penne2538

Have never used the trains in Europe.

Will be arriving Frankfurt Airport.
Train from Frankfurt Airport to Rothenburg.
Train from Rothenburg to Munich.

Ive checked the bahn website for information.

My concern are the connections times. Sometimes they are only 5-7 minutes and indicate different tracks.

I have never used the train system and do not read or speak a word of German. Are these connections easy to figure out? Is there any advice or recommendations you can offer? Maybe I am worrying for nothing. Thanks for the help.

-Penne

altamiro

>Sometimes they are only 5-7 minutes and indicate different tracks

Deutsche Bahn schedules include connections that can be easily made. E. g. a 4 min connection wonīt be in the system unless it is across the same plattform. In 7-8 min you can easily cross a mid-sized station if you are not burdened with too much luggage.

Now if your train is delayed it is another thing. In most cases you will have no alternative but to take the next one... (meaning 1 h in a cafe in or near the station)

Robespierre

In a typical station, there is a tunnel under the tracks, running perpendicular to them, that is used to get from one platform to another. The platforms are generally numbered with 1 adjacent to the station, 2-3 across a pair of tracks from 1, 4-5 next, and so on.

To change from one platform/pair to another, duck down the nearest stairway (or elevator if you're carrying too much luggage) and follow the copious signs with the numbers on them. The only German I think you will need to accomplish this is <i>gleis</i> (track).

Any time you disembark from a train, be at the door with your luggage in hand, ready to pile out when it opens (sometimes you have to press a lighted button to operate the door).

PalenQ

You won't have any problem as altamiro and Robes point out. Just don't worry - bahn.de gives you the platform numbers and changes on this routing are often from one platform to a nearby one.

and like they say if you miss one train there will be another in 30 mins or an hour so you will not be stranded.

German trains were often late when i was there in Jan and rode about 100 - so the 5-7 min connection may be missed anyway - no problem there will be another shortly.

penne2538

Thanks everyone.

Is there a site where I can find tips about using the train?

Things like how the platforms are setup, needing to be at the front or back of the train go to get off at the proper location, etc.

I read some useful information here:
http://www.geocities.com/reise_deutschland/ but am looking for more.

altamiro

&gt;Things like how the platforms are setup, needing to be at the front or back of the train go to get off at the proper location, etc.

Not to my knowledge. But the reasonable and easy thing is to ask the conductor, or your neighbours.

&gt;Maybe I am worrying for nothing.

You are.

PalenQ

&lt;Is there a site where I can find tips about using the train?

Things like how the platforms are setup, needing to be at the front or back of the train go to get off at the proper location, etc.&gt;

no but here i'll take a swipe

Platforms - in Munich size station there will be dozens - all clearly labeled by number and a large overhead indicator sign saying which cities that train is heading to as well as a train number and time of departure.

Often there are on the platform Train Composition boards telling where each car will stop - which ones are first class and which second. If you have a seat reservation there will be a specific car number and the chart will tell you where to wait for that car.

every car has two exits - no need to move to front or back of train - just get off at where you car stops - platforms are very long.

Often there will be luggage carts available but you'll need a coin to put in which will be returned when you put the cart in another rack near the station exit - carry coins if needing luggage carts.

Be ready to get off when the train comes in as it may not wait very long.

Frankfurt airport - Fernbahnhof is long-distance train station while the Lokal or Regional bahnhof, whatever it's called, is mainly for S-Bahn trains to Frankfurt itself or nearby towns. Follow signs to either one - Fernbahnhof is farther away.

Finally go to www.budgeteuropetravel.com and request their free European Planning &amp; Rail Guide that will answer many of these type questions.

But don't worry - German system is amongst the finest in the world and ask questions here as folks like altamiro know eveerything about German trains, having ridden them so much - i believe he's from Germany but in any case knows everything about the trains so ask.

altamiro

&gt; i believe he's from Germany

I am indeed

&gt;but in any case knows everything about the trains so ask.

Although I spend about every second weekend in the things I have sometimes a feeling that you have more &quot;quality time&quot; on German trains than me, PalenQ

penne2538

Thanks you two. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Unfortunately I am the worried traveler who needs to plan obsessively.

Since I have your attention. For the below specific routes would you suggest I buy in advance and make seat reservations or just play it by ear? Id prefer not to be locked into specific times of the day.

1. Frankfurt Airport to Rothenburg (Sunday morning in early September)

2.Rothenburg to Munich (Tuesday afternoon in early September)

Robespierre

&quot;...the chart will tell you where to wait for that car.&quot;

About 50% of the time, IME. The drivers don't always stop where the chart designers wanted them to.

altamiro

&gt;For the below specific routes would you suggest I buy in advance and make seat reservations or just play it by ear?

