Germany-Car or Train

Old Jul 24th, 2017, 03:35 PM
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Germany-Car or Train

I'm traveling from Frankfurt to Berlin to Munich back to Frankfurt. Just me and my 17 year old son. Do you recommend renting a car or taking the train. I've seen gas prices are high and I feel I would be spending alot of money on gas and parking. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 04:01 PM
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If your aim is to visit three major cities, stick to the train. The pleasure of the car lies in the in-between--the small towns, the small roads.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 04:04 PM
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I agree -- train!
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 04:04 PM
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What are the determining factors?

If it is the cost, you add rental cost, then operating cost estimate, for example using www.viamichelin.com, plus parking, etc. vs. train cost at www.bahn.com. The train cost estimate is accurate while car travel comes with uncertainties.

If it is the routing, you need to feed that to a map and compare to what www.bahn.com says is possible by train. If it is straight city to city, I can't image why you want a car. For example, Frankfurt to Berlin is perhaps 6 hours by car and about 4 hours by an ICE train. But with a car, you would need some rest stops, meal stop, etc. On the train, you can do this plus even dozing while traveling at high speed.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 05:00 PM
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3 trips then, hm? A 3-day German Rail twin flexipass (for 2 adults traveling together) costs €292.

https://www.bahn.com/en/view/offers/...ail-pass.shtml

Gas alone for that route would cost nearly half that amount. Then you'd have your rental fee, insurance, parking, etc. And of course there'd be the inconvenience of driving yourselves - why not let someone else do the driving while you enjoy the passing countryside, read, nap, snack, whatever?

If you want to make a stop on the way, say between Berlin and Munich, that's not hard. One stop might be the old-world city of Bamberg. Just toss your bags in a locker and see the town for a few hours, then hop on a later train to Munich.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/624
https://en.bamberg.info/sehenswertes/
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 07:27 PM
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Oh yes, I agree -- the train is best. I adore travelling by train -- it's something you can't do everywhere, and it'll add a bit of European adventure to your European adventure! It's a fun and easy way to get under the skin of the culture and do some world-class people-watching. It'll be a great experience, I think, especially for your young son.

Have fun as you plan!

s
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 07:44 PM
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Another vote for train ... the Frankfurt - Berlin leg is quite picturesque in parts (think bucolic rolling hills in north Hessen). Go for it!

Lavandula
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 01:03 AM
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It depends on what you want to do. Staying in the 3 cities mentioned and only moving between them on travel days means that trains would be the best option. If you want see places outside of those cities and can park the car for free when in them (not an easy feat unless you are in a suburban hotel), then the flexibility of a car is great.

With a diesel car, you get way better mileage so gas costs should not be the deciding. Tally up the costs of a rental (rate, parking, gas) versus a train ( you have to buy your tickets about 3 months before travel to find the best pricing) and decide if the flexibility to move around freely overcomes what will be a pricing advantage for the train.

It doesn't matter what other people like to do - I love driving in Germany but have taken just as many train only trips as ones where I drove - it depends on what you like and your goals for the trip.
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 03:24 PM
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Kim, you don't say when you are traveling.
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Old Jul 25th, 2017, 03:46 PM
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Right-O -just cities no car - take a few days between each on slow back roads - car but still a hassle even in modern German cities with wide roads. Autobahns are no fun to drive IME.

www.bahn.de/en -German Railways official site for advance discounted train tickets - or the hop-on-at-will railpass would perhaps be cheaper than full-fare hop any train of that type anytime - anyway car with rental, gas, parking may not be as cheap as three discounted tickets

For lots of good info on German trains and railpass check www.seat61.com - guru site for understanding discounted tickets and booking your own on line; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.
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Old Jul 26th, 2017, 04:35 PM
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Darn - did I miss something?
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Old Jul 27th, 2017, 05:39 AM
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Aramis hits it on the head. I love driving in Germany -even autobahns a thrill with no speed limits on many (but not nearly all) but many find trains more relaxing.
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Old Jul 28th, 2017, 01:53 PM
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We are currently in Germany visiting our exchange students. We are using this vehicles except for the last two days we rented a van. If you are only doing big cities the train is the way to go. You will not use the car in the city.

However to see the real Germany you need to go to the country and visit the small villages.
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Old Jul 28th, 2017, 02:06 PM
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real Germany>

Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich are not the real Germany?

Let's quibble about words and say a different Germany- outside large cities - Cities are a real part of the real Germany- Berliners live in a very real Germany- more so I'd say than small villages.

Just having fun - your point is valid- see another side of Germany that only cars can do (well trains and buses go everywhere too).
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Old Jul 28th, 2017, 08:48 PM
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Well... Kstate90 didn't say it outright, but the implication is that one has to rent a car to get into the countryside to see the real Germany. If that is what s/he meant, I totally disagree.

I've lived in a small town in Bavaria since 2008, and I don't have a car.

Public transportation is excellent in Germany, obviously far, far better than in the US. It's easy and fun to get into the countryside by train or bus, and to go from place to place by train and bus.

