TravelTrio

Okay, I usually consider myself an fairly intelligent person, but I am so confused about this Railpass and reservation thing for Germany/Austria in June. Here's my quandary.

Before booking hotels, I want to make sure we can find transportation between the various cities/areas (Berlin --> Mosel Valley --> Munich --> Fussen/Garmisch area --> Berchtesgaden/Salzburg --> Vienna) so I have been on that bahn.de site for about a thousand hours this past week trying to learn the times and routes available. Here's where I get confused.

1. I don't know whether we need a railpass or what kind, until I calculate the various trains we want to take. It looks like a pass would make it cheaper, assuming that once you have the railpass, the pass covers the fare (except minimal reservation fee and sleeper train fees). Is this correct?

2. This statement troubles me: "Trains that require reservations also limit the number of seats available to passholders." So, what if I find the trains on the bahn.de site that go between our desired destinations, then buy the Railpass, and then find out that the allotted number of Railpass seats are gone? We will be there in June, which is busy. As it is, all the discounted fares are gone, so how do I know (before buying expensive Railpass) that the Railpasses will even get us on the trains?

3. We are 3 people who will always travel together -- Mom, son (age 15, but turns 16 halfway through the trip), and daughter (age 13). What pass works best? They kids look like they'd get good prices on youth passes (2nd class) but then can we upgrade to sleeper cars from that?

HELP!!!!

pookymimi

Oh don't feel bad.. just join the MRCG Mom Railpass Clueless Group.

I'm also traveling with my 2 kids next June and I'm entangled as a ball that has been overly abused by a new kitty after studied every single website with railpass, railsaver, ticket point to point, etc and I'm still not sure what to do.

It's like going to the store to buy Cereal, too many options not sure what to get...

Mia

J62

Before you jump in and buy a pass, make sure there are reasonable itineraries for where you want to go.

Trains in Germany are great for cities, and even getting to smaller towns such as Fussen & Garmisch from Munich, but not as convenient for touring around Bavaria (getting from Fussen to Garmish to BG to Salzburg).

Have you consider getting a car out of Munich, returning it at Salzburg?

TravelTrio

I am planning to get a car for the Mosel Valley area and for the Bavaria area, just not sure where it's best to pick up/drop off. It seems that different dropoff locations are fine, so long as they are in the same country (maybe drop Bavaria car in Berchtesgaden, then take train to Vienna).

I do know that there are trains at the time I want from Berlin to Koblenz (where I can pick up Mosel car) and from Trier (drop off Mosel car) to Munich. I'd rather avoid driving longer distances or driving in cities, but if I need to pick up the Bavaria car in Munich then I will.

What has me immobilized here is that I don't want to buy a Railpass only to find that the trains I want won't accept Railpasses (if the alloted # of Railpass seats are taken). This just seems backwards. Why pay hundreds for a Railpass that is more limited than point-to-point?

Also, can I make reservations before actually buying the Railpass?

TravelTrio

Where are the Germany train experts? Please help!

Woyzeck

To answer one important question for you, it IS possible to purchase a reservation only on the bahn.de website without booking the actual ticket.

I am not familiar with "the Railpass" - I am wondering what the advantage would be in your case, where you only really have one somewhat longer leg. If you purchase the Sparpreis in advance for each leg of your journey, you may find that the total is cheaper (and less confusing) than the pass.

With 3 people, you will probably find that a car rental would be convenient and cost effective, at least from Berlin to Koblenz and Munich. If you pick up on the outskirts of Berlin and drop off at the edge of Munich you wouldn't have to drive in the city. I know a 5 hr car right might seem daunting, but if you set out early and plan some stops along the way, it actually could be a very pleasant way to see some things that you might have otherwise missed. At the halfway point of the Autobahn journey, you could stop at Luther's Wartburg castle in Eisenach. Same with the Koblenz - Munich route, where you could stop in Heidelberg or Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

I totally get avoiding the car though - I thought I'd at least make a couple of points before you ruled it out.

