Questions about German rail passes
 

I'm trying to decide which rail pass to purchase (I'm in the US) for our trip to Germany. Basically I'm looking for a 5-day, 2nd class twin pass. On www.bahn.com (DB) I'm unable to book second class - only 1st class. Don't know if it's a glitch or if they just aren't offering 2nd class twin. The 1st class, 5-day twin is 444 euro.
RailEurope.com offers 2nd class, 5-day twin for $464
germanrailpasses.com offers a 7-day twin, 2nd class for $435
I've dealt with both RailEurope and DB - no problems.. I have no information on germanrailpasses.com except what they say on their website. They display the DB insignia and claim to be connected. Does anyone have information on this website? Their ticket is the lowest priced one for what we want. Thanks.
K

You need to tell us where you're planning to travel, exactly. There may be other options, like the regional passes "(Länder Tickets" etc. - see http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/pr...r-ticket.shtml)

If your plans involve more regions or all of Germany, Rick Steves explains the various passes for all of Germany as well as anyone: www.ricksteves.com/rail/germany.cfm

Bahn.de is offering a 7 day twin pass Oct-Dec for 421

I've looked at the Lander ticket, the Quer-Duechs (sp?) ticket, the week-end ticket, all of which offer service only on regional trains. DH prefers ICE or other express trains, so I'm looking specifically for a 5 (or 7) day pass, 2nd class, good on those trains. So far I've found only 1st class on bahn.com. When I go to bahn.de, it is all in German (naturally) which I don't speak/read.
I'm now looking at Rail Europe which offers a 7-day, 2nd class twin for $446 and germanrailpasses.com which offers the same for $435 (but I have no info on the latter).

Does anyone know why bahn.com doesn't show a 2nd class twin pass for sale?

crckwc1: You should still say what places you plan to visit. Your DH's preferences notwithstanding, the fact is that many places, including some very popular ones like Bacharach and Rothenburg ob der Tauber, simply are not served by high speed trains. Your trip may or may not involve a sizable number of local train trips, and it might be pointless to opt for the pass.

Also... if high-speed trains ARE available for your routes, you don't necessarily need a railpass - like the locals, you can buy inexpensive tickets on line in advance. I'm looking at an advance-purchase fare from Munich to Hamburg right now, a 6-hour trip that nearly traverses the entire country and is priced at 81€ total for two adults.

The best advice will require more specific information from you about your destinations.

DB railpass info in English: http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/pr...railpass.shtml

But delay your decision until you've looked into point-to-point options; if you need a pass, shop around to find what suits you. Rick Steves' site sells railpasses as well. Some vendors offer freebies or free delivery of passes with pass purchase.

Russ, Thanks for your input. We fly into Frankfurt and train to Nuremburg which will be our base for 7 days. We plan to use the train for day trips to Munich, Regensburg and Bamberg and for the return trip to Frankfurt.

Russ, If you go to bahn.com and try to purchase a 5 day, 2nd class twin, it won't connect. Only 1st class comes up. If you get it to work, please tell me how.

Look again, the German train site says - and I copy-and-paste - "... high-speed ICE trains included. The German Rail Pass is available for both first and second class."

From the list of prices (at http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/pri...railpass.shtml) I quote the ones applicable for you:

2nd class twin (2 adults traveling together) 5 days 323 Euros

Go to www.bahn.de (NOT .com), then select USA as your country (top right), the website switches to English, then enter the word "pass" into the search field and read the results.

But - also on www.bahn.de - first input a few of the trips you listed and add them up.

From Frankfurt (M) Flughafen to Nürnberg Hbf you can use the ICE for as little as 29 Euros, some trains go all the way and require no switch in Frankfurt itself.

From Nürnberg to München or to Regensburg it can be as cheap as 19 Euros.

Nürnberg to Bamberg is only available on RE (regional) or S (Suburban) - no advance purchase, no advance quote available.

Become familiar with the German spellings (München, Nürnberg, etc) and with terms Flughafen for airport, Hbf = Hauptbahnhof for main principal station etc., it will speed up your research.

"If you go to bahn.com and try to purchase a 5 day, 2nd class twin, it won't connect. Only 1st class comes up. If you get it to work, please tell me how."

Yes, I see. That's curious. A glitsch perhaps. I have bought lots of tickets from DB online but I have never bought a railpass from DB - I figure it is easier to hold a domestic vendor accountable than a foreign one if something goes wrong.

DB offers a 7-day 2nd class twinpass at 389€ regular price, and 311€ (for the discount period before Jan 31.) Perhaps the glitsch will clear and you can actually buy the pass at their website. But you can buy the same discounted pass for $446 (or 328€) at Rick Steves' site, or the regular price pass for $558 (or 411€) so the DB price advantage is fairly small. Not sure whether DB tacks on a shipping charge for passes, another issue to consider wherever you buy the pass.

But again, the pass is may not be right at all for your itinerary and no one can advise you without specifics about your travel plans!

Oops. I meant to continue...

Will you actually have 7 days of train travel? Or will some of them be spent in Nuremberg?

What are your dates of arrival and departure from FRA?

The two trips I can comment on are...

