Rail travel in Germany
Germany's rail system is fast, reliable and covers most points of interest. While tickets bought "last minute" can be expensive, they can, with a bit of planning, also be surprisingly cheap. Despite the rise of intercity buses, trains are still only second to cars when it comes to getting around. A train journey from Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south usually takes less than six hours. The same journey by car takes around eight hours, a bus takes ten hours or more and neither of those figures accounts for traffic congestion. Furthermore Most trains depart every hour or every two hours while buses tend to have a much sparser schedule.
According to Deutsche Bahn, train travel is rather "green". In 2014, one passenger kilometer of travel on a DB long-distance train emitted almost 13 times less CO2 than the same distance traveled by car. Local and regional trains emit more, since they tend to use less renewable energy and more diesel. DB also aims to steadily increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity it uses for its trains. In fact, the green stripe on all BahnCards indicates a promise that all tickets sold to BahnCard owners represent trains running with 100% renewable electricity.
Understand
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn operates the vast majority of German long distance trains and also sells tickets for regional and local trains operated by other companies. The DB website (which has localized versions for many places and is available at least partially in English and a half dozen other languages) is an excellent resource to find train connections throughout Europe, although some heritage railways and railway integrated bus services are not listed. The DB website sells tickets for most trips originating and/or terminating in Germany, but cannot sell tickets for a trip only passing through Germany (for example, for a trip from Paris to Warsaw you'd have to buy a ticket from Paris to Berlin and one from Berlin to Warsaw) and won't display prices or sell tickets for some international as well as a few local train connections. The DB website is working to include the ability to buy tickets for non-German railways but this can still be hit and miss and for purely domestic tickets outside Germany the corresponding national railway is usually your best bet.
Timetables and fares
Timetables and standard fares (Flexpreis) are generally valid for one year. A new timetable comes into effect each December, usually being published in mid October. DB usually increases their prices mostly for long-distance trains with the schedule change. Verkehrsverbünde usually change their schedule around the same time but not always on the same day. There might be transition periods for the validity of local tickets.
On most routes tickets can be booked up to 180 days ahead, but tickets after the schedule change only go on sale once the new schedule has been published. If you want to get cheap tickets for long-distance trains, buy the special tickets (such as saver fares) as early as possible. The price of these limited tickets for long-distance trains increases the closer the departure date is, and they might be sold out. However, most Germans don't book more than one week ahead, with the possible exception of international tickets.
Prices for standard fares for any train and special tickets for regional and local trains normally stay the same over the year (and they are unlimited), so they can be bought just before your trip.
Integrated public transport systems (Verkehrsverbund)
In larger urban areas, local transportation companies often form an integrated public transport system, called Verkehrsverbund (VB) (or Verkehrsverbünde in its plural form). In each Verkehrsverbund all public transport (this may include subways, city buses, S-Bahn, light rail and even regional trains) can be used with a common ticket and fare system. A Verkehrsverbund also offers a common and coordinated schedule. Examples include VBB around Berlin and Brandenburg (the largest by area), RMV around Frankfurt, MVV around Munich, or Bodo for the area in Germany immediately next to Lake Constance.
These urban transport networks are often (but not always) integrated with the DB network and Verkehrsverbund tickets are valid on local trains. The trend has been towards bigger Verkehrsverbünde with better railway integration and local transport schedules are often made with the train schedules in mind. The S-Bahn is usually the "heart" of a Verkehrsverbund and S-Bahn expansion has in the past often coincided with Verkehrsverbund expansion.
Long-distance trains are not part of a Verkehrsverbund.
Background information
Germany has over 40,000 kilometers of railways (making it the sixth longest rail network and one of the densest worldwide) and thus is incredibly well-connected, making it possible to connect from most rural areas to large metropolises. No German town with more than 100 000 inhabitants lacks rail service and most towns with more than 20 000 inhabitants have regular rail service.
Deutsche Bahn — the main railway operator in the country — is in an unusual position. Since 1994, it has been organised as an Aktiengesellschaft (joint-stock company), which is normally expected to return a profit. However, the state owns all the shares. This means DB gets pulled in two different directions at the same time: it is supposed to act like a private for-profit company and also act like a state institution. Consequently the CEO - and at least some members of the board - is a political appointment and usually a household name in Germany shortly after taking office. The CEO is often referred to in the media and informally as Bahnchef ('rail boss'). So the current CEO Richard Lutz is often just called Bahnchef Lutz.
While all operators (including DB) are in theory free to run long-distance trains on any given route at any price they see fit — provided they pay track access charges to state-owned DB Netz (itself a DB subsidiary) — the situation for local trains is more complicated. The federal government gives a certain amount of money to the states which they are supposed to spend on local railway service. Some states hand this money on to local Verkehrsverbünde while others have one big pot at the state level. The state or the Verkehrsverbund that has been given the authority to do so by the state then sets timetables and train requirements (for example one train every hour with a specific number of first and second class seats, Wi-fi and level boarding) and asks for bids from all over Europe. Usually DB will be among those bidding, but often other operators will ask for a lower subsidy and thus get the contract. Bidding for a new contract usually starts before the old contract has run out. Contract terms tend to be quite long: on some routes DB still operates under contracts that weren't subject to open bidding or where DB was the only bidder. This is one of the main reasons why Wi-fi is very rare on local trains: operators are not obligated to provide anything not stipulated in the original contract. The contracts are often rather specific and some observers joke that the only thing a railway operator actually gets to choose is the color scheme and the wages of employees - naturally leading to claims of DB's private competition undercutting DB's union wages still influenced by former civil servant contracts.
Train types
Long-distance trains
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Almost all long distance trains are run by Deutsche Bahn. All major cities are linked by DB's ICE (InterCity Express) and regular IC (InterCity) trains.
