German train tickets
 

We are a group of 5 traveling by train from Berlin to Munich. Is it cheaper to buy tickets on-line now or when in Germany?

Frankly, I would wait until I got there. There are ticket windows with people who speak English and also other languages who are very helpful. <BR>Make sure to ask for any kind of special rate for a group traveling together. There are also special rates available for weekend travel. Have fun in Munich - great City!!

I agree with Lori Ann if you are traveling by train, but what about renting a car? It is easy driving and, with 5, more economical.

Just another piece of information. The Deutsche Bahn has all sorts of deals, especially for groups travelling, so if you wait till you get there, there will definitely be someone at the train station that can advise you as to what would be the cheapest ticket(s) to buy! Viel Spaß!

Regular round trip tickets will cost between 400 and 600 DM each. You can buy them on-line in advance with the Surf and Rail program for DM199 each at www.bahn.de, but as far as I can tell, it's all in German. There is also a group travel, advance purchase (7-40 days) discount for 6 or more of between 45 and 75% (75% for reservations made 14+ days in advance, number of seats limited); might be worth it to look into this and buy an extra dummy ticket. Again, it's in German only, I think (search "Gruppenreisen") so you could give them a call to find out how to do this. If you can travel on Saturday afternoon after 2 pm, you qualify for a "Guten Abend" ticket at 84 DM each way (purchase at Berlin station, seats limited.) The easiest option would be to buy a German Railpass for 4 days of unlimited travel, only $130 each if you get the twinpass. You'd pay about the same as you would for a regular ticket, but you'd have 2 extra days of free travel anywhere in Germany (or 3 if you were only looking at Berlin to Munich one way.) Alternatively, if you don't mind turning a 7-hour trip into a 10-11 hour trip and changing trains 4-5 times, you can make this trip for about $3.75 per person each way by purchasing one "Happy Weekend" (40DM) at the Berlin Station, good for unlimited travel on Sat or Sun for up to 5 people travelling together on the regional trains. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps!! <BR> <BR>

I have taken the train in Germany and I highly recommend it. There is nothing so nice as reclining back in your seat and watching the scenery go by. <BR> <BR>On the train website, www.bahn.de, if you hit the gray bar entitled "Travelservice (in the middle on the left), you can see schedules in English. Also at the top of the home page is a tab called "International Guests" which will give you information in English. <BR>