German Rail

Facts about the German railway network - German trains
Train tickets - German rail pass - Eurail pass - Bahncard

The German rail network connects the major cities in Germany with high-speed trains. Regional Express and other local trains let you travel to nearly every German town by train.

Save money with an Eurail Pass (for train travel in Germany and Europe) or a German Rail Pass for multiple train journeys. If you stay several months in Germany and plan a few train trips, a German Bahncard might be worth to consider.

Train travel in Germany is convenient and efficient. Train stations are usually centrally located in most cities and towns. A taxi, U-Bahn, S-Bahn or bus can bring you to your final destination.

Especially for long distance travel between the major cities in Germany, the high-speed ICE trains have their advantage over domestic flights, or driving for hours on the Autobahn.
Relax in a comfortable seat and watch the German countryside passing by. Do you know a better way to travel large distances?

Read on, and get the basic facts about train travel in Germany.

ICE Train with its typical pale grey colour and the red stripe

German Rail - general facts

If you plan your first visit to Germany, this info about German trains and the available train tickets might be useful.

Trains in Germany

The ICE - InterCityExpress train is the "king" among German trains, fast and convenient.
IC - Intercity trains run between major cities in Germany at frequent intervalls. EC - Eurocity trains connect with cities in neighbouring European countries.
RE - RegionalExpress trains link local and long-distance trains, connect smaller cities with the big smoke. These trains are often used by commuters, so avoid to travel in the rush hour, especially with lots of baggage.
RB - RegionalBahn stops at every train station and connects the rural areas with city centres.
S-Bahn trains criss-cross the major regional centres at frequent intervalls. With the S-Bahn it is easy to get from an airport to the city centre and main train station (Hauptbahnhof) in the big cities.
U-Bahn and bus services are not operated by the Deutsche Bahn. They are usually run by companies either owned by local government or private operators. They can really bring you to the doorstep in cities.

Special trains - DB Autozug - City Night Line

DB Autozug - Want to explore France, Italy or Austria with your own car but don't like the long drive? Take the car with you on the train, travel by motorail! DB Autozug terminals are in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hildesheim, Lörrach, Munich and Neu-Isenburg (near Frankfurt). You can even use the DB Autozug for convenient travel within Germany, for example from Hamburg or Berlin to Munich or vice versa.
Click here to see an overview of the connections offered by DB Autozug.
City Night Line - Save a day of your precious holidays, consider to travel by train while you sleep. Night trains are especially worth to consider for train travel to other European cities after you finish your holidays in Germany. Night routes include:
Amsterdam - Munich/Innsbruck; Amsterdam - Copenhagen; Amsterdam - Prague; Amsterdam - Zurich/Brig
Berlin - Munich; Berlin - Paris (Hamburg - Paris)
Hamburg - Munich; Hamburg - Zurich/Brig
Innsbruck/Munich - Paris
Copenhagen - Basel; Copenhagen - Munich/Innsbruck;
Munich - Rome; Munich - Venice
Prague - Zurich
Choose from 3 categories in night trains: seat, chouchette and comfortable sleeper. Reservation is required. Find more information about DB Night Train fares and schedules

German Rail - Rail passes, Train Tickets, Bahncard

The range of train tickets, German rail passes, and rail passes that include other European countries is overwhelming. To add to the choice, you can buy train tickets and passes for first or second class travel.

Travel centre in a train station

Train travel in Germany is considered a bit pricey, especially compared with trains in southern Europe. On the other hand, German rail (Deutsche Bahn - DB) has a good reputation. Although delays happen occasionally, you'll usually arrive at your destination in comfort and time.

You can really save money if you plan your trip ahead, and purchase the right point-to-point ticket in time. Don't want to nail your itinerary down before you go? A rail pass gives you much more flexibility.

Rail Passes

For travellers who intend to travel for more than three days in Germany a German Rail Pass is the best deal.

What exactly is a rail pass you might ask? Well, you can buy passes that enable you from 3 up to 10 days rail travel within one month. No need to worry about where to get the cheapest ticket in time. The only thing you must do is have the pass validated before you use a train in Germany for the first time. After that, you need to write the date of any other travel day on the pass before you use another train day.

Want to travel in other European countries as well? No worries. There are Eurail passes for 3, 4, 5 countries as well as an Eurail global pass for 22 European countries available.
I have compiled more info about train passes, how they work and where you can purchase an Eurorail Pass.

If you are already familiar with the rail pass system and are ready to purchase your pass, go and pick your favourite Eurail Pass(North America residents). If you live outside Europe and North America, find your rail passes to Europe and Germany here.

For residents of European countries a similar system, InterRail passes are available. Get your German Rail Pass. Please note that you can't use a rail pass in your own country.

Point to point tickets, one-way or return tickets

To be honest, Deutsche Bahn standard fares are not a bargain, although they give you the flexibility to hop on a train whenever you want. You can reduce the cost for standard fares by 25% or 50% if you have a Bahncard or if you book in advance and get a Sparpreis.

Saver Fares 25 and 50 (Sparpreis 25/50) reduces the cost by 25% or 50%. Sparpreis tickets are only available for return journeys from and to the same train station, and for a certain day and time. You must book at least three days in advance, and tickets are subject to availability.

Get more info and check out available Train Ticket Offers for your journey.

Bahncard

If you stay in Germany for a couple of weeks, or months, and intend to travel a lot by train, you can buy a BahnCard to reduce costs for train travelling. You can even combine the Bahncard 25 discount with the saver fares. Bahncards are only available as subscription! Don't forget to cancel the contract in time.
I have compiled more info about the BahnCard here.

Have fun travelling in Germany with the German rail.

Check out these pages with more info about trains, tickets and public transport:

German Rail Find more info about trains, tickets & local transport.

Eurorail Pass When is it useful to buy a rail pass?

Train Travel Questions More train travel tips and the questions by other readers. If a question similar to yours is already listed, please use the comments to specify your needs.

German Train Schedules - Tips to get on the right train at a station.

BahnCard - When is a Bahncard better than a rail pass?

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