Stopover for train trip
 

Dear Fodorites. My wife and I plan to visit Europe this April. We will arrive Frankfurt by plane and then take a train to Brussels. However, on the way to Brussels, we'd like to stopover in Cologne for a few hours to admire the beauty of Cologne Cathedral and then go straight to Brussels.

Question is: If I purchase ticket from Frankfurt - Brussels, is it allowed to stopover at Cologne for a couple hours without paying extra? I surfed the DB website and the 'saving fare' is different between 'direct route Frankfurt - Brussels' and 'Frankfurt - Brussels with 1 stopover in Cologne' (EUR49 vs 79). By the way, standard fare is the same (EUR108.10).

And could you please suggest which is better: buy ticket in advance or just buy on the travel date.

This is my 2nd time in Europe, but the 1st time for us to buy ticket individually, since we used EurailPass last time.

Thank you very much

Buying either the 49 or the 79€ option in advance will clearly be better financially. You'll pay 108€ on the day of travel.

However, if your plane is delayed and you miss your scheduled train, you lose the total amount and will have to pay an additional 108€ for a new ticket.

If arriving on a Sat or Sun, 2 people can use a Happy Weekend ticket (daypass) on the regional trains to reach Cologne. Total cost for two is 40€. This ticket can be bought at FRA from a ticket machine and used at any hour you are ready to travel. Much more flexible option for that first leg. If arriving on a weekday, buy a "Quer Durchs Land" ticket at the airport for the same segment and trains - 42 € for one + 6 € for the second passenger. I would route via the Rhine Valley (Koblenz) for castle/vineyard/gorge scenery.

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/pr...d_ticket.shtml

Regular price from Cologne to Brussels is about 40€ each.

Make sure you are using the airport station name, and not the main Frankfurt station, for your "start" point at the DB website when calculating fares; copy and paste:

Frankfurt(M)Flughafen

I don't know your precise travel date but for the FRA - Brussels trip, there are some tickets available at only 78€ for two.

Russ,thanks a lot for your information. I really appreciate that. We'll arrive FRA on Apr. 27 (which is Friday) and will have 1 night there before heading to Brussels on the next day (Saturday). So "Happy Weekend" is very interesting!
BTW, is the EUR49 ticket for direct route between Frankfurt - Brussels allowed me to stopover in Cologne? I'm just curious about EUR30 difference in price :-)
Thanks again.

>>>>>> is the EUR49 ticket for direct route between Frankfurt - Brussels allowed me to stopover in Cologne?

If this is an Europa-Spezial price, which it must be since it is so cheap, then according to the DB website: "Die Fahrkarten zum Angebot Europa-Spezial gelten nur für die eingetragenen Tage und Züge (Zugbindung)." which means you will get a ticket for specific trains and you must take those trains. Those can only be booked 93 days in advance. If you can make a booking for trains that allow you more time in Cologne at the cheaper price then you're fine, but chances are you will be tied to a tight connection. Just curious - - are you actually finding those prices on dates you want to travel or are you still thinking ahead? The cheapest tickets can be hard to find.

Thanks dfourth. since it's more than 93 days until my travel date, so I just make up some date for sample, and it came out like this. I'll try plug in the exact date again at the end of this month to see if the cheapest one still available :-)