You can make those seat reservations though, to answer one question usefully...

TravelTrio

Thanks for clarifying. I also found more and better guidance on Seat 61 website. From what I can tell, we are probably better off buying the point-to-point tickets instead of the Railpasses. The Berlin-->Koblenz leg is 149 Euro for the 3 of us, the Trier-->Munich leg would be 209 Euro (for economy 3-berth), and the Salzburg-->Vienna leg would be 98 Euro. So, just buying the tickets wold run us about 450 Euro, whereas the Railpasses (even with twin, youth discounts) would be closer to 600 Euros. Since we are getting a car in Mosel area and Bavaria, we won't be on that many shorter train trips. And for the cities, we would get a local transport pass.

Am I overlooking anything? I might go ahead and buy these tickets on the bahn.de website tomorrow.

swandav2000

Hi TravelTrio,

Yes, those deep discounts have made railpasses almost obsolete. It's better just to get the advanced-purchase discount fares. The only problem is that you will be locked into a specific train at a specific time on a specific date, so it will limit your flexibility.

If any one of your trains is late and you miss your connection, just go to the ticket office, and they'll re-route you.

I always get seat reservations when I get my tickets, just makes me feel more secure.

You'll get a pdf that they send to you by e-mail, and you print the ticket at home. You also have to designate a credit card as an id -- but not necessarily the same cc that you used to make the purchase. When I travel, I only have one cc at hand, and it's not the one I use for these large purchases. Anyway, when the conductor comes by, you hand over the ticket you printed and the cc you designated.

BTW, I live in Bavaria and don't have a car. Depending on how long you have and where you want to go, you may not need one.

s

quokka

Don't worry about trains that require reservation in Germany. The only trains where reservation is compulsory are (apart from night trains in sleeper and couchette) the so-called ICE Sprinter. These are a few connections between Frankfurt and Hamburg resp. Berlin, all in all 10 trains per day. 10 among hundreds of ICEs that run on Germany's railroad tracks every day. Those Sprinter trains can easily be avoided.

On all normal ICEs and ICs/ECs you can board without reservation - bad news is you are not guaranteed a seat and these trains can be crowded so you may not find an empty one. On longer distances I'd recommend a seat reservation. In case you decide to buy a pass, the reservations can still be done online on bahn.de. Look up connections and proceed as if you wanted to buy tickets; at a certain point the system will ask whether you want a ticket with reservation, a ticket without reservation, or a reservation only.

altamiro

>1. I don't know whether we need a railpass or what kind, until I calculate the various trains we want to take. It looks like a pass would make it cheaper, assuming that once you have the railpass, the pass covers the fare (except minimal reservation fee and sleeper train fees). Is this correct?

If you have nade that calculation and the railpass makes sense, buy it.
However don't forget that children under 15 travel for free if accompanied by an adult with a valid (normal) ticket.

2. This statement troubles me: "Trains that require reservations also limit the number of seats available to passholders."

Since you are not travelling to France or Belgium, just ignore this statement. It is the case on TGVs and Thalys trains.

>So, what if I find the trains on the bahn.de site that go between our desired destinations, then buy the Railpass, and then find out that the allotted number of Railpass seats are gone? We will be there in June, which is busy.

June is not any more busy than any other month. Summer is, if at all, rather less busy. But as 99,9% of all trains don't require or even accept reservations, this doesn't apply to you.

>As it is, all the discounted fares are gone, so how do I know (before buying expensive Railpass) that the Railpasses will even get us on the trains?

For day trains: unqualified YES.
Night trains: berths sell out, book now.

>3. We are 3 people who will always travel together -- Mom, son (age 15, but turns 16 halfway through the trip), and daughter (age 13). What pass works best?