The Nuremberg - Bamberg - Nuremberg outing: Regional train only, 43 min. by direct RE train, VGN tagesticket plus, 16.80€ total for two from a ticket machine at Nuremberg station.

The Nuremberg - Regensburg - Nuremberg outing: ICE train price is over 100€ round trip for two. Instead, take the DIRECT RE train for 26€ round trip (Bayern Ticket for two; the ICE saves you a mere 7 minutes.)

For these 2 trips, that's 43€ total. Your other trips can be priced individually if you check your travel dates (or share them here for help.)

For Bamberg daytrip: information on the Tagesticket Plus

http://www.vgn.de/en/dayticket?Edition=en&p=1

For Nuremberg - Regensburg RE train trip: Bayern Ticket info.

http://www.munich-touristinfo.de/Bavaria-Ticket.htm

Note that the two tickets in my previous post allow you to use public transport WITHIN Bamberg (where it's a LONG walk from the station to the old town) and Regensburg as well - the German railpasses do not.

It's 1 kilometer from the train station to Maxplatz (the new Rathaus) in Bamberg and just under 1.5 kilometers to the iconic Altes Rathaus.

Bamberg distances: 1.5 km to the Old Rathaus is 3km round trip along a mostly dull boulevard - not a barrier for me, but unlike most tourists, I'm a bit of a walking fool. And the Old Rathaus is more or less the starting point for the most popular sights in old Bamberg, which lie mostly beyond that point, so on a full-day outing there, it's prudent to think about how you might return to the station if you do wear yourself out exploring town - might be nice to just jump on a bus headed for the Hbf.

One thing a pass does is simplify everything - just hop on any train anytime virtually - with the exceptions of ICE Sprinters which you will never encounter probably - so if the cost of a pass is at all close to all those various discounts and regional tickets just do the pass.

Lots of good information! Thanks to each of you for taking the time and trouble to send this. I will check out all of it.
Russ, We plan on 5 days of train travel. Our itinerary:
Day 1 - AR FRA - train to NUR
Day 2-7 - from NUR, train to Bamberg, Regensburg, Munich
Day 8 - train to FRA
Day 9 - FRA
Day 10 - DEP FRA
So, need 5-day pass for sure, possibly 7-day in order to see other markets - or individual tickets - will check it all out.

I'm familiar with the long walk from the station in Bamberg so having a ticket good on local transport would be a plus in cold weather.

Michel - Thanks for the tip about bahn.de - I didn't see the English option

PalenQ - yes, simplicity has its own rewards - and I may choose to reward myself lol

Again, I thank each of you!
K

"So, need 5-day pass for sure,"

I'm failing to communicate adequately here. 5 days of travel does not necessitate a "railpass." You can get tickets for 5 days instead - and possibly save some $. Without better information from you, I can only check costs for the first 3 journeys you have outlined.

Day 1 - AR FRA - train to NUR: 112€ for 2 full-price tickets on ICE.

Day 2-7 - from NUR, train to Bamberg, Regensburg, Munich

Bamberg: 16.80 round trip(VGN Tagesticket plus)

Regensburg: 26€ (Bayern Ticket)

Munich: 26€ (Bayern ticket) or savings fare on the ICE (price unknown since you did not provide your travel date.) 2nd class one-leg fares of 29€ for two and 1st class savings fares of 39€ for two are available on some dates at certain times.

N'berg-Frankfurt: savings fare on IC or ICE (price unknown since you did not provide your travel date)

So far, we're at 155€ for two without the 4th travel day (you said you don't want the 26€ fare to Munich) and the 5th travel day (back to Frankfurt.) Again, if you wish to divulge your travel dates, I or someone else can look up fares, if you're unsure how to do it. Then you'll know if the railpass price is competitive with the ticket price or not.

a 5-day flexi German Twin Railpass costs about 32 euros a day p.p. for completely unfettered at will hop on hop off travel - no scurrying around for the at times hard to get discounted long-distance and not restricted to regional trains which are much slower and much less comfy than ICE trains.

As Russ shows you can do it cheaper with regional train passes,etc. buy IMO the savings are not significant enough to forego complete flexibility to hop any train any time - no advance planning just show up. any train anytime - likeRuss says above discounted tickets may only be available on certain dates at certain times.

DB offers a 7-day 2nd class twinpass at 389€ regular price, and 311€ (for the discount period before Jan 31.)>

7 days into 389 = 55 euros a day for both on a Twin Pass - 27.50 euros a day p.p.

Hard to see how a pass could be that much more than regular tickets and what if you cannot get a discounted ticket say Munich back to Frankfurt and you have to pay full fare?

Anyway the overall discount with buying the pass before Jan 31 must make the overall difference small enough to warrant buying a pass that gives you total freedom.

If can't buy online at www.trenitalia.com then besides www.rickstves.com vcheck out http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id9.html - I have dealt with Bryon there for years and he will answer any questions expertly IMO - but if you have no questions you may as well order online from www.raileurope.com - who originates these passes and ricksteves and budgeteuropetravel are merely agents of RE -Steves bookings are routed to www.raileurope.com - check shipping charges at all three and others if none has free shipping which I think most do - prices are universal in the U.S., set by RailEurope but mailing and handling fees can be tacked on.