On this page you will find some hopefully useful information on trains – for local transport please see this page Transport – Local.

In Germany and other parts of Europe we do use trains as distances are shorter and thus flying can even take longer since you spend lots of time for checking in etc.

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Train Travel Times

Here's a map with some major towns in and around Germany indicating the estimated time for a train ride. 

Pre/Post Tours include Transport

In case you participate in a pre or post tour (or if you are crazy enough to join both), you will not need any of the train tickets as any travelling during the tour is included.

The information below is only useful if you travel on your own.

Deutschland-Ticket – Save Money on some Train Tickets

The so-called “Deutschland-Ticket” might be of interest since you pay 54 Euro per month and can use public transport all over Germany except planes and faster trains like ICE, IC or EC: Deutschland Ticket.

If you plan to travel and have a look-and-see in the odd town in Germany this might be worth the money – especially with the benefit of not having to hassle with tickets for busses, trams etc. in different towns.

There is a small catch though: You need to be either citizen of the European Union and/or have at least a bank account on your name within the Single Euro Payments Area, because the ticket can be paid by SEPA Direct Debit scheme only.

Unlike the BahnCard the Deutschland Ticket is valid from the first to the last day of a month so it is best to purchase it close to the beginning of a month.

But please note that for longer distances like a trip from Düsseldorf to Berlin you might want to use the faster ICE trains since they get you there in some 4.5 hours; using trains covered by the Deutschland-Ticket you will need twice the time for the trip. If on the other hand you intend to enjoy the trip and the odd stop-over the Deutschland-Ticket is a great money-saver.

Attention: Please make sure to cancel the ticket before the 10th of a month – otherwise it is automatically prolonged for another month.

BahnCard – Save Money on Train Tickets

The Deutsche Bahn as operator of the trains in Germany offers a ticket discount scheme called “BahnCard” – a card you buy and then get 25% or 50% off the train tickets, especially for faster connections: BahnCard.

It may well be that if you just take the train two or three times for a reasonable distance (e.g. to Hamburg or Munich) you can save more money than you paid for a BahnCard.

You probably are best off with the so-called “Probe BahnCard” (that is a trial BahnCard) valid for three months – the standard “BahnCard” is valid for a year.

Attention: Do not forget to cancel it in time to avoid automatic prolongation.

German Rail Pass – Train Pass for International Visitors

The German Rail Pass is an offer for travellers living outside Germany – see German Rail Pass.

• Unlimited travel across the country, with two options between 3 to 15 consecutive travel days, or freely selectable days within one month.
• Selected routes to touristic destinations in Europe on trains operated by DB are included (Salzburg Hbf (Austria) and Basel Bad Bf (Switzerland) in general, Liège and Brussels (Belgium) on ICE International trains and Kufstein, Innsbruck (both Austria), Bolzano/Bozen, Trento, Verona, Bologna and Venice (all 5 in Italy) on DB-OeBB trains. 
• TwinPass for two people is available as well, but currently only for sale in person, e.g. in the DB travel centres (in train stations of bigger cities).
• Additional discount offerings in many cities or tourist attractions

For more details see the German Rail Pass brochure with travel map and the Price list.

Eurail – Train Flat Rate for Europe

The Eurail Pass lets you explore 10,000 destinations throughout Europe and travel to 40,000 different stations by train. You can either explore a single country intensively or travel through several countries by train – see Eurail.

Available for travellers who live outside Europe, Russia and Turkey:

• Eurail One Country Pass: Travel throughout a specific country up to 8 days in a month.
• Eurail Global Pass: Discover 33 European countries with flexi pass (4, 5, 7, 10 or 15 days), or with continuous pass (15 or 22 days, 1, 2 or 3 months) in a row.

For more details see the Eurail Pass Guide and the Eurail Map of Europe.

Deutsche Bahn Regional Offers (Tickets again)

The Deutsche Bahn offers two different day tickets you can book on this page DB regional offers.

• Regional day tickets for different federal states offering an unlimited number of trips within the respective federal state in 1 day; usually for up to 5 people, sometimes up to 3 children between the ages of 6 and 14 travel free of charge (below the age of 6 they are always free of charge), valid in all local and regional trains, transport association services and almost all buses, but sometimes with time limitations. 
• Day ticket for Germany: Travel throughout Germany on regional services, unlimited number of journeys within 1 day, for up to 5 people, up to 3 children between the ages of 6 and 14 travel free of charge.

