To check whether a given train requires reservations, check online train schedules. Youll have plenty of choice for both a city trip and a longer holiday. These cheap train tickets come with restrictions that are rarely a major problem for tourists on leisure travel. The poland rail travel guide polrail servicerail travel in. Ill just say that rail travel in germany is easy and convenient. We would gladly like to tell you a bit more about the most popular destinations in germany. There are various ice and intercity ic trains crossing the swiss border into germany. We need to buy 4 train tickets for ice train from frankfurt airport to offenburg and return, for october. Aside from the extra reservation fees required for certain classes of train see above, rail passes for france cover most travel on trains operated by the sncf, frances national railway.
With a ticket for an ice or any other longdistance train of the ice product class, you can use all longdistance trains e. If you plan to make at least two fullprice train trips within germany. You need to activate your pass at a train station in germany within 11 months of the issue date. Its no problem to travel by eurostar from london to paris, lille or brussels, even if youre confined to a wheelchair or have other special needs. The bahncard 25 entitles you to a 25% discount on tickets, whereas the bahncard 50 gives you a 50% discount and the bahncard 100 allows for ticketfree travel across germany. A german rail pass is valid for travel with participating train companies. The weekday version is called the querdurchsland ticket valid after 9. Train travel in europe with a wheelchair or special needs. Youre also entitled to extra bonuses when you show your pass in germany. Unlimited travel across germany for customers with residence outside of europe, turkey and russia.
Travel by train to germany and discover it yourself. Cheap train tickets germany buy tickets online happyrail. Select them out of the 28 countries taking part in eurail. To learn about the details, contact your airline, german rail deutsche bahn or your travel agent. Consider that when comparing driving to rail, dont forget to think about fuel costs, parking, and the stress on the driver. One of the best ways to discover germany is by train. Below well reveal some of the things travelers need to know in order to get the most out of rail travel in germany and europe. View luxury train travel trips which include travel through germany. As of now, you can book train tickets to 35,000 destinations in europe and beyond. Find the cheapest train ticket that is best for your journey, including on highspeed ice trains. Onlytrain cheap train tickets thalys, eurostar, sncf. Train tickets to germany by ice international and intercity.
Check out the german rail pass discounts that we offer. Train travel in germany, a beginners guide online tickets from 19. Travel on consecutive and nonconsecutive days within one month. The ultimate train ticket for exploring germany, this rail pass gives you. Standard german railways tickets are not cheap but deutsche bahn has many special deals with discount fares and cheaper tickets for traveling. With the flexible fare you are not bound to a specific train. Train vs car rental in germany rick steves travel forum. In the saver fare column youll see whatever cheap sparpreis or supersparpreis fare is available on that train, from 19, 29, 39 etc depending on the length of the journey and on how far in advance you book. Germany rail passes and train tips from rick steves. High speed iceservices connect cities like hamburg, berlin, cologne, frankfurt and munich. You can also change your train ticket for only 5 euros. German trains are clean, comfortable, reliable and fast.
If your eurail pass is valid in germany, you can get discounts on ferry crossings and boat trips, cheap hotel stays and other benefits offered by our partners. Our dream is to enable online reservation for train tickets from lisbon to ho chi minh, the worlds longest rail journey at 17. For instance, an australian seniors card is not recognised as a valid discount card for train travel in france. Travel to and throughout germany on any train at any time with a flexible train ticket. May 29, 2016 save 25% plus on train fares in germany with bahncard 25.
Timetables may change due to the current covid19 pandemic, so please check before departure. To take advantage of these offers just show your eurail pass or contact the company, that offers the benefit, directly. These are generally just limitedtime promos for top techniques to save on any journey, see our cheap train tickets guide. The numbers stand for the percentage of savings you will get for a train ticket. Outside of those times, or once all the discount tickets are sold, tickets are sold at normalpreis standard fare. Denmark germany travel by ice and ic to copenhagen 4hr 45min or aarhus 4hr 30min from hamburg. Unless you have a rail pass, you are going to need a ticket. Trains in germany the fastest and best value routes omio. Train travel in germany, a beginners guide online tickets. The munich ljubljana train given as an example is also only a db train as far as the austrian border. Tickets are sold at sparpreise discount prices from 3 months to 3 days prior to the travel date. The reduction is calculated, without paying additional fees on the tgv loirsir fare of the day on tgv france luxembourg, tgv paris freiburg and tgv ice france germany, and on semiflex fares on tgv lyria and tgv france italys.