- InterCity Express (ICE) trains. High speed trains capable of speeds up to 320 km/h (200 mph). The condition of tracks and signals however allows top speeds of only 160 km/h (99 mph) on unmodified legacy tracks, 200 km/h (120 mph) on routes with special electronic equipment called "Ausbaustrecke" (the Berlin Hamburg railway is an Ausbaustrecke built for 230 km/h (140 mph)), or 250 km/h (160 mph) to 300 km/h (190 mph) on designated high-speed tracks called "Neubaustrecke". The top speed of 320 km/h (200 mph) is reached on the journey from Frankfurt to Paris, France. Although significantly faster than by road, they can also be expensive, with a 1-hour-trip (Frankfurt to Cologne, around 180 km) costing up to €67 one-way ("Flexpreis", i.e. walk up fare without any discount). However when you book the ticket in advance and are a bit flexible with hour and date of travel, you can get a considerable discount. All domestic ICEs are electric. There are several different types of ICE, but they are all fairly similar to one another and only distinguishable for non-enthusiasts by their top speed and age. One notable difference is the ICE 4 which was introduced into regular service in December 2017 and is the only ICE which carries bicycles. The order for the ICE 4 was one of the biggest in DB history and it will take into the mid 2020s before all ordered trains enter service.
- ICE Sprinter. The same trains as regular ICEs, but they run non-stop between major cities or have only one intermediate stop. Their travel times are all below four hours in order to equal or beat door to door travel times of the airlines. There is no surcharge for using ICE Sprinter services anymore, but cheap early bird tickets may be scarcer for them. For example, an ICE Sprinter trip between Berlin and Munich takes just about 4 hours.
- InterCity (IC) trains. Fairly comfortable, even if they lack the high-tech feeling of the ICE. ICE trains are only faster than IC trains on purpose-built tracks or existing track which has been upgraded. Older ICs are locomotive hauled single level stock dating back as far as the 1970s, but most were built or refurbished in the 1990s or later. Old ICs have top speeds up to 200 km/h. In 2016 DB introduced a slew of new bi-level Intercity stock, called "Intercity 2". They have a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph) and are fairly modern and comfy with electric outlets, reclining seats and at-your-seat snack and drink service, but the space for luggage is rather limited, so avoid them if you have a lot of stuff to carry — however there's usually space under the seats if all else fails. On some routes IC trains are hauled by Diesel locomotives, but this is getting rarer as more routes are electrified and more routes are operated by multiple units that make switching out the motive power difficult.
- EuroCity (EC) trains. Connect larger European cities and are virtually identical to IC trains. Many EC trains are provided by neighboring railway operators (for example the Prague-Hamburg route operated by Czech railways). While this has no effect on booking and prices, the interior of the trains might be notably different from comparable German trains. Also, EC trains, especially those that travel very long distances, are more prone to delays than purely domestic services.
- EuroCity Express trains. Introduced in December 2017, they only serve the Frankfurt-Milan corridor with stops in Switzerland. Unlike all other train categories, there is a mandatory (but free) reservation and tickets are bound to a specific train even for "Flexpreis" tickets (but Flexpreis tickets can be rebooked to another train free of charge subject to availability). The trains are Swiss tilting trains of the ETR 610 family with a top speed of 250 km/h (160 mph). Unlike EC, IC and ICE, the category "EuroCity Express" is not yet used by other railways - not even the Swiss and Italian ones, so these trains will show up on Swiss and Italian schedules as regular EC.
On major lines, ICE or IC trains run as often as hourly during the day, and even some smaller cities popular with tourists like Tübingen or Heringsdorf have daily or weekly services.
However, given the caveats above about top speeds of certain lines, you might want to check if the ICE is significantly faster than regional and local trains before you shell out for an ICE ticket. Still, early bird tickets are often priced very much in line with expected demand and faster trips tend to be more expensive than a trip with many changes or along slower lines between the same endpoints.
There are also long-distance trains operated by other companies than Deutsche Bahn (see below), usually running over secondary routes with cheaper track access charges. These are usually comfortable enough (although not as comfortable as ICE) and sometimes considerably cheaper, but their stopping pattern can be both vastly more frequent or vastly more infrequent than comparable DB trains. Before the liberalisation of the intercity bus market competition on long-distance train routes had been increasing. But since the buses were generally even cheaper than the train services competing with DB, several companies exited the market, shelved plans to enter it or greatly reduced their services. With Flixbus now controlling well north of ninety percent of the intercity bus market, they are also the main competition to DB in the field of long distance trains.
Seat reservations
Seat reservations are not mandatory but are recommended, especially if you are travelling on Fridays, Sundays or holidays, when trains are more likely to be full. That means with an Interrail or Eurail pass you can use domestic ICE trains (including Sprinter ICE trains, but not international ICE trains) without paying a supplement.
A seat reservation costs €4.50 in 2nd class and is included in the price of 1st class tickets. Seat reservations are valid for 15 minutes from the time the train departs. After that time other passengers can legitimately take your seat if you have not occupied it.
If you don't have or want to buy a seat reservation, look for a seat that hasn't been reserved at all, or that is only reserved for a section of the trip after you get off the train. Seat reservations are marked either with an electronic display above or in the seat or on a small paper sign at the window.
If your reserved train gets canceled or delayed, you can have your seat reservation changed to another train at a DB Service counter or have it refunded via Passenger rights claim.
Wi-Fi and on-board entertainment
There is free Wi-Fi on virtually all ICEs, but not on ICs. As it is provided via a mobile signal, bandwidth can be lacking sometimes. To access the Wi-Fi just select "Wi-Fi on ICE" and the program should walk you through the next steps. There is a cap on maximum traffic, but you'd have to be using the Wi-Fi pretty heavily to reach the limit. On international trains, the Wi-Fi stops working when the train leaves Germany.
Since April 2017, there is also an entertainment portal with series and movies. Some 50 monthly rotating works are accessible free of charge, while the full roughly 1000 entry program is only available to paying customers of maxdome. As the entertainment portal is accessed via onboard servers, it does not get affected by lack of bandwidth or other potential Wi-Fi issues. Similarly, the ICE Portal also offers free audiobooks and news (most of it in German only) as well as some information about the trip and the next destination; you can also see where the train is on a map and how fast it's going.
