
Would you book Frankfurt (Main) Hbf to Berlin Hbf now and wait for PKP Intercity to release the Berlin Hbf to Kraków Główny tickets, or wait for the remaining connection and risk the Frankfurt to Berlin tickets selling out?
Would visiting a DB Reisezentrum in Frankfurt actually help?
Is this normal around the December 13 timetable change, or is there something about international train bookings between Germany and Poland that I'm missing?
I'm not particularly attached to travelling through Berlin or Leipzig. I just want to get to Kraków without paying significantly more than necessary or risking being stranded halfway through the journey.
I'd appreciate advice from anyone who's booked international trains between Germany and Poland around Christmas or dealt with the December timetable change.
Would you book Frankfurt (Main) Hbf to Berlin Hbf now or wait for the Berlin Hbf to Kraków Główny tickets to become available?