It seems that Kstate90 maybe hasn't experienced that part of Germany. I'll add that, yes, that is a great way to see that real Germany ... Being on a train in the countryside is prime people-watching time, when you can get underneath the skin of a culture or society. You are not locked and isolated inside a private bubble.

I'd recommend you give it a try, Kstate90 -- you'll find it's a lot of fun!

s
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Old Jul 29th, 2017, 05:33 AM
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Every place in Germany is the real German deal!
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Old Jul 29th, 2017, 06:47 AM
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Swandav2000 is spot on (as usual.) The idea that small towns in Germany require a car is completely false, the product of visitors with no or very limited train experience. There are thousands of interesting and attractive small-town destinations in Germany with regular train service.


Kaub, population 910: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...pr2010_364.jpg

Kaub Station: http://www.bahnbilder.de/1200/der-mi...end-837957.jpg

Herleshausen, population 2,900: http://gewerbegebiet-husarenpark.de/...rleshausen.jpg

Herleshausen station: https://www.werra-rundschau.de/bilde...-13pA5udef.jpg

Markbreit, population 3,600: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marktb...breit_BW_9.jpg

Marktbreit station: http://bahnrelikte.net/bst/nmt/image003.jpg

Iphofen, population 4,400: http://www.abload.de/img/img_3135gb82.jpg

Iphofen station: http://bahnrelikte.net/bst/ni/image002.jpg
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Old Jul 29th, 2017, 12:56 PM
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I'm not sure why evidencing the fact that many many many towns in Germany have train stations is supposed to inform what is a personal decision based on the desires and budgets (time and money) of the individual traveler.

Guess what? There are many more towns in Germany that do not have train stations than there are that do. And many popular, commonly visited, sites in Germany are not located all that near a train station. Does that make an all car argument" win"?

Agenda driven advice is never the best advice.

Here is a choice for a traveler; A day trip from Bamberg to Veste Coburg, with a stop for a couple of hours at Basilika Vierzehnheiligen, north of Bamberg. This is a trip that is quite useful in this area of Germany visiting two extremely popular historical sites that are quickly accessible from a "major" city.

Taking trains, the travel time, alone, is about 3:30 hours even when using the quickest schedule which allows for reasonable visiting times at the two sites. It involves a fair bit of walking from train stations to the sites, too.

It takes about 1:36, if driving, leaving whenever you want, and spending as long as you want at each site and maybe even choosing to detour somewhere along the route if you have learned there is another great site to see in the area.

If your vacation plan involves situating yourself in a city or town for 3-4 days at a time and taking a couple of day trips, a car can be very useful by permitting to see more that you could by train, or by making better use of your time.

If you hate driving, this won't be for you. If you think cars are an abomination, or are hesitant to drive in a different land, this won't work. And if you think rail travel should be promoted at all costs, well, we know the type of arguments you will make.

Information, folks. Provide information and let people who might not have the same goals and thought processes as you make their own decisions. The first step is to not get angry when someone has a different opinion.
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Old Jul 29th, 2017, 01:17 PM
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I think it's safe to say that you can experience small town Germany by train and or bus but really just a few a day - a motoring trip thru countless villages and farms and forests and mountains will be much nicer to me than whisking thru on trains.

Like Black Forest - I've done it by train and saw some neat places but had to go where the trains went and buses that seem to go from train stations to the hinterlands sans trains.

I have biked through the Rhine/Mosel area zillions of times leading bike trips thru this gorgeous area -riding a bike is the ultimate way of discovering the 'real' Germany -you go thru every village at a slow pace and stop at many for cafes. bakeries, etc - the penultimate way of knowing a country outside large urban areas -the ultimate being on foot of course.

But cars are next best -see an inviting outdoor market or wine tours you can stop -buses would only breeze by them- a train trip is great for big cities but a car or bike is better for rural areas as you control your own vehicle -not subject to train or bus schedules.
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Old Jul 29th, 2017, 01:50 PM
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I guess I touched a nerve. Wow. I am very aware of how the train and bus system works in Germany. We landed in Frankfurt on Sunday and took the train to a dust art where we had to get off because the track is under repair. Unfortunately for us the train held more than the bus would hold that was there to take us to the next station. We got to spend an hour waiting. I explored the village while we waited. Once the next train came we were the first on the bus and another group of people were left at the train station while we continued on to the small village next to our hosts house. They greeted us at the train station in their cars and took us to their house. We have traveled to several farms in the area and learned about the crops they grow and how Germany is producing their electricity from bio gas production, solar and wind. I find that very interesting. They are ahead of the US in this technology.

Every day we interact with local Germans. They are very interested in where we live and have many questions as do we.

Tomorrow we take the ICE to Berlin where we will see another side of Germany.

I have traveled on the S bahn, U bahn, regional trains and the ICE. We have also traveled on the bus system. All work for most travelers but there are certain trips that require a car. This trip required both. The original poster could do their trip by train or even regional airlines.

I really do like riding along on the autobahn with my German friend in his Mercedes Benz E 350 that can drive itself.
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