First class
Most trains in Germany, apart from some local trains, have first and second class sections. First class passengers on long-distance trains get more room (three rather than four seats abreast, more legroom, seats which recline more) and you can ask the conductor to bring you drinks and food from the restaurant car. Drinks or food are not included in the fare, but seat reservation is. Second class passengers are not normally allowed to sit in first class sections. The price difference between first and second class varies widely and there are separate BahnCards for first and second class, but sometimes you can get a first class ticket for a few euros more than a second class ticket.
Regional and local trains
Regional and local trains in Germany are conveniently referred to with the German word Nahverkehr. These trains come in several flavours:
- InterRegio-Express (IRE). The fastest type of regional train, calling only at a few stations. They usually cover longer distances than "normal" REs.
- Regional-Express (RE). Semi-express trains that skip some stations. On many routes, this is the highest available train category.
- Regional-Bahn (RB). Stops everywhere except that it may skip some S-Bahn stops.
- S-Bahn. Commuter network for a city or metropolitan area, which can nonetheless cover fairly long distances. Some S-Bahn trains are the only trains in Germany routinely not to offer a toilet, though this in part depends on the precise region and line and is getting rarer.
The majority of regional and local trains run once an hour or once every two hours from 05:00 or 06:00 to roughly 23:00 or even later. S-Bahn lines often have headways of 30 minutes or less which can come down to 15 minutes or even seven and a half minutes on trunk routes where several lines overlap. Between big cities in a major metropolitan area S-Bahn and regional trains may overlap in their route, giving more transportation options when you want to go from city center to city center.
On regional trains WiFi is still the exception rather than the rule. It is estimated that only around 10% of trains will have WiFi by 2020. WiFi was not a requirement in most current contracts for regional trains and there are not enough mobile phone masts along the lines.
On regional trains first class — if available at all — is usually pretty similar to second class, but as there is usually no reserved seating in either class, you're more likely to get a seat in first class on busy routes. Some operators however do try to justify the markup for first class by (for example) providing better seats or seat pitch or reserving the upper deck on bi-level stock for first class.
Many companies apart from Deutsche Bahn run regional trains. This is usually done through a contract with the Bundesland that pays them to run a certain number of trains at specified hours and usually those contracts also stipulate that DB-tickets (such as Ländertickets and the Quer durchs Land ticket) are accepted. In some regions such as Schleswig-Holstein there might be two, three or more different ticket vending machines in the station, one for each company. When in doubt ask people on the platform, or better yet DB personnel. With very rare exceptions you can buy tickets valid on non-DB trains with standard DB vending machines, but not the other way round.
Sleeper trains
DB ended its sleeper train services in 2016, replacing them with a limited amount of regular ICEs running at night as well as some buses.
The main operator of sleeper trains in Germany is ÖBB, the Austrian state railway. Tickets for what they call Nightjet trains start at €29 for the cheapest seats and early booking. Sleepers or last minute bookings are naturally more expensive. Every sleeper ticket includes breakfast and can be booked via the DB website. You can book anything from your own compartment with bed and shower to a single seat in a six-seat compartment.
Operated by ÖBB
- NJ 40490/40421: Düsseldorf – Frankfurt – Nuremberg – Passau – Vienna
- NJ 420/421: Düsseldorf – Frankfurt – Nuremberg – Augsburg – Munich – Innsbruck
- NJ 490/491: Hamburg – Hanover – Nuremberg – Passau – Vienna
- NJ 40420/40491: Hamburg – Hanover – Nuremberg – Augsburg – Munich – Innsbruck
- NJ 40470/401: Hamburg – Zürich
- NJ 456/457: Berlin – Wrocław – Vienna
- NJ 470/471: Berlin – Zürich
- NJ 294/295: Munich – Rome
- NJ 40463/40236: Munich – Venice
- NJ 40295/40235: Munich – Milan
Cooperations with ÖBB and other national railways
Other night trains
- Berlin Night Express: Berlin – Malmö, operated by Snälltåget and only runs in summer
- №23/24: Moscow – Berlin – Paris, operated by Russian Railways
- Schnee Express ("snow express"): runs a winter season night train aimed at ski tourists from Hamburg (with several other stops in Germany) all the way to Austria
Car trains
BahnTouristikExpress — a company which specializes in renting out trains to tour operators and private groups — runs a train service (BTE AutoReiseZug) from Lörrach in the Southwest of Germany, close to Basel, Switzerland, and the French Alsace to Hamburg-Altona year round. ÖBB Nightjet also runs car trains (autoreisezug) from Vienna and Innsbruck to Hamburg Altona and Düsseldorf. DB stopped running its own car trains (except for the Sylt train, which is only a 50-minute ride) in December 2016.
To and from Sylt
Regular car trains link the island of Sylt with the mainland, operated by DB (under the brand Sylt Shuttle) and the private company Autozug Sylt, a subsidiary of the American Railroad Development Company (RDC) (the only other link to the mainland is a ferry from Denmark.) Their prices are broadly similar, though -as the newer entrant to the market-Autozug Sylt tries to undercut DB. Unlike most non-regional trains in Germany, there is no discount for advance purchase of tickets, but there are discounts if you buy ten or twelve tickets at once and there is another discount for Sylt residents. The two companies use the same terminals in Sylt and 🌍 Niebüll.
Other train operators
Even though the German rail market has been liberalised for years, there are relatively few train operators other than DB, and they are all tiny. They can also be hard to use - they don't show up in the central train planner, and Eurail passes are not valid on them. They can be much cheaper than DB though, especially on short notice. DB seems to deliberately bunch its own IC/ICE trains around the departure times of competing services on some routes, so if the departure time of the competition agrees with you, you'll have more choice than usual.
Here are some examples:
- Alex. Alex trains offer (among other connections) a connection from Munich, Nuremberg or Regensburg to Prague from €23 one-way or €43 return ticket (Prag Spezial). Tickets can be bought on the train. On almost all of their trains you can buy snacks and drinks at very reasonable prices. Ultimately part of the Italian national railway (Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane) through a series of German subsidiaries.
