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German railway is an important vehicle in Germany. If you are flying to Germany on Airberlin, then you definitely need to know how to find information about train connections and ticket prices on the website (this is how the name Deutsche Bahn is read).
- the Deutsche Bahn website cannot buy tickets for trains operated by another railway company.
- on the Deutsche Bahn website no Russian interface... Therefore, in this manual, we master the English-language interface of Deutsche Bahn.
Step 1 - choosing a route
Like any carrier, German Railways wants to carry as many passengers as it can attract. Therefore Deutsche Bahn offers tickets for very low prices those who have decided in advance when and where he will go.
Many, when they write or talk about their trips and travels, describe monuments, beautiful landscapes, etc. very vividly and colorfully. The topic of moving from one attraction to another is often overlooked. In general, this is understandable, many travel with excursions, by bus, and there is nothing to describe.
We drove on our own, mostly by rail... Here I will try to describe the German railways and how to use them. In the first part, we will focus mainly on regional (local) trains, analogs of our suburban trains.
1. Munich main station (Hauptbahnhof)
Munich chief train Station (Münchener Hauptbahnhof) traces its history from a rather modest construction from the outdated shields of the fencing of the shooting range, which was located east of Karlsplatz.
Then in 1839 the first railway line from Munich to Augsburg opened. The first wooden building, 100 meters from the current station of the Bavarian capital, burned down just a few years later.
The modern building, the third in a row, appeared after World War II, and was significantly expanded for the 1972 Summer Olympics.
2. Cashier hall.
The daily passenger traffic of the station is more than 350 thousand people, which makes it the second largest (after Hamburg) railway station in Germany.
3. And in terms of the number of paths (36 above ground and 2 underground), it can be considered the first.
4. At the main station of Nuremberg there is such a stand. You throw coins and you can steer trains.
5. And this is the path of the Nuremberg station.
We traveled around Bavaria on local trains (RB) and regional express trains (RE). On the Deutscheban website (bahn.de) it is very convenient to plan a trip; all possible options with a map, transfers and ticket prices are shown.
If necessary, you can find out detailed route train movements with all stops.
Why was the option to travel on such trains chosen? The fact is that you can use a special "land" ticket for them (in the case of Bavaria, it is called the Bavarian ticket - Bayern Ticket). Its cost is 28 euros in the machine; up to 5 people can travel on it from 9 am to 3 am on weekdays (and from 0 am on weekends) on any RB and RE trains across Bavaria. It is also valid on all Bavarian city trains (U- and S-Bahn), trams and most buses.
6. Two Bavarian tickets below.
The top ticket, the Tages Ticket, is valid all day for 2 adults (plus up to 4 children) in the Nuremberg region. We used it for a trip to Bamberg, because it was cheaper than a Bavarian ticket.
7. A conductor checking tickets on trains.
Generally speaking, when boarding, no one controls the availability of tickets, the check is carried out already in motion. In principle, a ticket can be bought already on the train, but it will be a full fare, quite significant, the conductor will not sell any Bavarian ticket.
8. Quite a large number of commuter trains are made up of double-deckers.
9. On lines with low passenger traffic, more modest trains are used.
10. In general, trains in Germany are quite short. Local, for example, rarely have more than 5 wagons.
Regional express trains (RE) run to the most popular destinations. They can be compared, perhaps, with our superior commuter trains, though only in terms of speed and number of stops. Two-story local trains, in terms of comfort, will probably be even more interesting.
11. This is the Munich-Nuremberg regional express at the Munich train station.
The cars can be of the 1st and 2nd class. One carriage may contain salons of different classes. In particular, 11 photos show a white car of the first class, red - of the second. The class is always indicated at the entrance to the carriage, salon and compartment. Naturally, the second class ticket cannot be used in the first class.
12. Inside, the car of the 2nd class resembles our, already retired, Youth.
The tariff policy for local trains and regional express trains is the same. On express trains, you can also use various types of advantageous tickets, such as the Bavarian one. Generally speaking, tickets on local lines are not valid for a specific train, but for a direction. Those. you can buy a ticket and go on any local train going in the desired direction. In the case of a Bavarian ticket, the destination is any within Bavaria.
A similar system works with us - a ticket for a suburban train for the required number of zones - however, you cannot sit on a local express train, such as Petersburg-Vyborg, with such a ticket. And then no problem.
13. There are also quite old trains.
We drove this one to Salzburg. The city is located in Austria, five kilometers from the border, so you can get to the main station by a German train with a Bavarian ticket.
