various Germany questions
 

Appeciated if anyone could help with these questions:

1. I plan to buy a German TWIN RAIL pass. Most of the days, I will be traveling with my partner but one day I will not be. Is it possible to use the pass just for one person?

Also, can I add days on to the pass once I'm in Germany?

2. Is the area around the railroad station in Munich as seedy as they say it is? Since I will be arriving late in Munich, I was going to book a room around there just for 1 night.

I also plan to visit Salzburg. Is that worth an overnight stay? I will have 4 days in Munich so wanted to allocate my time wisely.

3. HOw convenient is it to stay in Bad Homburg instead of Frankfurt? I will be in Frankfurt during a trade fair and room rates are exorbitant.

thanks!

I apologize for answering since I do not the answers to the precise questions you ask - - but I wonder if you have done a cost analysis on www.railsaver.com - - of this plan to purchase your pass(es).

Best wishes,

Rex

I did do a cost analysis and the rail pass is a lot cheaper since I will be traveling across Germany. I checked the bahn.de site but did't know if 1 person could use the pass.

thanks

Ad 2: You don't have to go very far away from the station and find perfectly respectable quarters. Suggest you take a look at the Red Michelin Guide for Deutschland. It need not be the most recent issue.Probably available in your local library, or take a "peek" at Borders, etc. Look at the locator map(s) for places near the main station (Haptbahnhof)and select those within your price range. Then make a reservation. I have never been disappointed in picking my hotel or pension from the Guide.

Ad 3:Bad Homburg has frequent train connections on the S-Bahn (suburban train) to Frankfurt Hbf. (main station) and places in between.

I liked Salzburg. It has a great atmosphere. You won't regret it if you decide to stay the night. It would be a lot less rushed.

Have fun!
:)

http://members.eunet.at/schnoell/

FYI - The hotel above was recommended to us for Salzburg. We booked it after Christmas and had to cancel due to sickness. I hope to visit it sometime this year!

I don't actually KNOW the answer to your railpass question but - considering the price is discounted for "two traveling together" I would guess that you could be penalized if you show a conductor your pass and you are traveling alone.
If you're going on a short day-trip alone that day, just buy a ticket -they're very inexpensive...

Just want to add, if you buy your passes from www.ricksteves.com, you can pose your questions to his staff. He gives 'freebies' with the passes and sometimes discounts for travel products.

He has an excellent tutorial on using trains on the website as well.

The area around the Munich train station is very busy, but not particularly a bad area. We stay at Hotel Uhland, in a residential type area, which is about a 6 block walk to the station. We had a nice day trip to Salzburg last March, had plenty of time to walk around and see the sights.

The 4* Maritim is a three-minute walk from the München Hbf. It could have been cleaner, especially for €175, but I'd go back.

The only restriction on a rail pass for two people is that you cannot travel separately (ie, one person goes to Düsseldorf and the other goes to Bonn). There will obviously be no problem if one person wants to travel alone. You are not cheating the railway because the railpass for two people is more expensive than a pass for one person. If your partner wants to lose out on a day's travel, then the railway is not losing anything.

thanks everyone. Keep the response coming. I'm going in mid-February so it will be cold!

1. I'm still curious to see if I can add days to my pass when I"m in Germany - i guess I might call the Rick steve folks

2. How about Bad Homburg? Or I can stay in the apple wine district (Sachsenhausen) of Frankfurt. The day I"m in Frankfurt hotel rates are through the roof, so those are my 2 options.

3. I found a very good rate at the Munich Le Meridien who looks like a very nice hotel but it's very close to the railroad, thus my questions about the area.

4. Any recommendations for the Lake Constance area? Just found out I have to be in the surrounding area.

thanks again everyone!

Hi tarocake:

Just came back from a trade fair in Frankfurt! Have a very good hotel for you to try. It is in the city of Bad Soden. It is at the end of the S-3 bahn line. The S-3 runs right under Messe ( I am sure that is where your trade fair is located!) It was about a 15-20 min ride from the hotel to Messe.
Worked out very well for me!
Hotel is:
Rheinischer Hof - Bad Soden/Taunus
Rate was around 168EU for a large double room!

Let me know how you make out!
JOHN

Hey, bmw732002 -

How did that price compare with the downtown rate? Did you feel at all deprived because your bed wasn't right in the middle of the action?

No you cannot add days on to your pass in Germany - only at time of issuance. Current twin pass rates start at 4 days of travel in one month period - a bargain $135 per person for a twin pass. One person can travel without the other but you can't take separate trains as you have one pass with two names on it. Both people must be present, or at least their passports at time of activation - activation means you take the pass up to a ticket window and they start the one month period, then you have four boxes on it to fill in the date you want it to be active, from midnight to midnight. If you take overnight train, many in Germany, it's one day as you put the following day on as your unlimited travel day. German passes pass into Salzburg, a German station for your purposes. The $135 rate is such a bargain - compare fares at www.bahn.de - German rail web site for fares in Euros and compare. Not much travel warrants pass. Bad Humbug is 11 miles by trains every few minutes from Frankfurt, so a snap getting there - pass is valid even on S-Bahns, commueter rail systems as this one since they are run by the railway. U-Bahns, or metros run by municipalities are not. You can call Rick Steves and have to pay long distance charges but i recommend calling Budget Europe (800-441-9413), whom i've bought many passes from, and their staff all has traveled for years on trains in Germany and will definitely answer all your questions without obligation - they also don't charge RailEurope's $15 order fee though they are a RailEurope agent. Prices for railpasses in US are uniform, no deviations allowed by handling fees are. The folks at Budget Europe are really superb - ask them to send you their fine free European Planning and Rail Guide that has a detailed chapter on German train travel. You may also consider the new Germany and Denmark railpass and the Germany-Benelux pass good all over Germany, Belgium Netherlands and Luxembourg. Bon voyage!

As for the Munich train station area - i've walked around there a lot and it is not unsafe, albeit a bit seedy in terms of some redlight activity but there are major hotels there - i'd have no qualms about staying in the convenient for rail traveles locale.

to PalQ or anyone else:

Do I have to know what the exact dates are that I intend to use the pass, when I activate?

You mention there are 4 boxes (for a 4 day pass). After I activate, my schedule is in flex and I don't know if I would know the exact dates I plan to use it.

No you only have to use the 4, or how ever many days you buy at time of purchase, be it 4, 5 or up to the max of 10, within the overall one-month time frame. A 4 day pass has four boxes that you fill in as you go along with that day's date before boarding the train - you do not declare in advance what exact dates you'll be using. And be sure you know what the date is - sometimes you lose track when traveling as you can't change the date once entering or it will appear you've been changing dates - chaning a 21-5-05 to an 22-5-05 with the slight of a pen. Dates must be put in in ink, using the European dating method - day of month first then month than year. If you have any questions call Budget Europe, they're the experts - i relay info i learned by using dozens and railpasses i've bought from them - instructions as to dating and activation will come with the pass.

Le Meridien is a wonderful hotel. Very good concierge at the desk. Just across from the train station. My daughter and I stayed there and never felt it that seedy or unsafe near the station. If you have found a good price for the Meridien I would stay there.

Robespiere:

Rates dowtown were at least 2 to 3 times higher!! They get those prices at fair times!!
Had no problems. Went out to dinner with customers downtown and either took the train back (very reliable and safe) or for the real late nights took a cab! Ouch! $50.00 a shot! My Messe entrance ticket let me use the S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains for FREE!! Nice Touch!
Hotel is literally at the train station in a residential setting! Nice quiet town with good bars and resturants. Kinda liked the relief from the crazy Messe and downtown traffic!
John