A current thread in this chat is that it's always cheaper to buy tickets in europe rather than here through RailEurope. And, while this is often true, if going to Germany RailEurope's tickets seem to be significantly cheaper for the same product. Unusual but true: DB site lists 89 euros and 110 euros for Munich-Berlin tickets via the two different routes; RailEurope charges $99 and $130, respectively for the two routes in second class (89 euros x 1.25 to the $ = $112; 110 euros = $138; this even with RailEurope's $7 per ticket surcharge included. This is because of the drop in the dollar, making tickets in Europe more expensive and RailEurope hasn't adjusted their prices yet. these are for full fare tickets that can be used anytime, on any train. And the German Railpass, on a twin at $135 for four days in a month unlimited travel can also be a bargain - the munich-Berlin ticket can pay for it alone. Now RailEurope does charge a $15 mail fee, but some agents who work through them do not. Plus RailEurope's tickets clearly have printed on them you can stop off en route for up to 2 months over the route without formality - not always possible on tickets issued in Europe. What's true for Germany is not necessarily true for other countries - Italy for one has significantly cheaper tickets than RailEurope's. The point:RailEurope is not always more expensive, even with their fees.

Thanks for the heads up Pal.

Thanks for this news. It is worth the effort to e mail two agencies that are competitive on rail fares in Germany, Euraide and Deutsche Bahn.

Euraide in Florida, http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...e/homepage.htm, telephone 1 941-480-1555 fax 1 941-480-1522 [email protected]/.

German Rail UK: www.deutsche-bahn.co.uk/ Phone : 00 44 870 243 53 63 then 6. Fax : 00 44 208 339 4700. E-mail : [email protected]

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And the Czech national rail seems to subsidize the Prague excursion card (available on railEurope) - - this has nothing to do with the exchange rate, and their prices stuck in an earlier rate - - to train into Prague, and back out (from any adjacent country to any other adjacent country - - or back to the same country) is chepaer than the fares for the same travel which you would buy there.

So, these contradictions do exist.

Best wishes,

Rex

Palq
Does the following statement mean you hop off a train for a day, then continue the next day with no charge?

"Plus RailEurope's tickets clearly have printed on them you can stop off en route for up to 2 months over the route without formality - not always possible on tickets issued in Europe"

Do you have any suggestions on the best way to Baden Baden from Munich by train?
Thanks for any help you can give us.

topping

There is at least one train a day direct from Munich to Baden-Baden at 8:43 which takes about 3 and a half hours. Numerous other trains take a little longer with either one change in Stuttgart or also one in Karlsruhe.

PalQ,

While every rule does have its exceptions, the minimally cheaper rates on RailEurope for full-fare tickets on some routes (and that's if you don't count their shipping charge) don't detract from the fact that for the vast majority of travelers, they are a poor value.

So let's get specific: if 2 or more are travelling the Berlin to Munich route together, only the 1st person pays full fare, the others (up to 3 companions) pay half as much - so <b>for 2 people, the total fare is only EUR 133.50 and 166.50 respectively for each route</b>. And the price differential gets even larger if 3 or 4 people are travelling together...

The prices quoted above are for a fully flexible, one-way ticket equivalent to those issued by RailEurope. They can be purchased on the spot in Germany right up to departure. I won't even go into the additional discounts available for roundtrip, less flexible fares.

Finally, on this particular route, I would strongly consider flying, as it's an over 6 hour-long train ride. Check out cheap fares on the following airlines:
www.flydba.com
www.gexx.de

Hope this helps,
Andre

RailEurope offers FREE SHIPPING if you purchase $39 or more. (I saw it on their website because I was thinking of buying a Britrail pass)

I also compared the prices with britrail.com and they are about the same

In all fairness, I should add that that the rail pass RailEurope offers can indeed be a good value for some travelers - those groups of 2 taking at least 2 longer train journeys in Germany that are not a round trip, say Berlin to Munich to Hamburg.

Hope this helps,
Andre

The cost of seat reservations through RailEurope used to be $11.00 so if that has dropped to $7 then that is a change as well.

Face it, some people simply like the convenience of buying thier tickets from another agency and are very willing to pay for it...for them it IS a &quot;good value.&quot;

Topman,

Obviously some feel it's worth paying the premium for the ease of using RailEurope - I was reacting to the first post on this thread, which claimed that RailEurope was cheaper than DB on the Berlin-Munich route.

Also, I didn't mention that if you book the fares I quoted on the DB site, seat reservations are already included, you can print your ticket out yourself at home and change/cancel your journey online. So, convenience is in the eye of the beholder...

Andre

For Donnae B:

It is true that you cannot stop off en route if you have tickets for Eurostar, Hotel trains, and a handful of other routes called global fares. But for all others, far the most international tickets you can stop off en route for up to 2 months. So the statement is a crafty piece of work: true so far as it goes, but no further.

Next, is it true that with any RailEurope ticket you can stop off en route ? I am pretty sure that for Eurostar, Hotel trains and similar a Eurostar ticket forbids a break of journey ?

There is mention of ease of reaching Eurostar. They are no easier to reach than the other five agencies, with small mark-up, that I usually list. I shall gladly repeat the list if you ask me.

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