Traveling in Germany by train can be say the best way to get around as it is budget and fast. It is ideal as one can enjoy the scenery of Germany as if there is a moving landscape gallery just outside the window, passing through mountain valley, running across the countryside and following the contour of the river.
Train service in Germany are well-known for their world-class quality train, passenger comfort and never the less, punctuality. Trains arrive on the dot most of the time, making traveling by train a pleasant journey. This is important for Germans. After a long week away from home, they can be seen with their luggage ready to go back home for the weekends and always be on time for a Friday dinner after school or work.
Train service in Germany are well-known for their world-class quality train, passenger comfort and never the less, punctuality. Trains arrive on the dot most of the time, making traveling by train a pleasant journey. This is important for Germans. After a long week away from home, they can be seen with their luggage ready to go back home for the weekends and always be on time for a Friday dinner after school or work.
Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) is the biggest train company in Germany. It's train can be clearly identify by the crimson red electric locomotive and rail-cars that runs thousand of miles across Germany.
The train tracks networks spread across Germany, making traveling easy for everyone and it even connects with the nation around Germany. DB can be say one of the most efficient train-booking agent in Europe that allows you to check and reserve trains in other EU nations (such as Swiss, France, & etc).
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| Germany Train Network |
Types of trains
There are a lot type of train services available in Germany. I gotta admit, its confusing at first. Here is some useful information for starters.
- EC/ CNL - Eurostar /City Night Lineis a border-crossing express trains in Europe that is operate by more than one EU (or Swiss)-based rail company. EC do provide train service that runs overnight, allowing passengers to sleep in the couches or fordable seats and even beds (1st class ). Reservations are compulsory.
- ICE - Intercity Expressis a high speed train that connects major cities (such as Stuttgart, Berlin and Munich ). There are also some route to Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, France and Denmark. It's is the fastest way to get to your destination but expensive. Reservation is recommended as most of the time there are limited seats especially during peak seasons and weekends .
- IC - Intercityis the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany.
- IRE - Inter-Regional ExpressConnects between two region (usually between two major cities not far from each other) Some of the train service expands across the border.
- RE - Regional ExpressRuns within the region. Does stop by at small towns. Personally I think this is the most comfortable compare to others.
- S-Bahn- Suburban TransitLinks the suburbs to the metropolitan
- U-Bahn - Subway
Runs within the metropolitan
- Others - (such as SBB, TGV, tram)
Train service provided by other countries or local train service that runned by private company.
Seats and couchette
Seats are free siting. It will be polite to ask passenger beside whether the the seat is taken or not before sitting on it. Although the train practices free sitting, those with seat reservations are given priority, which means you can sit as long until someone tell you that he reserved the seat. If all the seats are full, then you have to stand or find elsewhere to sit for the whole journey until someone alights.
Couchette and night train seats must be reserved.
Also note that seats and couches are divide into First Class (those who prefer comfort) and Second class (budget).
Types of Tickets and Discounts
If you are buying ticket in Standard Fare, it's super expensive . (can be up to 200 Euro for only one way trip)
There a lot of offers and discounts available, that might safe you a lot of bucks. There are so many, until it can make one hard to make up their mind. Here are a summarize version of the tickets and passes.
- Sparpreis (Saver Fare ) Reduces the fare by booking the ride one week in advance.
Details
Recommended for : Single Ride only
- Bahncard (Annual Train Card) Bahncard is DB Bahn's frequent traveler card, which grants discounts to your fare at a annual payment basis. Frequent riders are recommended to get a Bahncard. There 3 types of Bahncard (25, 50 & 100) for example, you get 50% off your fare. Well, I guess Bahn 100 give you free ride all year long.
Recommended for : Frequent Traveler (ONE YEAR)
Details
Regional Train Pass
Travel only by regional trains (S-Bahn, RB, IRE, RE. Some includes U-bahn)
Travel only by regional trains (S-Bahn, RB, IRE, RE. Some includes U-bahn)
- Gruppe&Spar (Group Discount)
Travel in Regional train in a group more than 6 to enjoy good discounts. It is recommended to make booking as soon as possibleOffer Discount Gruppe&Spar 30 30% discount Gruppe&Spar 40 40% discount Gruppe&Spar 50 50% discount Gruppe&Spar 60 60% discount Gruppe&Spar 70 70% discount
Recommended for : GROUP (More than 6 pax)
Details . Fare : Contact DB for the fare
- Quer-Durchs-Land ticket
Travel for as low as 44 Euro for one day unlimited train ride throughout Germany using regional trains. 2nd to 5th person only 8 euros supplement each.
Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am until 3:00 am the following day
- Weekend Tickets
Travel for as low as 44 Euro for one day unlimited train ride throughout Germany using regional trains. 2nd to 5th person only 8 euros supplement each.
Saturday or Sunday from 12 a.m. until 3 a.m. the following day
- Länder-Ticket (Regional Day Ticket )
Every federal state in Germany offers a Länderticket, which allows you to explore their Bundesland by train for one whole day (for example Bavaria, Saxony, Brandenburg, and many more). Fare as low as 23 Euro and 4 Euro for subsequent additional passengers (up to 4 extra pax)
Weekdays : from 9 am until 3 am on the next day
Weekends and official holidays already from 12 pm
- Season Ticket Provides frequent travelers discounts.
There are three type available : Weekly ticket, Monthly Ticket, and Year Pass
Free Bahn 25 for Year Pass holder. Can bring along 4 pax for free on Saturday for Monthly Ticket and Year Pass holder.
- Recommended for : Frequent Traveler GROUP (within 4pax) Saturday
Details
*Passes for Non-European Travelers only
- German Rail Pass*Travel on a fully flexible schedule for 3 to 10 days within a month on the entire DB Bahn network starting at 193 euros. A German Rail Pass will take you comfortably and flexibly to almost any German destination of your choice. Travel on all trains operated by DB, high-speed service (ICE) included.
You can purchase an add-on which is the German Rail Pass Extension to allow you to travel to more destination like Austria, Italy and Prague.
Recommended for : Travelers that are moving around in Germany for
3-10 travelling days within one month Cross Border Traveling Youth Couple.
- EU Rail Pass*
Explore Europe by train in up to 24 countries with the Eurail pass. There are a lot of type of package to choose from that are tailored for your journey.
There are 4 types of passes:
Global Pass: See the best of Europe and explore up to 24 countries. (starting from € 375)
Select Pass: Visit 4 bordering countries of your choice. (starting from € 266)
Regional Pass: Experience 2 countries on one trip. (starting from € 113)
One Country Pass: Go on a getaway to 1 country. (starting from € 38)
- Recommended for : Cross Border Traveling Youth Travel Europe
Details
Purchasing and reservations
There are three windows that you can buy your ticket, which is from the machine, counter or online.
Purchasing and reservations
a) Ticket machine
Can be easily found in all train stops in Germany. Train ticket purchasing and ICE reservations can be made. You can also check and print illiteracy for your journey.
Only cash and coins accepted. (Don't use big notes, you will get your change all in 2 Euro coins. *"what the... 26 Euro of coins, great...=..=")
b) DB Counter
Usually found in train stations in town and city. Provides all services, including cross border train and night train seats booking. You can also register for Bahncard here.
All mode of payment is accepted. Additional charge of 2 Euro is added as service charge.
c) DB Online
Buy tickets and purchase online. You can also check rides available. Only credit /debit card accepted.
Requires you you to print the illiteracy and present your payment card upon inspection.
Requires you you to print the illiteracy and present your payment card upon inspection.
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| http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml |
No worries, there are English available. When you are buying your ticket, you are given 3 option, with ICE (will be the fastest but costly), and only with regional train (slow, but cheap, only can travel with IRE, RE, S bahn, U bahn and etc )
Things to bring onboard
- Train ticket/ Pass / illiteracy Always remember to keep your ticket after your purchase as DB officers will be checking tickets.
- Important documentsFor identification purpose. MasterCard or Visa must be presented upon checking if you purchase ticket online.
- A good book or something to doSometimes your will be traveling for long hours and will eventually get bored on route. It is advisable to bring something to read or something to do to kill some time. You can bring along cards to play with friends or do some read up research on your next destination. Or not you can take a nap, but make sure you wake up before arriving at your destination.
- Food and drinksBring along some snacks to munch while enjoying the scenery outside the window with a cup of coffee at your hand. Sometimes you will need to have lunch or dinner in the train, so I would recommend you to buy it from the stores or kiosk in station as it is cheaper to buy it on-board.
- Your stuffsNeedless to say, your baggage, camera, backpack blah blah blah... whatever is necessary. Just don't leave anything behind as it will be troublesome to go back and collected it.
- ChargerFor your information, there are power socket available in some train (such as ICE, IC, EC). This allows you to able to recharge your gadgets and get ready for next trip.