- Harz Berlin Express this train is a weekend and holiday only extension of a regular regional train. While the part that is "ordered" and paid for by the state can be taken with a regular DB ticket, only tickets specifically for this train (not sold by DB or at DB ticket machines) are valid for the whole trip between places in the Harz and Berlin. As the current contract runs out in 2018 and the company running this train has not won the bidding process for this route, it is doubtful whether any form of the Harz Berlin Express will operate after that.
- Flixbus / Flixtrain, the near monopolist in Intercity buses in Germany has taken over two independent operators on Hamburg-Cologne and Berlin-Stuttgart routes. They also sell tickets for a Night Train from Hamburg to Lörrach. When booking make sure you actually book a train, as Flixbus also sells bus tickets along the same route. They plan to expand their network. However, they have canceled their original plan for trains on the Berlin-Munich route.
FlixTrain carriage
Apart from those, there are several steam or diesel heritage railways, often using narrow gauge tracks. They are usually not integrated into DB ticketing or Verkehrsverbund ticketing and can be significantly more expensive on a per km basis than mainline operators. They run the gamut from summer season and weekends only to daily operations that have significant transport value.
Buses
DB also operates a handful of IC Bus routes. They are fully integrated into DB's ticketing and fare system and are treated by the booking system like an InterCity train with mandatory free seat reservations. IC Buses mostly serve routes where the railway infrastructure does not allow high enough speeds for fast service and they usually have fewer stops than parallel train services.
Local buses are usually integrated into the ticket system of any given Verkehrsverbund and the DB City Ticket, which is available at no extra cost for many long distance tickets with a BahnCard discount, includes a ride on buses, trams, light rail and subway as applicable to/from your final destination within the origin/departure city.
Flixbus, being primarily a bus company sells tickets for its two rail routes as well as through tickets which combine its buses with trains. They do not, however, sell combined tickets with local trains.
Cooperation with airlines
- See also: Rail air alliances
Lufthansa has cooperated with DB in one form or another since the 1980s. For a time they even ran their own trains, complete with Lufthansa livery. Today, AIRail enables certain ICEs to be booked like a flight sector (you can even earn miles), with check-in at the train station. (You still have to drop your luggage off at the airport, though.) Practically all German airports are linked to the mainline rail network, the local tram or the subway network. A handful of airports even have trains stopping there but no scheduled flights. You can usually buy a through ticket all the way to the airport through DB. Many airlines that fly to/from German airports offer rail&fly tickets. They usually have to be booked together with the flight. Such tickets are usually cheaper than a comparable domestic flight or even entirely free, depending on the airline and ticket type. Rail&fly lets you take any train from any station in Germany (and even some in adjacent countries) to the airport (again, even some non-German airports are part of the program) with any number of changes up to one day prior to departure, and to take any train from the airport to any station on the return journey.
Tickets
How to buy tickets
There are a several different ways to buy tickets. If you are caught without a valid ticket, you have to pay at least a €60 penalty fare.
On the Internet
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Printing online tickets For a long time you either had to print your online ticket, or show it via the app. However, the DB terms and conditions (6.3.2 and 6.3.3) allow you to simply show the PDF document (with the barcode) on a mobile device. There might still be tickets that you need to print (such as bicycle reservations), or some uninformed ticket inspector or bus driver might refuse to accept the PDF document. If you want to be on the safe side, then you should either print the ticket or show it via the app. |
You can buy tickets on the DB website or via the DB Navigator App. The journey planner will automatically show the cheapest possible fares, including any early-booking discounts. However, some offers for regional trains may not show up unless you remove the checkmark for "prefer fast connections" and/or add the checkmark for "regional trains only".
You either need to print the ticket or present it via the app. Showing the ticket as PDF document on a mobile device might be accepted (see infobox).
When making the booking you have to specify your name and the ticket is only valid for you. On ticket inspection you may have to show some form of identification (passport or EU ID card, but driver's licenses are not accepted) for both types of tickets.
On the DB website, you can book tickets without an account, however for the app, you need to create one. If you use an account on the DB website, your tickets will automatically be available in the app.
You can also buy tickets online and have them mailed anywhere in the world for €3.90. You don't need to show ID when travelling with such tickets, but if they are lost in the mail DB will not replace them.
Beware of travel agent sites that appear when searching for the DB website. They pay heavily to appear at the top of search results, and overcharge significantly. Be sure to use the official site linked above.
At a vending machine
At a station, find a ticket machine with a touchscreen, choose your language, and then navigate through the menus. Like the online journey planner, it will automatically suggest the fastest routes. The machines sell all DB train tickets including some international tickets, special tickets (both for long-distance and regional and local trains) and tickets for local transport. Touchscreen machines accept credit cards, older ones do not.
Ticket machines for local Verkehrsverbund are yellow, white or grey. They can be used to buy tickets for local transport, including DB trains. On secondary routes, vending machines inside trains are becoming more common, usually leaving smaller stations without vending machines.
Many local machines and old DB machines require you to enter a four-digit code for your destination, found on a panel of densely packed print nearby. Press the flag button to switch to English, punch in the code for your destination station on the keypad, then hit the appropriate button in the left ("adult") row below to pick your ticket. The first button is always one-way single (Einzelfahrausweis). A price will be displayed: insert your money (quickly, since the timeout is quite fast), and the machine will spit out your tickets and change. Vending machines give max. €9.90 change in coins and will not accept larger notes. For new blue DB machines, select the local tariff union in the top menu, and the rest is easy.
If a station is not equipped with a vending machine or if all the machines are out of order, you have to buy your ticket from a manned ticket counter. If this isn't available either or it is closed, you are allowed to buy your ticket on the train. If there is no vending machine on the train, you have to approach the staff right away and ask them what to do. You should then be able to buy a ticket without paying a surcharge. However, it is usually much less hassle to just buy a ticket via the app.
At a manned ticket counter
Go to the Reisezentrum at any major train station. You might have to take a number and wait until it is called. It is becoming less common to buy tickets at the counter, but if your itinerary is unusual or you can't make heads or tails of the machines, talking to an actual human being can be a godsend. DB charges €2 extra for some special tickets (for regional and local trains) if bought at the ticket counter.