14. And this is an Austrian train at the main station of Salzburg.
15. The station looks very beautiful against the background of mountains.
16. Train from Vienna
17. Austrian electric locomotives are prettier than German ones.
As I said, inside German local trains are very comfortable if there are tables, trash bins, toilets, and working sockets.
19. This is how a 2nd class double-decker carriage looks inside.
20. On the ground floor there is a special area for passengers with bicycles, strollers and bulky luggage. It is marked with a yellow line and is equipped with folding seats.
21. Second floor. The information board shows the time, destination, next stop, whether the toilet is busy.
22. Downstairs, at the end of the car there is a good toilet.
23. And this is the driver's cab.
24. Closer
Traveling by German railways is a pleasure. Of course, it is not very cheap, but if you are traveling with a company, buying a land ticket significantly reduces the cost of the trip. It turns out about the same amount as in Russia for the same distance, if you honestly pay for all tickets.
In addition, you can always sit down with someone on such a land (Bavarian) ticket, because rarely does anyone have 5 people. The standard tax is 5.50 euros per person (you can also bargain), and it turns out to be much cheaper if you need to get from point A to point B in one direction.
Today I will talk about the German railway Deutsche Bahn (Deutsche Bahn) - important vehicle in Germany. After my story for tourists and guests, I also decided to make a small step by step instructions in Russian for tourists and guests of Germany on how to buy tickets for trains of this railway via the Internet.
The topic is quite relevant and interesting, if only because the official Deutsche Bahn website (as the name Deutsche Bahn reads) does not have a Russian interface. In addition to German, you can choose English and several other European languages \u200b\u200bon it (traditionally, the language selection button on the site is in the upper right), but Russian is not among them.
But the Deutsche Ban website has a bunch of other undoubted advantages, for example, such as:
- on this site you can see and see almost all the connections in Europe. The Germans managed to integrate the search not only on their own schedule, but also on the schedule of almost all railways. Even to search for messages in Russia, you can often use Deutsche Bahn!
- almost all Deutsche Bahn tickets can be bought online! For many European railways, only the cheapest, non-exchangeable fares are available online. And at Deutsche Bahn - you need to try to find tickets that you cannot pay and print right away.
Step 1. Choosing a route
So, we go to the official website www.bahn.de. On the main page, we are immediately asked to select the basic initial conditions of the route. For example, I chose the trip of 1 adult from Hamburg airport to a city in northwest Germany.
The following data must be entered in the route selection area:
From where and where to: two main fields for selecting the starting point and destination of the route.
Einfache fahrt or Hin- und Rückfahrt - mark the circle for one way trip or round trip.
Next is a field for the date of travel and next to it is a calendar.
Below is the approximate time of day when you want to travel and mark the circle Abfahrt (departure) or Ankunft (arrival). This means that at the specified time of day you want to leave or have already arrived at the place.
If at the beginning you chose Hin- und Rückfahrt, then you will see a second field for choosing the date of the return trip and a calendar in which you can navigate, as well as a field for the time of day.
Below you can see several checkboxes, which you can mark as desired:
Schnelle Verbindung bevorzugen - prefer a faster message, or
Nur Nahverkehr - only regional transport.
The first option is checked by default. If you choose “fast connections”, the Deutsche Bahn booking system will show you the fastest connections between your arrival and departure cities with national and international high-speed trains.
But if you are not far away (for example, 2-3 hours of travel) and you want to save a lot, then feel free to choose “only regional transport”. The system will select for you the connections of electric trains and regional trains only. At the same time, you will not suffer much in comfort, you will often make stops along the way, spend a little longer travel time, but in the end the trip will be much cheaper for you.
Also you can select the option Nur Sitzplatzreservierung - with reserved seating only. The option is relevant during peak hours, especially on Friday afternoon and Sunday evening, when there is a large flow of passengers rushing to rest or traveling back. At the same time, the ticket price increases slightly, by about 2.5-3 euros.
Next is the section Reisende (travelers) to select the composition and number of passengers:
Erwachsene - adults
Kinder 6-14 J. - children 6-14 years old
Kinder 0-5 J. - children under 5 years old
Two more check-boxes for choosing a travel class:
If we want to save money, we choose 2. Klasse reisen,
if we want a trip in 1st class - 1. Klasse reisen.
After entering and specifying the data, you can click on the button below Suchen (Search) and go to the next page.