Bahncard get discount on train travel in germany facts. Buy a saver fare ticket for fast, inexpensive travel within germany. Unlimited travel across germany even on ice highspeed train. Rail europe rail travel planner europe train travel in. Vouchers and discounts for many tourist attractions in germany. May 28, 2016 standard german railways tickets are not cheap but deutsche bahn has many special deals with discount fares and cheaper tickets for traveling in germany. Traveling by train in europe can be a lot more fun if you know some of the tricks of the tradeparticularly in austria, germany, and switzerland. Germany cuts fares for longdistance rail travel in response. When you stay several months in germany and want to travel long distances by train frequently, a bahncard can help you to save money. The places on your list are very easy to reach by train. We check with companies that deals are open to all and if there are any restrictions, but policies can change, so check before booking.
All train tickets can be purchased either online, at ticket vending machines at the stations, or at ticket counters of the german national railway called deutsche bahn which are located in most german train stations. The german railway system is very well developed and reliable, and you can reach almost every city in germany by train. Train tickets for sncf, thalys, eurostar, deutsche bahn, ice, tgv, ns hispeed and sncb at the best price. Dont forget that db does not run a lot of trains outside of germany. These fares are cheaper, but they only allow travel on the specific train youve booked.
Senior discounts for train rick steves travel forum. Germany offers senior travelers over age 60 a discount on the bahncard 50. Polrail service offers a prebooking service for travellers living outside of poland. The deutsche bahn doesnt offer a lot for seniors, but in germany there are senior discounts for train and bus travel within some transit authority zones. Top cheap savings train tickets for german railways travel. Does the bahncard 25 get you discounts outside of germany. Of the three bahncards available, bahncard 25 is the most common. Each eurostar train has a wheelchair space in several 1st class cars, adjacent to a wheelchairaccessible toilet with pushbutton access. Cheap train tickets saver fare travel for as little as eur 21. Whether youre just after a quick bit of info about trains in germany, or you want to know absolutely everything there is to know about travelling by rail in the land of frankfurters, bier gartens and wanderlust, weve got you covered.
Only noneuropean residents can travel with a german rail pass. Book cheap train tickets in germany with trainline today. Train tickets can be booked to more than 1800 german destinations. Tickets and reservations can be booked in advance for trips inside poland up to 30 days in advance for domestic trains, and tofrom other countries in the region up to 60 day in advance. A beginners guide to train travel in germany, including ice trains. Here is a complete guide to finding discount train tickets in germany. Trains in germany general information about german rail. We can help with your travel arrangements warsaw, krakow, wroclaw, gdansk and more. There are three types of bahncards that come as a yearly subscription, bahncard 100, bahncard 50 and bahncard 25. Bahncard 25 gives 25% discount on normal train fares flexpreis, previously referred to as normalpreise. The ice to interlaken for example becomes a swiss train the moment it leaves basel bad, and ticketing is governed by swiss tarif rules from me there on. Children aged 614 must be included when booking tickets. Slowtrain specials in germany include a wild schones wochenende happy weekend ticket for 40 plus 4 for each additional traveler. Trains to germany book tickets in english trainline.
Ice, rj, rjx and icec as well as local and regional trains e. If you buy one of these cheap fares you can only travel on that specific train. Jan 02, 2020 fares for longdistance rail travel in germany have dropped for the first time in 17 years, as climate protection measures aimed at making train travel more attractive came into effect with the. Every trip is unique and here you chose the countries which fit your travel plans. International ferry connections to and from germany. Between the downtown areas of most german cities the travel time by train is as fast or faster than the travel time by plane, when you calculate in the time it takes to get to and from the airport.
Trains in germany book germany train tickets trainline. Polrail service provides personalised rail ticket booking for poland and all of europe. The highquality rail network has made trains in germany one of the most popular ways to travel, as they are an efficient and reliable method of transportation. Taking the train is a great way to travel to and in germany. A good way to save on train travel is by purchasing a bahncard, a railcard which grants discounts on deutsche bahn services. Group saver fares allow groups to travel within germany for as little as 19. Travel by train in europe with rail europe, your travel planner. I would like to get the discounted student in germany though it. Plus, dont forget we offer free delivery of your pass to the united states.