HAM76

I missed that ICE 22, thanks. It makes answer more difficult, though.

Tickets have a routing printed on them for which the ticket is valid (eg. VIA: GOE*(FD/GI)). I never had a problem taking an alternative direct routing via a different city and would probably just take the next available train from Frankfurt to Cologne regardless of the routing, even with a ticket for the ICE 22.

Technically speaking, though, the conductor could refuse the ticket.

HAM76

Which terminal do you arrive? The train station is right in front of terminal 1. With 54 minutes you should be good for either terminal, if you arrive on time, do not have an unexpected long line at immigrations and walk quickly.

seacarl

On a 5000 mile flight the amount of tailwind can impact your arrival time by as much as an hour. If you have a flexible ticket, there are usually hourly trains to Basel, sometimes with a change in Mannheim. If you wish to purchase a discounted "bound" ticket, perhaps you should allow a longer time, and then make use of one of the lounges upon arrival, if you have *G privileges, and enjoy a beer and pretzel or sandwich.

eponymous_coward

So, I am considering the following:

I want to have dinner with a friend in Köln before flying out from FRA the next morning. I'm starting out in Leipzig. So, I saw that I could take a one-way ticket, Leipzig to FRA, four hour stopover Köln. Then I saw that some of my routings took me through the FRA regional train station on the way to Köln... and I could adjust the transfer time at FRA by up to 50 minutes...and I'm staying at the FRA Sheraton...hmmmm...

So, assuming I get off the train at FRA from Leipzig, rush up to the FRA Sheraton, check in and stash my luggage into my room, go back down to the train station... is 45-50 minutes reasonable time to allow myself to do this, assuming I move quickly? I've been through FRA a couple of times, even stayed at the Sheraton, and I am SPG Gold (so I would guess I'll be able to check in fast), so I know the place is big and a bit confusing... but I think this isn't totally silly to think I can pull off, right?

seacarl

So long as the train station for the transfer is Frankfurt Flughafen, and not Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, then 50 minutes should be more than enough. The FRA Sheraton front desk is no more then 5 minutes walk from either the Flughafen Fernbahnhof (IC/ICE trains) or the Flughafen Regionalbahnhof (S-Bahn).

If you are coming from the Fernbahnhof follow the concourse toward FRA Terminal 1, and look for a corridor on the left which leads you directly to the check-in level of the Sheraton. From the Regionalbahnhof, it is easiest to take the escalator to departures and then take the escalator up to a skybridge which is between check-in halls A & B.

eponymous_coward

Yes, it's the long distance train station (Fernbahnhof) at FRA, not the Hbf in Frankfurt proper.

This is a rather neat way to turn a one-way ticket (Leipzig-FRA) into a one-way ticket+round trip (FRA-Köln-FRA). I would think this might be a neat thing for future reference- be able to run a side day trip.

interessierterlaie

Reisen Sie abends: Ab 19,- Euro ab 19 Uhr

http://www.bahn.de/p/view/angebot/ak...uhr19euro_LZ01

One-way tickets from 19 Euros (2nd class)

Bookable: April 11th - April 30th 2011

Travel: April 14th - May 31st 2011 (Monday-Saturday 19.00 - 03.00)

Offer comes with the usual limitations:
No changes
No refund
Valid only on booked train

etch5895

http://www.vgn.de/produkte/tagestickets/plus/

For those of you who choose to make a base of Nürnberg for your travels and remain within the region, the Tages Ticket Plus is an excellent product instead of the Bayern Ticket.

For Euro 15,60, up to 2 adults and 4 children can ride all trains, buses, streetcars and subways within the VGN network. This regional ticket includes Bayreuth, Bamberg, Rothenberg o.d. Tauber, Amberg, Kitzingen, and almost everything in between.

The ticket is good for one day, however, tickets purchased on Saturday are good all weekend.