If you travel on single tickets, you need only tickets for yourself and for your son after his 16th birthday.
OTOH you need three passes. Calculate yourself...

spaarne

TravelTrio,
You're trying to pick the mushrooms out of the spagheti sauce. As mentioned 99% of German trains do not require a reservation. Why waste your time, money, and anxiety over reservations? Get a rail pass and get on board. I suggest calling Byron or Linda at BETS 800-441-2387. They are experts and freely give out advice, and sell rail passes. That's where I buy mine.

padams421

As I posted on one of your other posts, I would rent a car in Berlin as you leave Berlin, drive to the Mosel Valley, drive down through Bavaria to tour Fussen, Garmisch, etc., and end up in Munich, where I would return the car upon arrival. Take the train from Munich to Salzburg, and then Salzburg to Vienna. You will have more time to tour if you have the flexibility of a car in Mosel and Bavaria. It is easy to drive on the autobahns so don't worry about the longer distances. If you do your trip this way, you don't need the Rail passes because you aren't traveling enough by train to justify the price. You can buy point to point tickets when you are ready to move on to the next place.

Lynnaustin

A tip- before you purchase on the bahn.de site be sure to call your credit card company and tell them that a charge is coming. They often block these charges.

TravelTrio

Thanks everyone. Here's what I think I'm doing. I bought the cheap Ryanair 3 Euro flights from Berlin to Frankfurt Hahn, where I plan to pick up a rental car for Mosel and Bavaria (thanks padams421!) so we have flexibility. We are staying in Beilstein at Haus Lippman (already booked) in the Mosel Valley, and then one night in Rothenburg on our way to Bavaria. After Fussen, etc. we will get rid of the car and go to Munich for a few days (question -- better to drop outside Munich? Don't want to go all the way to the airport on the north side nor do I want to drive in a large city -- what about drop in Garmisch and then train to Munich? or is there a drop location south and west of Munich that has easy access to a train?). I am able to get a car for 5 days for about $420 with GPS through Europcar -- does that sound reasonable?

Palenque

Trains that require reservations also limit the number of seats available to passholders."

As far as i know this is only the case with TGV trains in France (a big problem - book your TGV when buying your pass or risk being shut out IME or having to alter travel plans) and Thalys trains Paris to Amsterdam/Cologne

I have never heard the statement in regards to trains elsewhere.

padams421

Traveltrio, your trip is coming together very well. You and your kids are going to have a wonderful time.

I picked up a car at the Munich train station so that would be one option for a drop off for you. Munich is relatively easy to drive if you decide to drop off there. The GPS will help you find where you need to drop off the car. In Frankfurt, I selected "return car" and the GPS guided us directly back to the Europcar drop off at the train station. Also, don't forget that you will have 2 navigators with you who can help with the GPS and maps.

You are going to have so much fun. I wish I was taking your trip this summer.

Palenque

Altamiro has given you really good answers and i will just confirm that in four decades now of using passes all over Europe the following are indeed just like altamiro says:

>As it is, all the discounted fares are gone, so how do I know (before buying expensive Railpass) that the Railpasses will even get us on the trains?

For day trains: unqualified YES. You can always board a train even if all the seats are full in most countries - in the few that mandate seat reservations before boarding - say in Italy, France and Spain this is not possible - but except for France the other two you can easily IME make the mandated seat reservations - never encountered no to passholders except in France, where it is now common - in my advice make any French TGV seat reservations at the same time you buy your pass or yes you may well not be able to take the TGVs you prevision (or you may you never know is the point so if that one train is crucial to your itinerary pay extra and book it when you buy your pass).
Night trains: berths sell out, book now.

>3. We are 3 people who will always travel together -- Mom, son (age 15, but turns 16 halfway through the trip), and daughter (age 13). What pass works best?

A Saverpass - for two or more people travling on the same pass - about 20% cheaper than individual passes. Kids could get Youthpasses for those under 25 but then you would have to ride in 2nd class to sit with them as they could not with Youthpasses, only sold in 2nd class when talking about Eurailpasses - and to me it would be well worth it to pay the relatively little extra to put them on a first-class saverpass and reap the immense IMO benefits of first class over 2nd class - esp in finding three empty seats together - usually possible in 1st but more iffy in 2nd - you could of course always make optional seat reservations too.