First Class on the ICE 3 Velaro D Between Germany and France at 320 km/h (198 mph)

Hello folks,
Welcome to this trip report bound to Paris, the most beautiful city in the world with DB high speed service, the famous ICE.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment

- TRIP INFORMATION -
RECORDED IN DECEMBER 2019
Railway company: DB
Train type : BR 407 ICE 3 Velaro D
Train number : 9574
From : Stuttgart Hbf to Paris-Est
Time : 4h22
Price : Around €130 ($150)

- EQUIPEMENT - iPhone XS + Dji Osmo 2

Credit for the sound :

[outdoorolli]

Regular trip time to Paris is 3h 35min instead of 4h 22min. The reason for the elongated travel time is the renovation of the Stuttgart-Mannheim HSL. This renovation ends on Oct. 31st. Then ICE/TGV trains will head to Karlsruhe with 250 kph again.

[mikeblatzheim]

Have you traveled on the Cologne-Frankfurt line yet? It's a journey of less than 50 minutes (By car it takes 1h30 if you're lucky and driving very fast), and the route is rather astonishing, having a huge amount of tunnels and bridges, with grades of up to 4%. If you manage to get a seat behind the driver, it becomes a roller coaster like experience. Officially the top speed on the route is 300kph, but due to the steep grades you'll often go faster, especially if the train is delayed. One time my train reached 323kph.

[Cosmic.]

When you have an "Flexpreis-Ticket" for the first class in an ICE or IC you can use DB Lounge and the DB Premium Lounge. These Lounges are at the bigger Stations in Germany.

[switzerails]

Good to mention the difference between the two series of ICE3.
Also worth noting : In the latest iteration, the nice lounge behind the driver cab was removed. It was possible to see tracks in front and turn the main lights off in this area. Very handy for sleeping, especially when I took an early morning train from Munich. Vision through the driver compartment can be blocked by the driver himself : by a simple command, the glass wall becomes blurry.
First series of ICE3 also have 6-seat compartments in 1st class. The lounge with front (or back) view is present on the ICE-T trains as well.

[il_dalla]

CONGRATS for your 100th video. Keep going 💪🚄

[zenjii]

Great trip report!!!
I like how you added a quick summary at the end of your travel experience on this ICE service!!!

[OnkelPHMagee]

Thank you for explaining about the Stuttgart Hbf. I was there in 2017, and I remember the station construction. Now I want to read more about it.

[spaceman]

OMG thank you so much I was waiting for this video for soo long. Thank you : )

[agermanengineer]

Normal Paris Stuttgart Trip time is 3h:04 btw, that little thing was a trash can

[nikossamsung]

Good that you included the pros and cons in the end. Great video as always!

[airbus_aneo]

In 2018 we traveled from Stuttgart Hbf to Paris-Est onboard SNCF's EuroDuplex, it was my first time being aboard that train. Btw, I'm from the Stuttgart region so I'm glad you visited the station! Lol

[Rager_U]

Love the bullet point "Pros" & "Cons" at the end! A true "executive summary". 😀

[naruciakk]

Personally I find the ICE3 train set to be the best in the history of long-distance train travel :D

[travellife]

7:05 that's a trash can.

I often travel with ICEs and can say that the seats in 1st class suck because they are too slippery. There are some little cookies or chocolate bars that the staff is giving in 1st class, so there is a little snack, but it is something, right? :D I prefer the 2nd class seats. In my opinion the 1st and 2nd generations of the ICEs are the best. I love the seats (2nd class) there. You should ride them! The worst ICE is the newest 4th gen, because the seats and speed suck. You can book (even last minute sometimes) the Sparpreis on DB. It is very hidden on ticket mashines and website, but you can maybe travel cheaper. Greetings from Frankfurt, Germany!

[--deusvult--]

The journey would have been ~30 minutes faster (3:50) if the high speed line between Stuttgart and Mannheim wasnt temporarily closed to renew the tracks. The train would normally use it from Stuttgart all the way to the railway junction near Bruchsal (the route shown on the DB Website is false).

[dallyborr]

ICE3 M is the best looking train ever. Velaro D is nice but, it simply doesnt have that look "i am mean and i am fast"

[YTimo]

9:04 You can get beverages and snacks at your seat in 1st class (not free tho)

[ranjithbalasubramanian]

I like the summary portion at the end of the videos which u r doing since the last few video.... Keep them trip reports coming

[dodul]

I enjoy all your videos but this was special... Keep going....

[otissito]

These seats are actually also used by VIA Rail Canada as their newest economy product for short-haul. They are okay in terms of comfort but not the greatest. The ICE 4 seats in 1st class are absolutely brutal though.