German rail pass

Does anyone know how/where to buy a German Rail Pass in Munich? (a discounted rail-pass available for non-German citizens).

I assume they're available at Hauptbahnhof - but the Deutche Bahn website is somewhat cryptic about the "selected major train stations" in which the pass is available for purchase...

Just go Hauptbahnhof and you'll be sorted.

Not sure which pass you're talking about, but I think we can safely assume that one can buy it in Munich.

In fact, please provide a link for this pass, I've never heard about it.

Here is the link:

http://www.surfandrail.de/-S:PtVORN:eNdAk9...rail_pass.shtml

Maybe he is looking for a europass? I traveled when I was 20 through Europe, but you had to be a student and had to order in the States (could not buy it in Europe). Back then anyways.

Thanks for the link, johntsmith. Yeah, that looks like the Europass in all but name. Don't think they are particularly good value unless you're travelling to and from Hamburg every day. It would probably be a lot cheaper travelling with the Länder tickets (Bayern Ticket single costs €17 per day) or the Schönes Wochenende Ticket (€30 for 5 people, Sat & Sun only). Longer distances will be slower, though, because you can't use the EC, IC or ICE trains.

Edit: In fact, the Interrail ticket is cheaper, but you have to be resident in Europe and you can't use it in the country you reside in

Actually - the website says that the German Rail Pass covers all trains operated by DB, including ICE trains.

Also, it appears that this pass is much cheaper:

For example, my wife and I were planning to go to Berlin, and 2 adult roundtrip tickets cost 200 Euro each for a total of 400 Euro. With the German Rail Pass, the "twin" (companion) ticket costs only 240 Euro and is good for 4 days of travel. So I would save quite a bit of money getting this German Rail Pass - if I understand it correctly.

The restrictions about which trains you can take were referring to the Länder and the Schönes Wochenende Tickets - these can't be used on the fast trains.

The prices you quote seem fair enough, assuming you are booking last minute. Book a month in advance and a return from Munich to Berlin costs €80-90 per person.

With the Schönes Wochenende Ticket, it will only cost the two of you €30 to get there (i.e. €15 per person). But the journey will take 9 hours rather than 6-7 because you can only use Nahverkehr (local trains). And the ticket is only valid at weekends; during the week you'd have to use the Länder Tickets. Depends what's more important; time or money.

Thanks. Good to know. We are travelling last minute, and would rather do the 6 hour option, so I think the German Rail Pass is the best for that. Do you think I can get it at Hauptbahnhof?

Almost certainly.

Gute Reise

If you travel long distances regularly (in my case Fassberg-Bonn on a weekly basis) the Bahncard 50 can save a wad of cash, if you're travelling medium/long distances daily then maybe a Bahncard 100 would be worth thinking about.
http://www.bahn.de/-S:PtVOZ9:eNeNqtNNlikwt.../bahncard.shtml
if you get a Bahncard 50 then I advise collecting points there are some OK deals there (although could be better) I've managed to get a comfort card now so I get to laze around in the DB lounges now away from the riff raff

hello

Appratnly for whole of Germany there will be the Weltmeister pass that gives you unlimited travel from 7th June until 7th July on all trains except U Bahn for 349 Euros.

Check it out on www.bahn.de

Can I ask (being non-german resident) what is the U Bahn ?

Plus how much slower are the slower trains as the Länder-Tickets maybe best value.

You can find www.bahn.de but you can't figure out what the U Bahn is?

Its the Underground.

The U-Bahn is the underground system in cities. It's a bit crap that the ticket doesn't include the U-Bahn since in most cities (including Munich) you need to use the U-Bahn to get to the actual stadium. The reason is that the U-Bahns are not operated by Deutsche Bahn. You will be able to use the S-Bahn (longer distance urban trains) as these are operated by Deutsche Bahn.

With regards to prices and times, well as I mentioned, to Berlin from Munich it's about 9 hours instead of 6. The Schönes Wochenende Ticket is great, but it's more hassle buying the Länder Tickets if you travel during the week. You need a separate Ticket for each Land (state), so the price adds up if you're travelling a long way. Munich to Cologne, for example, would require three tickets, costing a total of about €60.

If you know where and when you'll be travelling, it may be cheapest just to book the tickets in advance (buy at least a couple of months in advance for the cheapest seats). But if you'll be doing a lot of travelling around and/or don't want to commit to a particular train 3 months in advance, then the Weltmeister Pass sounds like an OK deal.

The other options to consider are the Europass and Interrail tickets already mentioned earlier in this thread. If you're under 31 (or whatever the age limit is), this may be a better deal.

In my past travels, the Flexipass was the way to go. It offers one the chance to customize to your needs.

what about buses ?

Are there any bus companies that bus people from city to city, of course it be longer but still worth looking at if they are avaliable.

Flying is often cheaper than taking the train, especially last-minute and in low season.

Anyone trying to sort out complicated questions about comparing train tickets and passes can get good accurate information in native English at Euraide, across from track 11 in the Hauptbahnhof. You can also buy your tickets or passes there; they are agents of Deutsche Bahn.

which airlines offer cheap tickets ?

Whichbudget.com

I agree with your observation keydeck. But is it really so difficult for you to answer a question?? You even had to write less!! Not wanting to enter into an argument here. Just an observation.

sometimes it's more important to make a point, panama.

btw the German Rail Pass page says at the top: Special offers for travelers from outside Europe

Hi

Some people mentioned that you get cheaper train tickets if you book in advance.

I just had a look on the http://bahn.hafas.de website, for diffrent dates for Stuttgart to Muncih one-way and it gave only normal fare 46 EUR on ICE.

Nothing about discount for booking early, is that somewhere else ?

Should I be able to get it chaper than 46 EUR ?

Also I am assuming Bahn cards for reductions are only for local ?

Any discounts should just come up on the Bahn website, based on your booking dates and the time of day you want to travel. You have to choose a train there and then it will give you options for your return trip. When you choose that, it will give you your round-trip total.

I would really go to EurAide. They can probably save you some money or at least give you some good advice about how to save money with the trains. Their hours aren't the greatest right now, though. www.euraide.de

Otherwise, go to the Reisezentrum ticket counters in Hauptbahnhof with the "English spoken" sign for help.

You only get cheap tickets on return journeys, so you must enter your return details. The reduced price will be shown after you have selected both legs of your journey. The most generous discount is 50%, so in this case the ticket will cost you €46 return, subject of course to availability.

As Cinzia said, it depends on where and when you want to travel. You should book at least two weeks in advance to have a reasonable choice, and earlier than that for weekends.

Bahncards are valid on ALL journeys inside Germany, local or national. But you have to travel a certain number of times before it pays itself off. The card giving you 25% discount costs around €50, so you will have to spend €200 before it pays for itself. The discount also applies to the reduced fares. In fact, for local trains you will normally be better off with the Bayern Ticket, or the equivalent in whichever state you're in.

If you're only going one way, and cost is an issue, consider car sharing. Munich to Stuttgart will probably cost around €20. I've never done it myself, though; I'm scared of German drivers and find the train much more comfortable.