On the train
On long-distance trains, you can buy a ticket from the conductor, but it costs €19,- extra. All "main conductors" (the Zugchef in German) speak English, as do most other conductors (though the quality of the English they speak is debatable).
On regional and local trains, tickets are usually not sold so you need to buy them at the station. Signs on platforms or on trains saying Einstieg nur mit gültigem Fahrausweis mean that you have to have a ticket before you board. Drivers on buses and trams usually do sell tickets, though they might not have (or know about) all ticket types. Some regional trains do sell tickets on board either through machines or via conductors. This is usually also shown on the door upon entry. Of course you should buy a ticket as soon as you board in those cases.
Standard tickets
Standard tickets (Flexpreis; flexible fare) have the fewest restrictions, but can be quite expensive. The maximum price for a standard ticket (single rail journey within Germany) is €142 in 2nd class and €237 in first class. They are valid for 1 day (trips of up to 100km) and for 2 days (trips more than 200km) to travel between a specified departure and destination train station and are not tied to a specific train. Sometimes the word "via" followed by either some cryptic code or a city name will appear on your ticket. That means the ticket is only valid for the specific route booked and not for a different route to the same destination.
Unlike in other countries, standard tickets do not get sold out for a specific train. If you don't have a seat reservation (which costs extra), then you might have to stand or sit on the floor if the train is very busy.
BahnCard discounts
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BahnCard holders get discounts on all standard DB tickets. A BahnCard is a good choice if you plan to travel by train a lot. BahnCards are typically valid for one year from the date of purchase. The contract gets renewed automatically unless cancelled in writing at least six weeks before the end of the twelve months. You can buy a BahnCard at train stations (or online) and use it to get discounts right away. If you do that you'll get a temporary (paper) card and you will need to supply a European postal address to get the proper plastic card. Ticket inspectors on trains will normally insist that you present not only your ticket, but also the BahnCard used to claim any discount and some form of official ID with a photo.
The BahnCard discount doesn't apply to all regional transport day tickets, but some do offer their own discounts for BahnCard holders. BahnCard holders can also get discounts on international trains, as long as the journey involves crossing a border.
There are endless varieties of BahnCard. The most common ones are the BahnCard 25 and BahnCard 50:
- BahnCard 25. Costs €62 (concessions €41) for 2nd class (€125/€81 for 1st class) and grants you a 25% discount on all standard tickets. Spouses/partners and kids of BahnCard 25 holders can get additional cards for €5 each. The BahnCard 25 discount can be combined with any Sparpreis discounts. (In effect granting you a further 25% discount on an already discounted fare.)
- BahnCard 50. Costs €255 for 2nd class (€515 for 1st class) and grants you a 50% discount on all standard tickets as well as a 25% discount on Sparpreis tickets. Schoolchildren, students up to the age of 26, pensioners aged at least 60 and the disabled can buy a BahnCard 50 for €127.
There are also variations of the BahnCard 25 and BahnCard 50:
- Probe BahnCard 25 / Probe BahnCard 50. ("Probe" is the German word for test/trial/sample.) More suitable if you're not ready to commit or don't need a card for a whole year, these cards are valid for three months and entitle holders to the same discounts as the regular BahnCards listed above. A Probe BahnCard 25 costs €19 (2nd class) or €39 (1st class), and a Probe BahnCard 50 costs €79 (2nd class) or €159 (1st class). Probe BahnCards become regular ones unless cancelled at least six weeks before the end of the three months.
- My BahnCard 25 / My BahnCard 50. These cards can be bought by anyone under the age of 27 and entitle the holder to the same discounts listed above. My BahnCard 25 costs €39 (2nd class) or €81 (1st class), and My BahnCard 50 costs €69 (2nd class) or €252 (1st class). As with other cards these get renewed automatically unless cancelled at least six weeks before the end of their validity.
- Jugend BahnCard 25. Open to anyone aged 6 to 18, costs €10 and entitles the holder to a 25% discount, so it often pays off on the first trip. It's valid in 1st and 2nd class. Remember that under 14s travel for free with their parents or grandparents. Unlike other BahnCards, they are valid for up to five years, or until the holder is 18, whichever comes first.
- BahnCard 100. Costs €4090 for 2nd class (€6890 for 1st class). Unlimited rides for a year on almost all trains and in many cities even on buses, trams and metros. Night trains cost extra. You'll need to bring a photo to buy a BahnCard 100. Holders of 2nd class BahnCard 100 pay for seat reservations, holders of first class ones do not, just like with normal tickets.
Special tickets (long-distance trains)
Standard fares are relatively expensive, but special promotions and prices exist. Your best course of action is to check the DB offers page, to ask at a train station, or call them for current details. If you search for a connection with the journey planner, it automatically offers you the most favourable discount for the journey in addition to the standard fare.
Saver fares
Saver fares (Sparpreis) are low-cost one-way tickets for journeys that include long-distance trains (ICE or IC/EC). Regional trains can be added to complete the journey. These tickets are limited, and the actual price varies according to demand. You should purchase them as far in advance as possible (up to 180 days before the departure date), though they can be available minutes before departure for some routes and times. You can use the saver fare finder to find the cheapest saver fare variant.
The following saver fares are offered:
- Sparpreis (Saver fare). Prices start at €23.90 (second class) and €35.90 (first class). BahnCard customers get a 25% discount on top of those prices. The ticket includes a City-Ticket for trips longer than 100km. The ticket can be refunded up to one day before its validity at a cost of €10. The refund is given as a DB voucher. DB offers "insurance" on Sparpreis offers that covers cancellation and rebooking in case of major injury or illness, but it is not really worth it compared to other travel insurance. First class customers are entitled to use the DB Lounge.
- Super Sparpreis (Super saver fare). Prices start at €19.90 (second class) or €29.90 (first class). BahnCard customers get a 25% discount on top of those prices. The ticket cannot be refunded (unlike "normal" Sparpreis tickets) and they do not include a City-Ticket. First class customers are not entitled to use the DB Lounge in the stations.