Please note: You must enter the first and last names of all passengers when booking these tickets. It is not possible to change the names after you have purchased the ticket. If you are travelling with a dog that requires a ticket (larger than a domestic cat), enter the German word for dog (“Hund”) instead of a passenger name when booking.

This applies to all tickets except the regional day tickets for Hesse (Hessen) and North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrheinwestfalen).

Mobility Service Centre of Deutsche Bahn

The Mobility Service Centre of the Deutsch Bahn organises any assistance you may require when boarding, leaving or getting around the train, such as a lift for your wheelchair. They can also answer questions about suitable trains, accessibility at stations and minimum transfer times.

How to contact the Mobility Service Centre (MSC)

• E-mail: msz@deutschebahn.com
• Phone: +49 30 65 21 28 88
• Office hours: Monday – Friday: 6:00 am to 10:00 pm; Saturday, Sunday and national public holidays 8:00 am to 8:00 pm

We recommend that you book this service no later than 8:00 pm on the day before your trip, so that you can complete your journey according to plan (assuming there are no delays during the trip). If you are travelling abroad, please contact them at least 24 hours in advance.

Here you find more information and a FAQ.

WiFi on ICE Trains

Deutsche Bahn offers WiFi access on the fast long-distance trains (ICE): WiFi on ICE.

If you’re lucky, you might get a working connection – and if very lucky even a fast and stable link.

WIFI name (the SSID): WIFIonICE

• A login page will automatically open on some devices.
  If no login page appears, type “LogIn.WIFIonICE.de” into your browser and press Enter.
• The login option will automatically appear on the landing page. Accept the general terms and conditions and click the red button.

Deutsche Bahn – More useful information

Germany’s main railway company is Deutsche Bahn. You can find more information on train schedules, tickets, and services on their website.

+City on Tickets

When travelling on a long-distance train, in some cases “+City” appears on the ticket. Depending on the ticket local transport is included for the town you start from, or the destination. With this direct travel to or from the railway station by public transport (buses, S-Bahn, underground and trams) is free of charge. The latter is real nice, but unfortunately can not be used several hours later after you’ve already had a fantastic night out with your fellow Mensans, but only immediately before departure or after arrival.

Seat Booking

Seat reservations are highly recommended, particularly for longer trips during holiday season and weekends… October and the first week of November are autumn holidays in some federal states of Germany.

When booking a seat, you can choose between one where you may chit-chat with others, or rather one in a quiet zone (see below).

Quiet Zones (Ruhebereich)

Some train coaches have small designated quiet zones (“Ruhebereich” in German). Respect the silence and avoid making phone calls or any loud conversations in these areas. Obviously, this is not the best area for families, but a great one for people disliking noisy areas.

Food and Drink

You are in any case allowed to eat and drink at your seat, both brought with you and bought there. This includes alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, sparkling wine and spirits.

In long distance trains you will be served in the first class while in the second class, you can buy hot and cold food and drinks in the on-board bistro. Almost all ICE and most EC/IC trains have an on-board restaurant, where you can sit and eat (this is a good option if you need a seat without reservation). The range of products is the same in both sales areas, as are the prices. 

Travelling as Family

You will find specially designated family areas in second class on almost all ICE and most EC/IC trains. The compartments or seating areas here are primarily aimed at passengers travelling with children of primary school and kindergarten age.

The seating areas are located near an entrance, a luggage storage area and a lavatory; on ICE trains close to the on-board restaurant or the bistro car. For families with infants, we recommend the specially equipped family compartments. 

The location of the family compartment is marked on the inside and outside of the train with the family compartment symbol. It is also displayed in the current coach sequence on the website or in the app.

If you are travelling in a family group of up to five people, you can book the family compartment on www.bahn.de or in the DB Navigator app. To use this option, please indicate the number of children travelling with you when booking online (children up to 5 years of age to not have to be mentioned as they travel free of charge). The family group must consist of one or two adults and at least one child aged up to 14. 

Delays

Yes, they happen. This is not Japan, even though you might think so when on Immermannstraße in Düsseldorf (the Japanese quarter).

To be honest, rather plan enough time, especially if you have to switch trains. And even more, if you switch from/to a regional train. The long-distance trains (e.g. ICEs) sometimes wait for each other for an acceptable (short) period of time, but regional trains won’t. If possible, try to reduce the number of switching between different trains. 

For the Pre and Post Tours and the Day Trips we’ll take care of that and try to avoid you seeing traffic jams.

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