German Train Quandry
 

I'm confused. We are going to Germany for the xmas markets (our third time) for just 4 days in country. Before we have used the twin German Rail Pass. Plan to arrive Frankfort and leave out of Munich working our way down via the train. Probably stay two nights in Munich, one in Frankfort/Mainz and one in Stuttgart. Am I missing a deal on the Lander-ticket or other specials? Thanks for the advice.

Hi C,

Have you checked the prices at www.bahn.de vs a railpass?

((I))

Yes. The pass is around $360 for 4 days. I understand that. I'm not sure what I give up using the Lander, or other specials which look to be much less expensive. The pass is certainly easy and wonder if the hassle of the individual tickets off set the price?

The Germany experts can give you more definitive answers.

Just off the top of my head, the Länder-Tickets have 2 limitations vs the RailPass:

1) It is valid after 9am on weekdays (no time restrictions for weekend travel)
2) It is not valid on the ICE trains.

If I were you, I'd stick with Länder-Tickets. The cost saving is huge compared to the German RailPass.

If you book well in advance at www.bahn.de, you can get Dauer-Spezial fares as low as €29 for both Frankfurt-Stuttgart and Stuttgart-Munich.

Addendum: Be aware that Dauer-Spezial fares are only good on the specific train for which you book them. They are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.

You're not traveling distances to justify a German railpass.

Kahl is the Bavarian town; use a Bayern ticket (Laenderticket) from there on to ride the RE and RB (regional) trains as you go south. These are basic transportation - no dining car - but very dependable and warm and comfortable enough for a few hours. You may need to switch trains to travel longer distances - they're intended mostly for shorter runs.

Regular tickets from FRA to Kahl are quite cheap - it's not far. You can get the Bayern ticket at FRA Regionalbahnhof station too.

Russ,

There is one problem with your saying to work one's way south from Kahl using Bayern-tickets. The OP wants to stop in Stuttgart which is in Baden-Württemberg.