Getting around in Germany
 

My husband and I will be traveling to Germany at the beginning of October. We will be traveling from Frankfurt to Heinsheim at the start. Then from there we will visit the following cities: Heidelberg, Stuttgart, Oberstdorf, Fussen, and Munich. We were just curious, what is the best way to get around? We are kind of scared to rent a car, but trains look like they add up. What is the best with trying to stay on a budget for our trip?

Hi cee828,

I favor trains, for a variety of reasons (better people-watching, easier immersion into the culture, more relaxed travel, more enjoyable trip, and better for the environment).

Once your itinerary is set, you can buy advanced-purchase discounted tickets for your travel, although you're pretty late for travel in the beginning of October. Still, you can check it out and see what discounts are already available. Normally, these discounted fares run around 29€ per person, so that doesn't really add up to much.

Do your research at the German rail site at

www.bahn.com

For your travel within Bavaria (Oberstdorf, Füssen, and Munich), you can use the Bavaria Ticket, which gives you unlimited travel for one full day after 9 a.m. on regional trains (not ICE or CE) for 28€ for the two of you.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Best? Depends on what your definition of best is.

Trains have their place for sure and if you are planning on only staying in cities without wandering into villages, you should seriously consider the train. It can be pricey but you won't have to worry about driving, parking, or insurance.

We usually drive in Germany - unless visiting just 1 or 2 large cities. WE find it a country where there is lot to do in smaller cities and towns and like the chance for our schedule to be movable at will, not locked into a train schedule. We like to be able to stop if we see a cute village and spend an hour or two - or if we see a charming church or local castle. Yes, we reserve hotels in advance but we stay at least 2 nights everywhere and at least 3 nights in larger towns and 4 or more in big cities.

Have always found driving there very easy since roads are mostly wide and well-maintained but you do have to be prepared for high speeds on those sections of the autobahn that still have high or no limits. (This really means staying the the right lane unless you are actually passing - and when passing do so quickly with your blinker on all the time so people coming up behind you know you will be moving back to the right immediately.

We like, sine there are few places where you can still drive fast cars fast - certainly not in NYC with a 55 limit in most places plus way too much traffic for it to be safe.

The other thing is we never drive more than 4 or 4.5 hours per day and split the driving between us since it's not fair for one person to miss all the scenery. And if you do decide to drive to NOT rent an underpowered car which can be scary in some situations - we always rent a high powered mid size (audi or bmw) so doing 150 or so is not a problem.

"...trains look like they add up. What is the best with trying to stay on a budget for our trip?"

It's slightly complex but you can do this cheaply by train. You probably are adding up fares from Raileurope rather than traveling as the locals would...

Heinsheim - Heidelberg is about E12 each. Buy locally on the day of travel.

Heidelberg - Stuttgart takes 1:30 on the direct Regional Express trains, E14 each sharing a Baden-Württemberg-Ticket day pass for two. Buy locally on the day of travel.

Stuttgart - Oberstdorf is about 3.25 hours. The flexible and smart way to do this is by B-W day pass on the regional trains only. Only one change of train in Ulm - using the IRE train. The "Quer durchs Land Ticket" (weekdays) or the Weekend Ticket (Sat or Sun) are day passes that can be bought at Stuttgart's station on the day of travel. Cost is E52/2 for the QDL or E44/2 for the Weekend ticket.

The final 2 journeys to Fuessen and Munich can be done with Bayern Ticket day passes, E28/2. Buy at station on the day of travel

I get about E160 for these 5 journeys for two people. Of course you still may have journeys (to/from airports??) after and before, which haven't been accounted for. The good thing is that you'd have no tickets to buy in advance - all of these are available at the station and never sell out.

You can look up all these day passes at the DB English-language website for details.

Note this error in my previous post:

"The flexible and smart way to do this is by B-W day pass..."

Don't buy the B-W day pass for this day! I suggested the QDL and Weekend day passes right after this line... use those instead, as the B-W pass won't get you to Oberstdorf.

Weekend: https://www.bahn.com/i/view/USA/en/p...d_ticket.shtml

QDL: https://www.bahn.com/i/view/USA/en/p...d-ticket.shtml

B-W ticket: https://www.bahn.de/p_en/view/offers...g-ticket.shtml

And a link for the Bayern Ticket:

https://www.bahn.com/i/view/USA/en/p...a-ticket.shtml

Stuttgart is not a beautiful city.
Cars are easy In Germany.

Trains are Wunderbar and fuss and has given you all the angles to getting cheap fares if you are content not to be able to just hop any train anytime- such full-fares are really expensive and if you want that look into the German Twin Railpass

but really with your trips into the Lander Ticket coverages it is a whole lot cheaper to follow fuss' as usual advice and use the regional tickets - yes you are restricted to regional trains but in some cases like Munich to Fussen that is about all you can take.

1st class is not much more expensive with the Lander Tickets and IME it is well worth the extra cost - much more chance of finding empty seats even at rush hours and better to stow bags as fewer folks in first class -not all regional trains may have first class however -check www.bahn.de/en to see if they do (German Railways web site)

For lots on German trains check www.seat61.com - also great advice on discounted tickets and for general info I like www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

And like whatgoodbye says driving is easy in Germany- cities have much winder straighter roads than most of Europe due to WW2 damage and rebuilding I think and the areas you are going in in Bavaria begs to have a car - you can stop by places hard to reach by train or bus - like the famous Wieskirche on the Romantic Road not far from Fussen:

http://www.romanticroadgermany.com/p...wieskirche.php

or drive the Bavarian Alpine Strasse from Obertsdorf along the foot of the Bavarian Alps, etc.

BTW there are speed limits on about half the autobahns but half or so still have none - quite a thrill to blow along at unfathomable speeds.

Whathello.. LOL - you'll be hated! :-)

But, you don't have to make using trains vs. car a religious issue.
Actually, you could take the train(s) for the first legs of your journey until you're done with Stuttgart (what exactly do you want to do there??).
Pick up rental car when you leave Stuttgart, take the byways - for example along Lake Constance - to Oberstdorf.
Use the car in that region until you're done with Füssen.
Return car in Füssen and take the train to Munich. Or return in Munich upon arrival, if you want to stop at Wieskirche or Ettal/Linderhof on your way to Munich.

I like Stuttgart a whole lot - went to their Octoberfest one September and it was great.

Modern architecture need not be boring - I went to see the Bauhaus section where in the 20s or so anew style of workers houses were built (now gentrified into posher digs):

https://www.google.com/search?q=stut...w=1745&bih=868

There is also an acclaimed contemporary art museum near the main train station and nice rambles thru the vast park along the river east of the center (where I camped in the campground).

whathello should know that non-beautiful cities can be exciting - he lives near Brussels!

Thanks for all the help! All great advice! We are visiting Stuttgart to visit a friend. So who knows what he will show us! Excited for the trip!

https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mer.../guided-tours/

And of course some folks go to Stuttgart just for the famed Merecedes-Benz Factory and Museum tours in the town's burbs.