- Sparpreis Europa and Super Sparpreis Europa (Saver fare Europe and Super saver fare Europe). A Sparpreis variant for international connections. In Germany this is available for all trains, but abroad there may be restrictions on which trains can be used – if you cannot get a quote for a certain connection online, this may be the case. There are often some specific routes or start points near the border which can net you even cheaper fares.
- Sparpreis Gruppe (Group saver fare). For groups of six or more people. Prices start at €19.90 (second class) or €29.90 (first class) per person, and include seat reservations. These tickets can be booked up to 12 months in advance at the ticket counter, or up to 6 months in advance online. For short journeys, the regional train day tickets can be cheaper.
Unlike standard tickets, any Sparpreis ticket is valid only on the train booked so you cannot use them on an earlier or later train. That restriction only applies to the long-distance trains of your journey. If your train is delayed and you miss the follow-up train connection that restriction is lifted, however it is advisable to get a train conductor or some staff at the train station to confirm this on your ticket. If your expected arrival at the final destination is longer than 20 min, you are no longer bound by the restriction.
Other options
Deutsche Bahn also offers — usually without too much advance notice — some special offers on a semi-regular basis. Usually they are fixed-price tickets that can be used for pretty much any train (sometimes certain days of the week or hours of departure, e.g. Friday evening are excluded). Those tickets are often sold at supermarkets, other types of store or online. While they may be more expensive than the cheapest early bird tickets in some cases, they usually offer the benefit of being flexible until you board the train and fill them out.
L’TUR offers last-minute tickets for €25 (or €35 for an international trip) 1–7 days before departure.
If you need a network ticket for long-distance trains, get a European rail pass or a German Rail Pass.
Special tickets (regional and local trains)
On many shorter connections, local trains are not much slower than long-distance trains (IC, EC, ICE). Most of the special tickets for regional and local trains are automatically offered in addition to the standard fare if you use the DB journey planner and select the Only local transport option.
Almost all special offers for regional travel are available at all times and can be bought in advance or minutes before departure.
There are discounted tickets for trips with specific maximum lengths within a certain region (e.g. 150 km or less within Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia) either one way or round trip. There are also fixed prices for certain connections, e.g. Berlin-Hamburg in an InterRegio-Express.
Day tickets
Day tickets are valid for one day in all DB regional and local trains (S, RB, SE, RE and IRE), some private local trains and often include public transport (subway light rail and bus) in cities and allow for unlimited travel. They are often cheaper than single or return tickets. All day tickets can be purchased online and at ticket machines at railway stations. You cannot buy them from the conductor.
All of these tickets are group tickets, but can be used by a single traveler as well. There are few general rules to keep in mind:
- The price of the ticket usually depends upon the number of travelers with a relatively high base price and a small supplement for every other member of the group up to five.
- The ticket must bear the name of (at least) one member of the group. That person may be asked for ID. Sometimes all members of the group will have to be mentioned on the ticket.
- Most Ländertickets are only valid for second class (although in some states they are also offered for first class for a higher price). The difference between first and second class on regional trains is small to non-existent, and some trains don't even have first class. On the other hand first class may be empty on an otherwise crowded train.
The most common day tickets are:
- Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket (loosely translated as "Lovely Weekend Ticket"). This ticket lets you travel anywhere in Germany on a Saturday or Sunday from 00:00 until 03:00 the following day and costs €44 for one person and €6 for each additional person (there is a maximum of five people in total). While the old days when a dirt cheap Schönes Wochenende Ticket could get a group of five around Germany for the price of a good book are long gone, it is still possible to get around cheaply with regional trains when you get a small group together. DB has said it will discontinue this type of ticket in the summer of 2019.
- Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket (QdL). Valid for one day on all regional trains in Germany from 09:00 until 03:00 the following day. The ticket costs €44 for one person and €8 for every additional person (there is a maximum of five people in total).
- Länder-Ticket. This ticket is offered for every federal state (Bundesland). It is an option if your travel is contained within a single state (usually, a few short links across the border are included). Specific Länder-Tickets cover more than one state. For example, the Länder-Tickets of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thüringen are valid in all of those three states together and you have to buy just one of them. The same holds for Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. The Länder-Ticket is valid between 09:00 till 03:00 the next day on working days, or between 00:00 till 03:00 the next day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Ticket prices begin at €23 for one person, €25 for two, and €29–49 for a group of up to five people. A few states still have flat-rate tickets that cost the same for a solo traveler or a group of five.
- Cross border day tickets. In some areas a ticket is available for travel within the state or a part of it and an adjacent region across an international border. Their conditions are often similar to the Ländertickets but they may be more expensive.
Sharing day tickets
While sharing day tickets existed in a grey zone for some time, Deutsche Bahn has now published their own App (for Android and iPhone) explicitly for sharing group tickets. It only covers a handful of states (as of May 2016), however the implementation of more states has already been announced.
Some locals look for other people at stations to share a journey with to reduce costs. If you know your itinerary, you can arrange a group on the Internet, buy a ticket and get started. For example, there's a website for searching for a travel companion.
Some people sell their day ticket for a discount after arriving at their destination to recoup some of their expenditure. In response, DB now requires you to write your name on the ticket to validate it. Reusing such a ticket is illegal and (if caught) you may be charged with a crime.
Verkehrsverbund tickets
Each Verkehrsverbund has a single integrated tariff system. Any travel within a single Verkehrsverbund is "local" and usually quite cheap. However any travel between different Verkehrsverbünde requires either a special fare (within North Rhine-Westphalia) or the full DB fare and will usually be considerably more expensive. The DB website often does not quote a price for trips entirely within one Verkehrsverbund. If you know the name of the relevant Verkehrsverbund, just go to its website and buy the ticket there. Ticket machines at train stations are usually equipped to sell tickets within a Verkehrsverbund and general DB tickets. Failing that, there are usually machines specifically for Verkehrsverbund tickets. Verkehrsverbund tickets cost the same no matter when you book.
