mrbreeze

I would like to buy a train ticket from Prague to Germany, and I wanted to use bahn.de The site offers to send the ticket by mail for an additional EUR 3.50. I am in the US right now, and I am not sure if the ticket will get here by the time I leave. There is no option of having it sent to you by email. Has anyone tried buying a ticket like that in advance online? The reason I want to buy it this way is that it is almost half the price of the standard fare. However, I want to be certain I will get it on time

Aviatrix

I had a ticket sent to me in the UK about three years ago - this was for a journey starting in the Netherlands, and the print-at-home option wasn't available for tickets from the Netherlands at the time (it is now). The ticket arrived two or three days after I made the booking, so it looks like they posted it the same day.

Uh Clem

I purchased a ticket online from them two years ago. I don't remember if I printed the ticket online from their web site after I paid for the ticket or if they emailed the ticket to me but I know it was either one or the other because I remember having to change the settings on my printer. Below is from the email that was sent to me after I signed up for an account:

"If you book before 4 p.m. your travel documents will usually arrive by post within two working days (Mon-Fri). On payment of EUR 3.50 P&P, your ticket will definitely be delivered to your address by post in good time before the journey begins. You can print out reservations yourself up to ten minutes before departure."

Where they say you can print out reservations yourself up to ten minutes before departure I think they are talking about the ticket.

Uh Clem

Here's the link where they talk about booking your ticket online:

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/pri...cket-usa_LZ001

adventureadam

Where are you going? There are a number of German cities that are on sale via the Czech Railways website (cd.cz), and they issue email tickets for these specials.

mrbreeze

I haven't decided where in Germany I will go to yet. I know that you can print other bahn.de tickets yourself, just not the one from Prague.

adventureadam, thanks for the tip. I tried that website before but I always looked at the main page and it would tell me you have to call them for trains outside Czech Republic. I now went to eshop and found what you were talking about!

startpacking

I've used Bahn.de lots of times for train tickets. Based on my experience I have only been able to print tickets online if the journey orginates in Germany. When my train journey orginates elsewhere, I've only been given the option to have tickets sent by mail. I've never had tickets sent to me by mail, so I can't comment how efficiently Bahn.de is in mailing the tickets. When I've needed to book tickets for train journeys that Bahn.de will mail tickets, I've just booked the tickets with a local travel agent or rail company in Europe.

Aviatrix

This has changed now - but only for some countries, it would seem. Tickets originating in the Netherlands can be printed online (I've done it several times); tickets originating in the Czech Republic can't as yet.

As per my post above - very efficient.

adventureadam

Destinations available online from Prague include:

Berlin
Dresden
Hamburg
Stralsund
Munich
Nuernberg
Frankfurt
Erfurt
Leipzig

https://www.cd.cz/eshop/international/info.aspx

Prices range from 19 euros to 49 euros, and tickets are valid only on specific trains, on specific days. At least three-day advance purchase is required, but you cannot purchase them more than 60-days out.

Of course, these tickets also cover the intermediate cities (so you can buy a ticket to Erfurt but get off at Weimar).

Just looking at some sample dates next week, the tickets were cheaper on the Czech site than the discounted fares on DB.

mrbreeze

thanks. this will probably solve my problem. i haven't booked the ticket yet as i am still thinking which city i will go to next. but cd do tell you that you can get an e-ticket from them

DaniD

If you have booked a hotel in Germany you can let bahn.de send the ticker to that address and they will keep it for you until your arrival.

chrissxb

took the train this summer. here's my 2cents: Nuremberg - it's a bus, not a train. the best connection is to Dresden-Berlin. and it's a really scenic route. when leaving Prague, try to grab a seat on the right side and you'll have beautiful views ... and why not make Dresden your first stop on that trip?

adventureadam

Well, there are a couple trains a day to Nuernberg...but they do take about an hour longer than the bus.

chrissxb

according to bahn.de there are no direct trains - only connections on regional trains ... not very convenient.

nrr

At http://czech-transport.com/index.php?id=521, they list two direct trains from Prague to Nuremberg. The distance is 156 miles and it takes 4:30 for the trip--do the passengers push the train.
Back in the 60's, passengers traveling from Paris to the Bayreuth (Wagner) Opera Festival, would take the Orient Express, which would be split in Stuttgart and one section would go to Prague, with a stop in Pegnitz for a connecting train to Bayreuth. One would assume that service between major cities would improve (now that that the "Eastern Bloc" has been dissolved.)