Something to consider if you are going to be in and around Nürnberg. The tickets can be purchased at the machines or in the stations.

chrissxb

if there's a foreign country next to the city in Germany, where you have to go to, buy a Europa-Spezial and get off the train earlier.

for example: Hamburg - Freiburg on the ICE early july costs 69€, on the same train, a ticket to Basel costs 59€

I just bought Prague-Berlin-Hamburg-Freiburg for 39€ end of july (you can add transfer cities and stay there up to 48h)

TheStinger

Hi all. Just wondering if I could get some info on the German rail system. I am arriving by plane from Australia into Frankfurt airport in the middle of June. I then need to catch the train to Berlin. Is it ok to not book the ICE now and get a ticket when I arrive?

Would they be booked out or is there normally seats available? I arrive on a Sunday at 7am if that affects anything. Thanks in advance.

HAM76

One differences with trains in Germany compared to many other countries is that routing and seat are not necessarily linked. You can always purchase a ticket from Frankfurt to Berlin and you almost always can enter the train... but you might not have a seat. You can also always purchase a seat reservation, even if you don't have a ticket. Reservations cost between 2.5 and 5 Euros depending on class and whether you purchased them together with the ticket.

Some trains are more likely to run out of seat than others. On the Deutsche Bahn website they are marked with an "R" in a small square. 2nd class also runs out of seats earlier than first class.

Question is: What's the reasoning for not booking now?

TheStinger

Thanks for the info mate. I'm hesitant to book the train before I get there because on such a long journey, who knows what delays might crop up. I am scheduled to touch down at about 6:40am and I know there is a train every hour from 9am onwards, but if I book the wrong time I either miss it or wait for 2 hours doing nothing.

I know, I'm being paranoid but it's what I think about.

If I don't have a seat, then so be it. After 24 hours sitting on a plane it might do me good to stand for a few hours. And a mate of mine said you can find a corner and sit on your bags so that's all good.

So pretty much if I get there, I can just purchase a ticket from the counter and they can reserve me a seat number if there are any left available?

Unless you have an idea about a transferable ticket I can pre-purchase for any train that day. I guess that would be alright.

Thanks again for the info mate.^

SmilingBoy

The advantage of buying a ticket in advance is that you could get cheaper tickets that are less flexible. However, as they are not flexible, it is not good to use them with a flight arrival.

What I would do (because I definitely would not want to stand after 24 hours of flying) : Buy a "Normalpreis" ticket, which is a fully flexible ticket, with a seat reservation for the train you are most likely to take. On top of that, get stand-alone seat reservations for the next two trains (they should each cost around 4 or 5 Euro). This way you are covered for most possibilities for a little more money. The fully flexible ticket can be used in any case at any time, even if you are delayed by a day or two.

Advantage of buying a ticket in advance is that you can print out the ticket at home and just hop on the train without having to get a ticket at a machine or booth.

TheStinger

Obviously a "Normalpreis" ticket would be more expensive than the other kind (which the name escapes me at the moment, but the non-flexible ticket) because of its flexibility. I can probably guesstimate the logical train I would be able to get on and book that with the Normalpreis ticket and as you say reserve a few seats on a couple of trains.

It does seem weird though that I can reserve a seat that I won't be using. Does it become free once I don't book a ticket on that train?

Anyway, thanks for your help. I will certainly look at reserving a seat on a couple of trains.

HAM76

There are several kinds of reduced tickets. Most of them require an advance purchase of three days or more. If you buy a ticket at the station right before traveling it will always be a full priced ticket unless you qualify for certain discounts (being 26 or younger, being retired, etc.). Therefore it's more relaxing to buy in advance. You'd pay the same amount anyway.

If you are planning to do more travel than just to Berlin, you could also check out some of the international offers.

Regarding the seat: It's a strange concept for many, but train ticket and seat reservations are two separate purchases. A seat reservation gives you the right to take the reserved seat within a certain time after the train left the station. After that time the seat is free to take for everyone. The train ticket permits you to travel on the train to your destination on a certain route using trains classes up to the purchased level (RE, IC, ICE in that order).

I rarely sit on the seat I reserved. Usually I'm looking for a better seat that is free, such as one with a table and a power plug. But it's good to have a reserved seat as a fallback in case the train gets full which is more likely to happen in 2nd class.