*Important notes
- Don't loss your ticket. Inspection are made in almost every train ride. Fail to present your ticket will result you to buy the ticket on the spot for a high price or you will be alightIng at the next station with charges on you. DB officers wears a black red uniform. Sometimes, they will be wearing plain cloth, undercover to observe passangers. They will approach you and show his ID card so he can check your ticket.
- Always keep your belongings attended. Even though it is safe in Germany, but theft do occur in train occasionally. It's better to be safe than sorry.
- Always know which station to board and alight, know the platform number, know the time of departure and arrival. Know your train number and couch number (some train will split its couch to different routes at an interchange)
- Be puncture, because the train always arrive on time and only stop at a station for around 2 minutes. Don't miss your ride, or you spend a few hours waiting for the next one.
- How to know I board the right train?You will notice the train is a electronic billboard next to the Platform number, it will show the time and code of the arriving train and next train information. Some times you will see there are two code of trains. This means that this train are bound for different route later. Therefore, you need to make sure you are in the right couch.
- Frequent train transfers are to be expected. You will need to change train a few times to reach your destination. So, always know when and where to alight. Some transfer time is really short like (2 mins), there are possibility that you might miss your next train if your current train is behind schedule. Therefore, you have to plan your trip carefully. Usually, those with short transfer time, their platform are just next to each other (Gleis 2 and Gleis 3) and sometimes your next train will delay it's schedule.
- Having problem knowing which stop you are right now?
No worries, download the DB Navigator app in your smartphone. It will give you real time updates of the train on the stop it is approaching and estimated time of arrival (need internet access).
No smartphone? Some trains have a monitor or LED board that shows the next destination and terminal. If not, the most conventional way would be knowing the time of arrival. It is printed on your illiteracy which is available for free in the ticket machine.
- Pay attention to announcement, as it is very important. You can know useful information like changing platform of arrival, delay of schedule and etc. If you don't understand German, you can always ask assistance from the friendly Germans next to you, they will be happy to help out if they know English.
- If you happen to miss your ride, due to the previous train delay, please approach the DB counter for advisory and compensation. My friends shared with me before took a train from Netherlands and happen to be unlucky to miss the only connecting train. He approach the customer service, and they are issued sort of like written agreement for the taxi-driver to charge the fare on DB. Well, my friends end up getting a 100 Euro worth taxi ride for free. I guess, they are being lucky for being unlucky.
Some useful phrases and vocabulary on train
- Haufbahnhof - central station
- Bahnhof - train station
- Halt - stop
- Gleis - platform / track
- Nächsten Haltestelle - Next stop...
- Ab /an - from /to
- Ausgang /Eingang - exit /entrance
- Flughafen - Airport
- Zug - Train
| When does the train leave to....? | Wann fährt der Zug nach...? (Von fairt dare tsoog noch...?) |
| When does the train arrive in...? | Wann kommt der Zug in...an? (Von kommt dare tsoog in... ahn?) |
| How much is the ticket? | Was kostet die Fahrkarte? (Vas KOS-tet dee FAHR-kartuh?) |
| A ticket to..., please | Bitte eine Fahrkarte nach... (BIT-tuh EYE-ne FAHR-kartuh nach....) |
| round trip | hin und zurück (heen oont tsoo-RIK) |
| one way | einfach (EYEN-fach) |
| First class | Erste Klasse (AIR-stuh CLASS-uh) |
| Second Class | Zweite Klasse (TSV-eyete CLASS-uh) |
| Thank you | Danke (DAHN-kuh) |
| Do I have to change trains? | Muss ich umsteigen? (Moos ish OOM-shty-gen?) |
| Where is the platform? | Wo ist der Bahnsteig? (Vo ist dare BAHN-shtyg?) |
| Is this seat free? | Ist der Platz hier frei? (Ist dare plats heer fry?) |
| This seat is occupied. | Hier ist besetzt. (Here ist BUH-setst.) |
| Could you please help me? | Können Sie mir bitte helfen? (KEN-nen zee mer bit-TUH HEL-fen? |
| Excuse my, I think this is my seat | Entschuldigen Sie, ich glaube das ist mein Platz. (ent-SHOOL-degen zee, ish GLOU-buh das ist mine plats.) |
source : http://gogermany.about.com/od/germantravelglossary/a/glossary_trains.htm
5 Phrases to Know When Traveling by Train :
Hope these tips helps. Have a fun and pleasent journey in Germany. :D
5 Phrases to Know When Traveling by Train :
Hope these tips helps. Have a fun and pleasent journey in Germany. :D
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