Step 2. Select the appropriate message
On the next page, Deutsche Bahn gives us the best travel options.
At the top of the page, the system once again invites us to check the original trip data and, if necessary, update them (1).
Below are several options for messages.
Since in the initial data I indicated the start time of the trip no earlier than 11.00, the system offered me three options to choose from, departing from the railway platform of Hamburg Airport at 11.34, 12.34 and 13.34.
I choose the first suggested option (2) at 11.34. Why wait ?!
The red arrow on the left allows you to "expand" this message and see the details of how the trains are going and where I have transfers.
In my version, these are three segments of the trip (2.1, 2.2, 2.3): Hamburg Airport - Hamburg Main Station, Hamburg - Bremen and Bremen - Leer. On all segments, we see the departure and arrival times, the track / platform number ( Gleis) departure / arrival at each point on the route, as well as the type and number of the train ( Produkte) on each segment.
The system informs me as additional information that in Hamburg, it will take me 8 minutes to move from the platforms of commuter trains to the platform in the main station building. And in Burden I will have a whole 29 minutes between trains.
For information: what trains are there in Germany?
ICE (read as I-Tse-E) - InterCity Experess (intercity express) - from the name it is already clear that these trains run between big cities and they run fast and with few stops. it's express.
IC (read as ka I-Tse) - InterCity (intercity) - this train runs between smaller cities and non-express, that is, there are much more stops.
RE / RB (read as Er-E, Er-Bae) - RegionalBahn Express / Regional Bahn are regional trains that either run fast or stop frequently. Can be compared with our commuter trains, only more comfortable.
CityNight - night train, which usually has both recumbent compartments and seating carriages.
You can focus on something like this rule: if the train travels from the starting point to the final 3-4 hours, then it is usually IC. If less - then RE / RB, if longer - then usually ICE.
There are several other types of trains, but there is not much difference. For example, you may come across abbreviations IR, RBN, ME, etc.
In Germany, some of the sections are operated by "private" rail companies, which are separate from Deutsche Bahn. Usually they have a common tariff policy, just another company provides jobs for drivers. These are internal German troubles, for us, as for tourists, there is practically no difference. The only thing that can be borne in mind is that such sections usually lead to a dead end, that is, there is no through railway service and trains (popularly called "cuckoos") run rarely - once an hour at best.
For information: prices
Like any carrier, German Railways wants to carry as many passengers as it can attract. This is why Deutsche Bahn often offers tickets at very low prices. At the same time, various special offers are possible, both general, valid throughout Germany, and individual in different states.
Therefore, you should always keep this in mind and be interested when searching and buying tickets.
Such sentences, for example, can be:
Weekend ticket
Schönes Wochenende Ticket (Schönes Wochenende Ticket) Is far from the only, but definitely the most famous invention of Deutsche Bahn to attract customers. Unfortunately, the price of this wonderful ticket has been growing over the years, currently the ticket price is 40 euros.
The Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket travels all over Germany on Saturday and Sunday (from 00:00 to 03:00 the next day) countless times, getting off one train and boarding another.
A group of up to 5 passengers can travel on one joint ticket, as well as a group of 2 adults and any number of their own children (grandchildren) up to 15 years old.
This ticket is valid only on local trains with the letters RE, RB, IRE, S-Bahn in class II carriages.
Special offers, different countries
An example is Lower Saxon ticket (Niedersachsen-Ticket) - a regional ticket that allows you to profitably travel through the territory of Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg alone or with a company.
The ticket is valid from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 3 am on the following day, and on Saturdays, Sundays and on public holidays from 0 to 3 am on the following day.
The ticket is also valid on the commuter trains of the Deutsche Bahn company (categories RE, RB and S-Bahn) and in the 2nd class trains of the companies EVB, eurobahn, metronom, NordWestBahn, arriva, cantus, as well as in the urban public transport of the VBN associations (Bremen) , GVH (Hannover), HVV (Hamburg, tariff zone HVV-Grossbereich Hamburg), VRB (Braunschweig) and VSN (South of Lower Saxony, Göttingen).
This ticket can be used by single travelers, groups of up to 5 people, as well as one or both parents or grandparents with an unlimited number of children or grandchildren up to 14 years old.
In my case, there is such a sentence (3) - Niedersachsen-Ticket for 23 euros per train at a standard rate of 38.20 euros.
After selecting the message (depending on the time and number of transfers), click on the Zur Buchung (Buy) button (3) and proceed to the tariff selection.
