Offers of German Rail
Offers for Express Trains (ICE, IC, EC
Standard fare
There are several things you should know about standard fare tickets.
- Children under 15, traveling alone, get a 50% discount.
- Children under 15, traveling with a parent or grandparent, are free, if included on your ticket.
- Children under 6 are free and do not have to have a ticket.
- Standard fare in 2nd class is never more than €122,00
- For trips under 100km, you have until the end of the day to complete your travel. That is, you can get off the train to see towns along the way, and reboard, as long as you complete the trip by the end of the day.
- For trips over 100km, you have until the end of the following day to complete your travel. I'm not sure if you have to indicate your intentions when purchasing your ticket.
Reservations
| Cost of reservation(s), 2nd class |
|---|
| Type of reservation | Single | Family |
|---|
| Online, with ticket | €2 | €4 |
| Automat, with ticket | €2 | ? |
| Online, without ticket | €4 | €8 |
| At counter | €4 | €8 |
1
st class: €1 extra Single, €2 extra Family.
It seems logical that the Family reservaton, purchased at an automat, should be €4, but the Bahn doesn't say that.
Sparpreis
- This offer is for specific dates, times, and train numbers, and requires a three day advance purchase. The number of these tickets sold is limited, so more than 3 day advance purchase is recommended.
- At least part of the travel must be on an express train (ICE/IC/EC).
- Tickets may be purchased online and printed on your home printer or purchased at a ticket counter.
- Reservations, if purchased online with the ticket, are €2.
- A Sparpreis ticket requires a round trip.
- A Sparpreis 25 ticket gives the first traveler a 25% discount from full roundtrip fare.
- A Sparpreis 50 ticket requires a Saturday night stay (or Sun/Sat travel, or RT on Sat or Sun) and gives the first traveler a 50% discount from full roundtrip fare.
- Additional travelers (booked with first travel) receive 50% off of the first travelers fare.
- Sparpreis tickets are only refundable up to the day before travel for a €15 surcharge.
More on Sparpreis at
Bahn.de.
Dauer-Spezial
- This offer is for a specific date, time and train number(s), and requires a three day advance purchase. The number of these tickets sold is limited, so more than 3 day advance purchase is recommended.
- At least part of the travel must be on an express train (ICE/IC/EC).
- Ticket prices start at €29 per person and increase in steps of €10 as tickets at the lower prices are sold.
- Tickets may be purchased online and printed on your home printer or purchased at a ticket counter for a €5 surcharge. Ticket can also be mailed for €3,50.
- Reservations, if purchased online with the ticket, are €2.
- Dauer-Spezial tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. The ticket is only valid on the specified train(s). In case of a delay caused by the Bahn, the ticket is valid for the next possible train.
More on Dauer-Spezial (in German) at
Bahn.de.
NEW! (since Jun 23) Dauer-Spezial-Familie
- Same conditions as Dauer-Spezial except:
- two to five people. Two people from €49 (for both). 3rd, 4th, and 5th person from €20, each.
- Their children under 15 are free.
- Valid for travel until Aug 15.
Freizeit-Tickets
There are a number of Freizeit-Tickets available. They are all for a round trip in a single day (midnight morning until 3 AM the following day) on
any trains (express allowed, no specific train required), between two specified cities at a greatly reduced price. Tickets are always available and can be purchased online or from ticket Automats. They can also be purchased at a ticket counter for a €5 fee for personal service.
| €19 | €29 | €39 |
|---|
| Hannover & Göttingen | Hamburg & Rostock | Köln & Mainz/Wiesb. |
| Hamburg & Bremen | Nürnberg & Stuttgart |
| Hamburg & Hannover |
| Trier & Köln |
| Singen & Stuttgart |
| München & Salzburg |
more (in German)
Offers for Regional trains
Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket
Happy Weekend Ticket: this ticket costs €37 and is valid for up to 5 people (all for €37, total) on all regional trains (IRE, RE, RB, and S-Bahn) in Germany, all day long, Saturday or Sunday or Holidays, from midnight until 3 AM the following morning. This ticket is something like the Länder-Tickets, except it is valid for all travel, even across Land borders
Group discounts
For six or more people traveling together.
| Long distance trains |
|---|
| 14 day advance purchase | 70% discount |
| 7 day advance purchase | 60% discount |
| Long distance and regional trains |
|---|
| 1 hours advance purchase | 50% discount |
Travel to the Czech Republic
German Rail and the state of Bavaria offer several promotons for travel in the Czech Repubic. (more)