DB Travel
Plan journeys across Germany and Europe via the Deutsche Bahn REST API. Covers ICE, IC/EC, regional trains, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams, buses, and ferries — with real-time delays.
No API key required. Free public API. Rate limit: 100 req/min.
Script
scripts/db-travel.py — standalone Python 3 CLI, no dependencies beyond stdlib.
Commands
# Search for stations/stops
python3 scripts/db-travel.py search "Berlin Hbf"
# Plan a trip (place names auto-resolve)
python3 scripts/db-travel.py trip "Berlin Hbf" "Munich Hbf"
# Depart at specific time
python3 scripts/db-travel.py trip "Berlin Hbf" "Flughafen BER" --time "2025-03-01T10:00:00+01:00"
# Arrive by a specific time
python3 scripts/db-travel.py trip "Hamburg" "Berlin" --time "2025-03-01T14:00:00" --arrive
# Departure board
python3 scripts/db-travel.py departures 8011160 --limit 10
# Arrival board
python3 scripts/db-travel.py arrivals 8011160 --duration 60
# Station details
python3 scripts/db-travel.py stop 8011160
All output is JSON.
Common Station IDs
Use search to find IDs. Some common ones:
- Berlin Hbf:
8011160 - München Hbf:
8000261 - Hamburg Hbf:
8002549 - Frankfurt (Main) Hbf:
8000105 - Köln Hbf:
8000207 - Flughafen BER:
8089110
Products
The API returns product types: nationalExpress (ICE), national (IC/EC), regionalExpress, regional, suburban (S-Bahn), subway (U-Bahn), tram, bus, ferry, taxi.
Presenting Results
When presenting trip results to users:
- Show times in HH:MM local format, not ISO
- Summarize legs concisely: "🚄 ICE 507 Berlin Hbf → München Hbf (10:29–14:25, platform 3)"
- Flag delays: if delay_min > 0, mention it
- For departure boards, filter to relevant modes (skip trams if user asked about long-distance)
- Walking legs can usually be omitted unless distance is significant
Limitations
- Primarily Germany, but includes international trains (IC/EC to neighboring countries)
- Rate limited to 100 req/min — don't hammer it
- No ticket purchasing
- For Norway, use the entur-travel skill instead