Railpass tickets
Feb 26, 2015, 7:36 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: Southwest, Hilton
Posts: 896
Railpass tickets
Are there any suggestions for which type of railpass I should buy if I am flying into Frankfurt - railing to Berlin and then doing day trips from Berlin?
Does it matter which class of service I should purchase? Thank you.
Does it matter which class of service I should purchase? Thank you.
Feb 26, 2015, 12:33 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: LEJ
Posts: 35
What kind of "day trips" do you have in mind? Places nearby like Potsdam and Sachsenhausen? Or going farther away to places like Wolfsburg, Leipzig, Dresden, Kiel, etc (outside of Brandenburg)? How long will you be in the Germany/Berlin area?
The cheapest railpass I'm seeing is around 286 EUR (Germany-Denmark, for example) for 4 days, or 71.50 EUR per day (down to 49.50EUR/day for a 10-day pass). If you stay within Berlin/Brandenburg and just travel on regional trains (RE/RB), you can get day-passes for 29 EUR (up to 5 people can travel on it). More info here: http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/pr...r-ticket.shtml
Second class is fine by my standards - all that 1st class may give you is a little more space and a little more style (though in full disclosure, I've always just taken 2nd class). The worst I've had was standing in the middle of an ICE train out of Berlin on the evening of Dec. 31st since there were no seats available (that was also 2nd class and I didn't have a seat reservation). Regional trains can get full (especially going to festivals on the weekends - Zweibelmarkt in Weimar caused some very full regional trains), but it's generally alright.
If you go the route of the regional trains, you still have to get from Frankfurt to Berlin. If you haven't booked the flight, you could possibly get a rail&fly ticket (I've never done it) which lets you hop on any train to Berlin. You could also buy a train ticket in advance for possibly 29-49 EUR, but if you buy it right before departure it might be closer to 79EUR and maybe 89 or so on the train (these are all estimates). If you buy a train ticket in advance, I would recommend giving yourself at least 3 hours between scheduled arrival and the train departure. I gave myself about 3 hours last time I flew into FRA and EY left my luggage at AUH so I had to file a lost luggage form. By the time I finished that and walked ~15 minutes to the Long-Distance train station, I only had about 15 minutes before my train was scheduled to leave. When in doubt, just give yourself more time and you can use it to explore Frankfurt for a short while if you aren't delayed. The cheaper train tickets are forfeited if you miss the train (as far as I understand it - you may get a partial refund but then have to pay full price to take the next available train). There should also be cheap bus options, but I personally prefer the trains.
Enjoy your trip!
The cheapest railpass I'm seeing is around 286 EUR (Germany-Denmark, for example) for 4 days, or 71.50 EUR per day (down to 49.50EUR/day for a 10-day pass). If you stay within Berlin/Brandenburg and just travel on regional trains (RE/RB), you can get day-passes for 29 EUR (up to 5 people can travel on it). More info here: http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/pr...r-ticket.shtml
Second class is fine by my standards - all that 1st class may give you is a little more space and a little more style (though in full disclosure, I've always just taken 2nd class). The worst I've had was standing in the middle of an ICE train out of Berlin on the evening of Dec. 31st since there were no seats available (that was also 2nd class and I didn't have a seat reservation). Regional trains can get full (especially going to festivals on the weekends - Zweibelmarkt in Weimar caused some very full regional trains), but it's generally alright.
If you go the route of the regional trains, you still have to get from Frankfurt to Berlin. If you haven't booked the flight, you could possibly get a rail&fly ticket (I've never done it) which lets you hop on any train to Berlin. You could also buy a train ticket in advance for possibly 29-49 EUR, but if you buy it right before departure it might be closer to 79EUR and maybe 89 or so on the train (these are all estimates). If you buy a train ticket in advance, I would recommend giving yourself at least 3 hours between scheduled arrival and the train departure. I gave myself about 3 hours last time I flew into FRA and EY left my luggage at AUH so I had to file a lost luggage form. By the time I finished that and walked ~15 minutes to the Long-Distance train station, I only had about 15 minutes before my train was scheduled to leave. When in doubt, just give yourself more time and you can use it to explore Frankfurt for a short while if you aren't delayed. The cheaper train tickets are forfeited if you miss the train (as far as I understand it - you may get a partial refund but then have to pay full price to take the next available train). There should also be cheap bus options, but I personally prefer the trains.
Enjoy your trip!
Feb 26, 2015, 4:45 pm
#3
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,300
http://www.bahn.com/i/view/USA/en/pr...railpass.shtml
When you count what you pay per day in the most time non flex Tickets are cheaper.
When you count what you pay per day in the most time non flex Tickets are cheaper.
