Quer-Durchs-Land-Ticket questions
 

I think I know the answer to some of these, but wanted to make sure before I do any planning:

1. Can the Quer-Durchs-Land-Ticket be purchased by a non-German citizen?

2.Can it be purchased fairly easily in train stations such as Frankfurt? What about smaller stations like Frankfurt-Hochst?

3.If purchased with a credit card, does a non-chip American card work; or are there manned booths/ticket offices to use if machines require a chip card?

4.If these tickets are the bargain it looks like they are, then why don't they get much mention, like in travel books and such?

5.Is the biggest disadvantage with these tickets the inability to use the faster (ICE) trains?

(If the possible July trip pans out, I may be wanting to take 2-3 day trips solo from and to Frankfurt and ran across these tickets when exploring tickets and passes. The German Railpass will not be a good choice for me as I won't want 4 days of travel.)

1. Yes, of course.

2. From any ticket machine at any train station. You *should* also get them at S-Bahn station ticket machines, though not 100% sure. Or from manned booths at larger stations. Or online.

3. I *think* it should work as also many CCs in Germany don't have a chip yet. Mid sized to larger towns still have manned booths at their (main) stations.

4. Many tourists use the Länder tickets for travels within one state only. If you were in Munich you would hardly need that Quer durchs Land Ticket as it covers the whole country. And most would just want to see other places in Bavaria. In places like Frankfurt, the QdL Ticket *can* be the best option, esp. when your travels take you across statelines, into neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, Bavaria, or Baden-Württemberg. Some destinations like Mainz may be even cheaper to go to with regional day passes for the regional transit network. This question can only be answered when you say where you plan to go.

5. Yes. And, as with the similar Länder tickets that cover just one state, the limitation to start your journey after 9am on weekdays.

5. and you must also not use IC trains. Either the QdL or the Länder tickets are limited to regional trains designated as RE, RB or IRE trains if they are operated by Deutsche Bahn. As other railway companies only operate on regional level (at least in and around Frankfurt), you may use those anyway. And S-Bahn trains are also included.

1. Yes. Anyone can use a ticket machine.

2. Any station with a tickt machine that sells DB tickets (all, I imagine) will sell the QDL. It's a DB product.

3. I've never bought a QDL, but I've bought plenty of other DB products with my US non-chip Mastercard from tickt machines.

4. The QDL page only recently appeared in English on the DB site. BTW, it's not as good a bargain as the Happy Weekend Ticket (40€ for 2-5, also good for all of Germany) and is good only after 9 am weekdays. The QDL is a weekday product that's only useful if traveling between different German states. If you are in Frankfurt and leaving Hessen, it might be what you need. On the other hand, maybe not. You can get a daypass ticket for example from the local transit authority (RMV) for Frankfurt - Mainz for 14.25€. You can get a round trip ticket to Bacharach for 26.40€. It would be overkill to get a QDL ticket for such trips.

http://www.rmv.de/en/Fahrkarten/Die_...k/Tageskarten/

The RMV transit authority covers places both in Hessen and Rheinland Pfalz, so check there first for shorter trips like those above. Trips that seem distant might also be within the RMV: Michelstadt, Marburg, Fulda and Gelnhausen take 40 min. to an hour or longer from Frankfurt by regional train but are still part of the RMV.

The link above also provides info on the Hessen Ticket should you be doing outings within Hessen but outside the RMV (like Kassel.)

5. ICE, IC, EC, RJ, D, NZ, and other high speed trains are all out. Find the regional and local trains you CAN use by specifying "only local transport" under "means of transport" at the DB itinerary page:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

Thanks for your patient and specific and helpful replies, Russ and Cowboy.