How do I change train tickets in Germany?
 

We are flying into Frankfurt from Seattle later this month and taking the train from the airport to Aachen, with a change in Cologne. I bought full price tickets through Trainline that are changeable, with the thought that if our flight arrives early or late we can hop on an earlier or later train. My question is how does one go about changing the reservations/tickets at the last moment? Can we just run for an early train and sort it out with the conductor when aboard, or must I go to a ticket counter and have the agent do his magic?

I am sure we are going to be shattered after the very long flight, and my brain will probably not be stopping on all floors, so any input I can get in advance that would reduce my befuddlement would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

These might help:

https://faq.trainline.eu/article/449-miss-train
https://faq.trainline.eu/article/172...fund-my-ticket

full-fare tickets can be used on any of a similar kind of train -ICEs on ICEs and there are no seat reservations mandated on ICE trains -if you have Thalys tickets that would have to be transferred to a Thalys train - IC tickets to IC trains as they have different fares - best to ask at ticket window I guess but full-fare means fully flexible - you may lose your seat reservation fee and have to make an optional new one (Thalys mandates seat reservations for all passengers)

that's my understanding but a couple of German experts on trains will confirm or clairfy that.

I always have a railpass so that is valid on any train - do not have to declare which specific train - yours is I think the same regarding similar types of trains.

check www.seat61.com for possible info on that.

Assuming you have Deutsche Bahn tickets, with a flexible fare you can take any train providing it has the same routing as your original train, but if you miss your original train and you had a reservation, that will be lost and you would have to go to the ticket counter to get a new reservation. If you are travelling in 2nd class it is a good idea to get a reservation; less so in 1st, which is rarely as full.

https://www.bahn.com/en/view/offers/...ble-fare.shtml

The ticket and the reservation are essentially separate from one another. You can't change the reservation on the train itself but you can take your chances and sit where a seat is empty. Each seat has a small electronic sign which displays where the seat has been reserved and if you are only travelling a short distance you may even get off before the seat is reserved by the next person. However, this is risky in that you may not get two seats together, or you may not find a seat at all! (Which can be awful as sometimes there is nowhere to stand and you will keep on being shuffled on by the conductor!)

Lavandula

for such a short distance 1st class will not be that much more than 2nd for what it gives as Lavandula says about finding empty seats.

And first class with fewer folks riding it and empy seats often is easier with luggage - may find an empty seat near yours to put it on (but take it off when the train stops and new passengers come on if there are only a few empty seats.)

And you have a counter of DB in the main hall of the trainstation in the Frankfurt Flughafen Bahnhof (if they call it like that - the trainstation at the airport, about 5 min from main termainals.)

I second the idea of going to the counter to get another reservations I have done several times a trip in ICE standing for more than half an hour. And you could not have put a currywurst between any of us so crammed was the platform.

I am not a fan of 1st class but 1st class in ICE is a real first class.

>for such a short distance 1st class will not be that much more than 2nd for what >it gives as Lavandula says about finding empty seats.

Well, I assume Nukesafe will already have made this decision at the point where he bought the tickets; not knowing what you have, if you want to change classes, Nukesafe, you would have to cancel the original ticket and re-buy a ticket in the class of your choice (that's how you change tickets). This is a fiddle but can be done online in advance. You can't travel on a 2nd class ticket and buy a 1st class reservation; I don't want to be misleading with that. Otherwise the conductor will move you back to 2nd class where you may not have a seat!

Lavandula

Thank you all for your help. I'm sure I understand the process now, and will be able to be flexible when we land.

> but if you miss your original train and you had a reservation, that will be lost and you would have to go to the ticket counter to get a new reservation.

If you have booked your seat through the DB web site you can change your reservation for free once. I'm not sure about that if you have booked with a reseller.

If you have booked your seat through the DB web site you can change your reservation for free once>

even after the train has left? And only on full-fare tickets?

> [a] even after the train has left? [b] And only on full-fare tickets?

[a] No (afaik) and [b] no (personal experience).