111op

I'm in the process of planning a trip for October, and I may need some or all of these train rides in the span of a few days. I checked Deutsche Bahn and the rides seem pretty expensive. Is there a pass of some sort someone can recommend?

I'd have to take the fastest possible trains, so a pass with a lot of restrictions may not work.

Thanks!

Train rides:

Frankfurt -> Hannover (71 euros)
Hannover -> Hamburg (36 euros)
Hamburg -> Berlin (58 euros)
Berlin <-> Dresden (2 x 32 euros)
Berlin <-> Leipzig (2 x 36 euros)

TimS

A German rail pass is good on high speed trains and no reservation is required on trains for any of your routes. See this link for more information: http://tinyurl.com/e9o6m.

pavfec

Check the Rail Europe site (http://www.raileurope.com). You could get a Germany pass for the number of days you require.

For our upcoming Germany-Holland trip, we got a Germany-Benelux pass and it was cheaper than buying point-to-point tickets.

sanschag

Also keep in mind that there is a "Happy Weekend" ticket which allows up to 5 people unlimited travel on RB/RE trains (regional trains) on Sat or Sun for only EUR 30. There's also Lander (state/province) tickets that have similar deals during the week for travel within a state. Of course, RE/RB trains take longer (can be a lot longer) than the IC/ICE trains. See http://tinyurl.com/qnjlz for more info.

Paul

111op

Thanks for the links. TimS, your tinyurl link doesn't seem to work. Would you mind posting it again?

My plans are evolving. I'm sure that I'll have more questions when I finalize the itinerary.

Thanks again.

TimS

Here's another try: http://tinyurl.com/qzb5f.

111op

Hm.... Still doesn't work. Is this a page on Deutsche Bahn's website? Or did you find it via Google somehow? Maybe you can tell me how you got it and I can try to pull it up that way.

Thanks.

TimS

Sorry. For some reason that one doesn't work either.

Here's how to find the page. Go to www.bahn.de. At the top of the page click on "Internat. Guests". Under the heading "Planning Your Journey" click on "Offers for Travelers in Germany". Under the heading "Offers for Travelsrs from Outside Europe" click on "German Rail Pass".

111op

Great, I see it.

For people who're wondering the 4-day pass in 2nd class is 160 euros. For each additional day (through 10 days), it's another 20 euros.

The twin pass (for 2 together) is 240 euros for the 4-day pass. This increases by 30 euros for each additional day (through 10 days).

111op

For RailEurope, you pay $200 for the 4-day adult pass and $300 for the 4-day twin pass. If you use a $1.30 to 1 euro exchange rate, it's competitive with what's offered on Deutsche Bahn.

Is RailEurope the only authorized agent? The DB website says that you can buy the passes in Germany -- but only the 5-day and 10-day passes.

Does RailEurope charge shipping? I seem to recall that it adds $15? I didn't complete the online order so I don't know for sure. Is there a charge to expedite the order? I'm probably leaving in a month, so I don't know if it's enough time.

Thanks!

scatcat

I bought my Germany-Benelux twin pass from Eurail.com. The total cost for the 8 day 1st class twin pass was $668. No shipping charge.

Robespierre

Funny. This one works: http://tinyurl.com/ergg2

For some reason, Tim's had tinyurl.com inside them. It would appear that tinyurl isn't so foolproof after all.

[Sigh.] I wonder when Fodor's will fix the long URL problem.

111op

I'm getting ready to buy the train pass. I think that this is a no-brainer for me.

I'm planning to take a train from Munich to Hannover, then from Hannover to Berlin. This works out to be 101 euros + 53 euros = 154 euros.

I expect to be taking more trains that week.

Some questions:

1. I assume that the point-to-point tickets for Munich -> Hannover -> Berlin can't be purchased for cheaper than above?

2. How does the rail pass work in terms of validation? If I first take a train on Tuesday at 6 am, will the four-day pass's validity end on Saturday at 6 am?

3. Is Rail Europe the best place to buy this? They charge $15 for 2-3 day shipping, but it looks like the exchange rate is competitive.

Thanks.

TimS

I assume you're thinking of buying a four-day flexipass. In that case, it is good for any four days within a two-month period.

Here'a a quote from the Rick Steves site concerning railpass use: "A railpass day normally runs from midnight to midnight, but a direct overnight train or boat journey uses up only one of your travel days if you board after 7 p.m. In that case, you just write the next day’s date on your pass. If the very first use of your flexipass is for an overnight ride, you still write the next day’s date, though your pass will be validated for the actual date you board. All rides must be started and completed within the validity period."

There is a Fodorite who often recommends calling BETS (Budget Europe Travel Service) and I believe he has stated that BETS doesn't charge for shipping railpasses. Here's a link: http://tinyurl.com/jwvj2.

FYI, if you take slower trains, you can get cheaper prices for the routes you quoted. Go to www.bahn.de and enter "Without ICE" rather than "Standard Search." You'll see a Munich-Hannover fare for E82 using InterCity trains and E64 using regional trains plus a Hannover-Berlin fare for E43.

BabsB

Hi 111op, My travel friend and I purchased a Germany 4 day/2nd class one month twin pass from BETS. It is my understanding that each travel day is 24 hours from midnight to midnight and the days do not have to be used consecutively. You may ride the train as much as you want during each 24 hour period. I entered our itineary into www.railsaver.com and it suggested the pass and gave us estimated costs for the other legs of our trip. Have a great trip, one month from today we will land in Frankfurt! Barb

111op

Great. I'm glad I asked. I didn't realize that I don't need to use the pass for consecutive days. I don't have any overnight trips planned.

Yes, I remember the BETS advice (from PalQ, I think).

I'm travelling with a friend, and it's unclear to me whether he wants to rent a car later that week as well. Even if I take regional trains, I think that I've enough day trips planned to warrant buying a pass, but since the regional trains are cheaper I guess I should check with him before buying. It's conceivable that if he rents a car then I can thinking about taking cheaper trains to Berlin and splitting the car rental with him instead.

Enjoy your trip, Barb.

Thanks again.

111op

By the way, DB says the train pass covers Zugspitze. Does it cover all the relevant rides there? I'm not sure if we'll be taking any rides there, but it's good to do the research before hand.

111op

I took a look at the slower trains for Munich to Hannover. The slower trains take twice as long -- 10+ hours? Does that sound right?

I don't think it's worth the 40 euros saving or whatever.

Thanks.

BabsB

Hi 111op, The Zugspitz website states: "When you show your ticket from Deutsche Bahn AG at our cash points you will get a special reduction." The website may give you more info: http://www.zugspitze.de/main_en.php
Sounds like the slower train stops at EVERY small town and village along the way which is fine if you are not in a hurry and enjoy the scenery as it goes by but that would drive me CRAZY! Did you check your schedule with Rail Saver yet? I also find it helpful to print out a DB "Personal Itinerary" for each leg of our trip so that we know when each train leaves for the entire day allowing us more travel flexibility. Barb

TimS

The E64 fare for Munich to Hannover requires changing train four times and takes 9hr48min. One of the routes for E82 requires one change and takes 5hr11min. The other routes for E82 take longer. Since time is money, it's your call.