Train Travel Germany

A Guide to Public Transport in Germany

Train Travel Germany - Travelling Long Distances

• ICE trains are the fastest trains, but also the most expensive to travel with. They are fairly convenient and connect major cities in Germany on a frequent schedule.
• IC / EC trains are the slightly cheaper fast train connections between major city centres.
• Regional Express Trains (RE) are the most economical way to travel. Depending on the route you probably have to change trains more often, and it takes longer to reach your destination. For people who love train travel this is the way to go.

Train tickets & tariffs

• Standard fares are much more flexible. Decide today where you want to go, buy the ticket online, or at a ticket machine, and off you go. However, it can be rather expensive, especially for trips over several hundreds of kilometre.
• There a different savings fare tariffs, some are only valid for travelling on weekends or return journeys. All savings fare tickets are only valid on the train booked, regardless if you bought additional seat reservation, or not. Tickets must be purchased at least three days before you travel. However, on many routes you need to book much earlier to get the best price.
• Travelling with children: Kids up to the age of 5 always travel for free on German trains. Register them when you buy your ticket if you want a seat reservation for the youngsters as well.
  Children from the age of 6 to 14 travel free if they are accompanied by their parents or grandparents. You need to register them when you buy your train ticket. Your own children also travel free when you use a Sparpreis, but you have to include them on the ticket.
  Kids in the age group 6 to 14 years get a 50 % reduction when they travel alone or with adult friends.
• Seat reservation is not included in a train ticket, you always have to pay for seat reservation separately. Although reservation is not required on most ICE trains, I really recommend seat reservation, as the long distance trains can be very crowded. You can book your seats online or at the train station.
  If you have a rail pass, be careful that you only purchase the reservation ticket. As a pass holder you never need to buy train tickets, the pass is your ticket.
• When you book train tickets, always buy the ticket for the entire route, even if you have to change trains. You can even add an overnight stop en route to your destination using a regular (Normalpreis) ticket.
• Special offers for regional trains include the Schönes Wochenende ticket (valid one day on a weekend), the Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket (valid one day during the week within Germany) and the Länderticket (valid in one day in one German state). These tickets are a real bargain if you travel in a group or as a family because the second adult and your kids travel for free, or pay a reduced tariff. These special tickets are not valid on ICE / IC trains.
• When you buy train tickets at a DB counter they cost slightly more than buying them online or from a ticket machine. However, if you are in doubt about your best choice, better ask at a counter and get the right ticket. Advice from the DB staff could save you money.

One-way tickets, return tickets, German rail pass, BahnCard
- Which is the best option?

Pros and cons of a German Rail Pass

• More flexibility, you don't need to buy tickets at all.
• If you travel long distances for more than three days a rail pass can be a bargain.
• Twin pass for two adults
• If you travel with your children older than 5 years they need their own child or youth pass, this could be a con compared to train tickets.

Read more about rail passes on my Eurorail pass page, and about the BahnCard here.

Train Travel Germany - Local Transport (Nahverkehr)

Important things to know when you use local transport (there might be differences between the associations)

• Most tickets (Fahrschein/Fahrkarte) cannot be bought online in advance. You buy the tickets at ticket machines (Fahrscheinautomat) or at the counter at train stations. S-Bahn & U-Bahn stations only have ticket machines. In a bus you can buy tickets from the bus driver.
• You need to buy the tickets before you go on a train or tram, otherwise you risk a fine when a controller wants to see your ticket. You often see it written on trains or signs: "Einstieg nur mit gültigem Fahrausweis" which means "enter the train, tram only with a valid ticket".
• In some cities you have to validate the Fahrschein in a box on the bus, or tram. Just watch what other people are doing.
• Ticket machines have either a numbered list with towns, or a modern touch screen where you can type in your destination. The machines usually have instructions in English as well.
• You can buy point-to-point tickets which allow you to change from S-bahn to U-Bahn or bus if needed. However, you can't interrupt your journey for long, you are required to catch the next train.
• If you want to explore a city with multiple trips included, you better purchase a day-ticket. It is less expensive than several single tickets.
• Multiple train rides within one day to neighbouring cities and towns can get rather expensive. An option is to get a Länderticket which is valid one day from 9am to 3am the next day.
• To find the best options you can play around at the ticket machines. Test the offers, one-way ticket, day-ticket, group-ticket, Länderticket to find the one that gives you the best value.

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?
National Timetables - National timetables for other European countries at www.bahnreisen24.com, a website with heaps of train travel information in Germany language.