Ticket validity varies from one Verkehrsverbund to another: usually, there is either a zone system (the further you travel, the more you pay), a time system (the longer you travel, the more you pay), or most commonly a combination of these two. Unlimited transfers between trains, buses, etc. are usually allowed as long as your ticket remains valid. Discounts may be given for return trips or groups, and one-day tickets (Tageskarte) are usually cheaper and much less hassle than single tickets, although zone limits apply to them as well. At local ticket offices ('Reisezentrum') you can often pick up brochures explaining all the details, usually with helpful maps, and occasionally even in English.
You will usually have to validate a Verkehrsverbund ticket by time stamping it at machines on platforms. If there is a stamping machine on the platform, chances are tickets need to be stamped prior to boarding. Unstamped tickets are not valid tickets. If you are caught without a valid ticket you will be fined €60 (even if you are a foreigner or first time offender). Fare inspectors won't take "I didn't have any time to buy a ticket" as an excuse.
DB trains often cross between VBs with at best a cryptic "three letter acronym (that being the Verkehrsverbund) only till X" (in German) on the display at the platform and sometimes no warning at all, and your "local" ticket stops being valid the instant you cross the invisible line. On some trains there is an announcement upon leaving a Verkehrsverbund, but don't count on it.
Ticket add-ons
All Sparpreis and Flexpreis tickets for long-distance trains covering a distance of more than 100km include a City-Ticket. That means your train ticket doubles as a ticket for local transport. It can though only be used to get to the station from which your train departs and from the station at your destination. (Travel within the city zone only.) City-tickets are valid in 126 cities in Germany. If your ticket mentions +City, this option is included.
If your ticket is not eligible for the automatic free City-Ticket add-on you can add a similar option called City mobil at an extra charge. This only includes public transport at your destination in one of the about 100 participating cities. Price varies by city, and single or day tickets are available. This usually doesn't present a monetary saving, but you are spared the hassle of finding a ticket vending machine or small coins for the bus driver.
German Rail Pass
- See also: European rail passes
A German Rail Pass allows unlimited travel throughout Germany in all trains on 3–10 days within a month. There is an interesting "twin" discount for two people travelling together. The pass is available only for residents outside Europe, Turkey and Russia; you can purchase it on the DB website or from travel agencies outside Germany.
Eurail offers a pass for 3–10 days of travel (which do not have to be consecutive) throughout Germany.
Youth and child discounts
Children younger than 6 travel for free and don't need a ticket (but you might want to reserve seats in a Familienabteil; family compartment), children aged 6 to fourteen (inclusive) can travel for free when traveling with their own parent or grandparent if that person pays a Flexpreis or Special price ticket. The number of children has to be specified when purchasing the ticket. There is also a discount for people aged below fifteen traveling in the company of someone who is not their parent or grandparent, but it is usually only 50%. Some special offers are explicitly limited to students or "young people" with a cutoff point usually in the mid twenties.
Stations
Train stations run the gamut from barely a shelter by the trackside to multilevel temples of transit with ample shopping (usually at least partially open on Sundays and public holidays) that are often architecturally stunning as well. In German there is a distinction between "Bahnhof" (Bhf.) and "Haltepunkt" (Hp.) with the former usually being major stations and the latter basically just a point along regular tracks where a train stops. As a rule of thumb you won't find many amenities at Haltepunkte.
Almost all major German cities have a main train station called Hauptbahnhof (Hbf). These are often in the center of town and have accommodations, restaurants, and attractions nearby. Some larger German cities, such as Berlin and Hamburg, have more than one main line station. In some cities (most notably Kassel) long-distance trains like ICEs might stop at another station than local trains. If the city has public transit such as S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram, or even buses, Hauptbahnhof will often be the main hub or an important secondary hub for local transit service. From major train stations you can usually hail a cab or rent a bike from a station.
Track layouts usually follow a logical pattern starting at track 1 with adjacent numbers corresponding to physically adjacent tracks. However, there are exceptions to this, especially at larger stations. Individual numbers may be skipped. For example in Ulm there are tracks 1-6, 25, 27 and 28, and Dortmund has tracks 2-8, 10-11, 16, 18, 20-21, 23, 26 and 31. In some cases S-Bahn tracks have high numbers and are "on the wrong side" of track 1. (e.g. Tracks 20 and 21 for S-Bahn then track 1, 2, 3 and so on). One track number will usually only be assigned once per station, even if there are multiple levels. In a complex (or unfamiliar) station allow some time for connections, especially if it says "tief" on your ticket, which can indicate an underground level on stations such as the main stations in Frankfurt or Berlin. Small towns usually have a single platform station and normally only regional and local trains stop there.
Not all train stations have toilets, especially the smaller ones including Haltepunkte. If toilets exist you usually have to pay a fee, so use the free toilets on trains while you can.
If you need to use elevators, plan additional time for that since they are often quite slow, busy, or broken (and you have to search a different one).
Bigger train stations usually have lockers where you can store your luggage.
While most train stations were built on what was then cheap land outside the historic old town, subsequent development has meant that train stations are usually very close to at least one major center of business, retail and city life and often the center. "Sugar beet stations" as found along French high speed rail lines are very rare and even suburban stations surrounded by park & ride lots will usually have some bus service to get you to where you want to go.
Most train stations were built in the 19th century and some show very visible signs of their age. Rural stations can seem rather overbuilt for their current function and as such may sometimes be a bit sad, but there is just no likelihood of the need for gigantic coal ware houses and water tanks or for hundreds of railway workers ever coming back.
At 15 major stations across Germany, first class passengers and members of Deutsche Bahn's bahn.bonus loyalty programme who have reached comfort level (similar to frequent flyer programmes) can access DB lounges. They have comfortable seating, WiFi, free drinks, newspapers and work spaces. You're not allowed to take the newspapers with you. Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich main stations have lounges with special areas reserved for first class passengers only, where passengers are also served light snacks.