You can ALWAYS play it by the ear - trains donīt sell out. Since you are only going one way you are not eligible for SparPreis fares, and the rest is not worth locking yourself in a schedule. You can buy a ticket within minutes of getting on a train.
Seat reservations are separate from tickets, cost 3,50 per seat (or 1,50 if you buy them online together with the ticket).
Te times you mention are unproblematic as well. Just avoid Friday and Sunday afternoons on main lines, the trains can get crowded.

altamiro

&gt;The drivers don't always stop where the chart designers wanted them to.

Yes, but the error is not that bad, usually. If they stop 5-6 m off the mark itīs not the end of the world.

Robespierre

Five or six meters would be great.

The last time I boarded an ICE in K&ouml;ln, the 1st Class car was about four cars from its designated letter on the platform. We just got on and trundled through the cars so we wouldn't be left behind.

YMMV

PalenQ

I rode several ICEs in January and each car stopped nearly exactly where the chart indicated so that's my experience.

but in any case without a reservation you can see on the chart where the first class and second class cars on the train are located at least. 1st class i think is always in the last few cars???

J_Correa

Last summer we went to Germany and I was a complete newbie to European train travel. It was really easy though. Everything is well marked, but you don't have to read German - as long as you can read track numbers, times, and city destinations, you will be fine. I was worried about tight connection times, but I figured if that was the routing the ticket agent gave us, it must be ok, and the connections were no problem - usually just one track over so all we had to do was cross the platform.

kkukura

I just returned from spending 19 days in Germany and Austria and we traveled by rail all but three of those days. I found the trains to be prompt and easy to figure out. I had purchased a 4 day twin flex pass for our longer trips, but we used the Laender passes for our travel within each region. For those you have to travel after 9 am and use only regional trains, which you will most likely do if you travel shorter distances. We traveled from Rothenburg to Kempten using the Bavarian Leander Pass without any problems. We never made reservations although I did print out, prior to leaving home, the various train schedules for the days we were traveling and found them to be totally accurate. I traveled with three teenagers- two being girls who were lugging a heavy suitcase, but we always made our connections without any problems. Like previously stated shorter times between connections mean you might be getting off one train and turning around to get on the one right next door. I too like to plan and we had not one single problem during our trip. Have a great time!

Larryincolorado

There are a lot of station layout on the internet. I only know some of them. Where are you planning to change stations?

There are a few odd-balls, but, as someone already mentioned, usually track 1 has it's own platform, 2 and 3 share a platform, 4 and 5, etc. In Offenburg, 1 and 2 share a platform (the track next to the station is fenced off), 3 and 4, etc. Bingen is unusual with the station on an island dividing 6 tracks. 101 to 103 are on one side of the station; 201 to 203 are on the other side. Vahringen in the Stuttgart area has 1 and 2 on either side of a platform and 7 and 8 on either side of another. 3-6 are through tracks without platforms. Those are the only deviants I can thing of. In some &quot;through&quot; stations, like Mainz, a few tracks are deadend and off to the sides.

Anyway, some of these station plans can be found online. These plans will show the relative position of stairs to the underpass(es) and if there are elevators. For Bavaria, go to www.bayern-takt.de, switch to &quot;Englische Version&quot; (if needed), and select the red rectange for Bayern-Ticket. Select &quot;Bahnhofspl&auml;ne&quot; or &quot;station plans&quot; in the LH column, and select your station in the box. I like these station plans because they have photos of the stations.

You can find rail and S-/U-bahn stations for Munich on the MVV website, www.MVV-Muenchen.de. Under &quot;Pl&auml;ne&quot;, select Unbegungspl&auml;ne, then Schnellbahnnetzplan. When you see the map of the S-/U-bahn network, click on the station node, which is a link.

There are also station plans for the Frankfurt area (www.RMV.de) and Stuttgart (www.VVS.de).

Those are the ones I know offhand. I also have a library of station plans for about 200 of the major stations of the Bahn.

WillTravel

Larryincolorado (or anyone who wants to comment), what's your opinion about the upcoming possible Deutsche Bahn strike?

kkukura

I returned last night from Germany. On Sunday I had dinner with a German friend and her husband. She told me that the strike situation is most likely going to become worse and there will be more problems in the future. We were very lucky not to encounter any during our trip there!

PalenQ

German trains historically rarely went on strike, now they're joining the likes of Italy and France as strike prone.

On suspects that the proposed sell off of the State entity may attribute to the hard nose stance of each party.