Passenger rights
Despite being fast, modern and highly profitable, German railways are known among Germans for delays on main lines. Long-distance trains usually do not wait for one another in case of delays, whereas most local trains normally wait for up to 5 minutes. You should not rely on connecting times of less than 15 minutes. However, if you think you might miss your connection because the train you are on is delayed, talk to a conductor on board. They may be able to arrange for the connecting train to wait a little, or give you information on other connections you can take to reach your destination.
If you miss your connection due to a delayed train, you may use another, under certain circumstances even better (e.g. ICE instead of IC) train. However, you have to speak to a member of staff before you do this.
EU Passenger Rights entitle you to a refund of 25% of the single ticket price if your train arrives at your destination an hour late, or 50% if arriving two or more hours late. However, for special day tickets for regional and local trains (for example Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket, Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket, Länder-Ticket), you only get a refund of €1.50 for delays of an hour or more. Refunds are only given if the refund value is more than €4, but you can claim a refund for multiple tickets at the same time. You can choose whether you want the refund in cash or as a voucher. It is best to get the delay confirmed by a conductor, so do so while still on the train, as they can also advise you on connections. To receive a refund you need to fill out a form (available in German and English here) and send the form and the ticket (mobile tickets need to be printed out) by mail or give it to the staff at any Reisezentrum. Your claim must be filled within one year after the delayed connection. There is no need to get the delay confirmed by the conductor, though confirmed delays may be paid out instantly at the Reisezentrum as opposed to approximately 1-2 weeks processing time otherwise.
If you miss the last train of the day due to a delay or a cancelled train and cannot continue your trip to your destination as a result, DB will either arrange an alternative way to complete the journey (like a taxi), or will arrange free overnight accommodation. However, the first step is always to contact DB (for example by speaking to the conductor on the delayed train, or personnel at the train station). Only if you cannot contact DB can you arrange for alternative transport or accommodation yourself. In such cases, a maximum of €80 is refunded. In some cases, you can also get transportation back to your initial point of departure, if the delay makes your journey otherwise pointless.
Passenger rights are laid out by European legislation and even apply in many cases of "acts of god" (e.g. bad weather, or suicides). If there is a dispute, SÖP can arbitrate between you and the railway company to find a mutually satisfactory solution (usually a reimbursement).
Accessible travel
DB has an overview of information on accessible travel(in German). Information about accessible travel is available daily from 06:00-22:00 on ☎ 0180 6512512. Calls cost €0.20 per call from a German landline, and a maximum of €1 per call from a mobile phone. You can book assistance with boarding or changing trains up to 20:00 on the day before your trip by calling the same phone number.
DB's journey planner lists which platforms are wheelchair accessible. (In the detailed view: click on show details, then station information.) Information for individual train stations is on this webpage (in German). Newer train station platforms often provide level access to trains. However, some trains (especially older ones) still have stairs.
DB is required to make an effort to make newly-built stations and newly-purchased rolling stock accessible. Existing stations are modernized and upgraded with elevators and the like whenever possible. Unfortunately, there is an exemption for small stations that don't have elevators. Local or state government sometimes pays for such modernization. One big issue keeping full accessibility and level boarding from happening are the different platform heights. Unlike most of Europe, two platform heights have historically been common in Germany and both are still used, even with new platforms.
Bicycles
DB's journey planner has an option (in "advanced") to toggle on "search for connections which can carry bikes".
On IC and EC trains bikes cost €9 extra for a day (€6 if you have a BahnCard) and you must reserve a space in advance. On international routes the cost is €10 for one journey. Long-distance trains have a special section with bike holders. Follow the bike symbols near the carriage door. Bikes are not allowed on the majority of high-speed trains (ICE, Thalys, TGV). The new fourth generation ICE, introduced in December 2017, has some bike spaces.
On regional and local trains you do not need a reservation and you can usually put your bike in the open area near doors. In some Verkehrsverbünde, if you have a valid ticket for yourself you can bring your bike for free at off-peak hours. For short journeys outside the Verkehrsverbund you have to buy a bike supplement ticket for €5, valid on all regional and local trains for one day. If there is no space for bicycles on the train, staff might refuse to let you on, even if you have a valid ticket. At peak times, you might have to wait for the next train. Remove any bags attached to your bicycle to reduce the space it takes up (to allow other travellers to bring their bicycle aboard too). Secure your bike so that it does not fall over, or stay close to it and hold on it. If there are folding seats at the designated bike space and people are sitting there, politely ask them to make space, which is what they are supposed to do.
DB also has a luggage service which can send your bags to any address in Germany, including islands, cruise ships and major airports. Bags can also be delivered to Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Allow at least two working days for delivery. The service also transports bikes on most routes, which may be less hassle than taking it on the train. The service itself is provided by Hermes, a German parcel delivery company.
Stay safe
Train travel in Germany is very safe for train passengers. Most fatalities and serious injuries involving trains in Germany are the results of accidents at level crossings or people being on the tracks. In 2015, only around 2% of fatalities relating to train accidents were actually train passengers. There are however some security concerns:
As luggage isn't checked in you should always have a watchful eye on it as luggage theft and pickpocketing occur on trains from time to time. If you notice that your bag isn't where you put it, notify a conductor as they may be able to find it if it has just been put elsewhere by someone storing his/her own luggage.
There are usually emergency brakes in every car of the train and they are clearly marked in (at least) German and English as such. While pulling them without justification incurs a heavy fine (often more than €1000 for first time offenders), you are not charged if you can plausibly explain why you thought the train was in danger. Most conductors have the same right as you to pull the emergency brake and there is thus nothing gained (but maybe valuable time lost) if you ask a conductor before pulling the brake.
If for some reason the door doesn't open there is usually some mechanism to open it manually. If you can, ask a conductor before doing so, or let him/her do it for you, as sometimes these systems have to be disabled manually before the train can drive on, thus causing delays when done incorrectly.
In the unlikely event of an accident the doors may be impassable or not within reach. You can create other escape routes by breaking the windows. This is usually done by hitting the small red dot on top of the window with the red hammer. You can then safely remove the broken window. Make sure that the drop is not too deep before you exit the train.