Step 3. Selecting the Deutsche Bahn tariff
Everything is clear here. Choosing Niedersachsen-Ticket for 23 euros and click Weiter - further.
Step 4. Purchase with registration or not
Here the system offers us three options for action:
1. Log in as a registered user and purchase from your account.
2. Registration as a new user and further purchase from the account.
3. Purchase without registration.
I am registered in the system, this gives small advantages to users (for example, buying tickets from my card to third parties, etc.), but you may not need this, so select the item Ohne anmeldung buchen (without registering).
Step 5. Ticket format
Since we buy a ticket without registering in the system, we have only one option available - Online-Ticket, which we can download and print on paper.
It is indicated that only you (the one who buys) should use this ticket. A third party cannot use such a ticket.
When buying without registration, the options for an electronic ticket (for example, in an application on a smartphone) and sending a ticket to your mailing address are also unavailable (but we don't need this anyway).
Step 6. Additional services
Here Deutsche Bahn is trying to earn extra money and offers us a discount when booking a hotel. In other cases, it may be something else.
You can order, but I refuse and press Weiter - further.
Step 7. Specify identifying data
On this page we choose which document we will use to show the rights to our ticket on the train:
BahnCard, bahn.bonus Card - prepaid or bonus Deutsche Bahn card. It is unlikely that you have it, but what if ?!
Kreditkarte - an ordinary credit or debit bank card not lower than VISA Classic or MasterCard Mass.
ec-Karte (Maestro) - one of the brands of MasterCard debit card, it is often held, for example, by customers. The card is similar to VISA Electron and does not require electronic authorization. That is why there is a risk that you will not be able to use it to pay via the Internet.
Personalausweis - identity document (FRG).
Therefore, it is best to choose Kreditkarte. We indicate its data in the appropriate fields:
Vorname - Name, Nachname - Surname (as on the map)
Kreditkartennummer - card number
Monat - Month, Jahr - Year
Diese Kreditkarte auch zur Zahlung verwenden - we note that we will pay for the ticket with the same card.
We indicate personal data.
Required for filling:
Anrede - appeal (Herr, Frau)
Vorname - Name, Nachname - Surname
E-Mail - so understandable
Strasse, Hausnummer - Street, house no.
Plz - Postcode
Ort - Locality
Land - Country
Next, mark the checkbox that you agree (accept) the Terms of Service and undertake the obligation to personally use the purchased ticket and present, if necessary, check on the train a printed ticket and your credit card as a document that identifies you.
Also mark the checkbox so that the Online-Ticket will be sent to you by E-mail in the form of a pdf file that you will need to print.
Note: If you register with the service, you can, if necessary and desired, purchase a ticket for another person. To do this, you will need to agree with the traveler which document he will use as identification so that you can mark it on the order form.
Push Weiter and proceed to payment.
Step 8. Payment
The most crucial step is buying a ticket as such.
On the next page you will see a standard form of payment with a description of everything that you are going to book (schedule, number of tickets, all additional options, price, address for invoice) and if everything is correct, below there will be another button "Zur Zahlung" - "Pay ". After you click it, the system will book your ticket and send it to your email. Be sure to download the pdf file directly online and write down your booking number!
The result will be something like this:
Note 2: This is my outdated Niedersachsen-Ticket. As you can see, it has neither a place of departure nor a place of arrival, it was valid for one day for travel by train through Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Bremen. My personal data on it is also no longer relevant.
I hope you can do it too. Even if not the first time, you will still book and save the ticket on your computer. All you have to do is print it out and don't forget to take your bank card with you for presentation on the train.
Note 3: Information is current as of October 2015.
Many travelers who prefer to travel around Europe on their own are interested in how they can buy a train ticket. In this article I will tell you where you can buy a train ticket in Germany, what are the tickets, how much train tickets cost, and I will describe in detail the process of buying tickets on the Internet on the English version of the German railways website Deutsche bahn.
Where to buy train tickets?
Train tickets in Germany can be bought at the ticket office at the train station, at the ticket machine at the train station, or on the Internet. Buying from a ticket office and a vending machine requires a good knowledge of the language, as at most railway stations in Germany the staff does not speak much English. When buying tickets at the box office, please note that you will have to pay an additional service fee 2 euros for each ticket... Tickets are sold online on the German Railways website.
What trains are there in Germany?
Before buying a train ticket in Germany, you need to understand which train you want to travel on - high-speed or regional. The high-speed train travels faster than the regional train, but its prices are also higher.
TO high-speed long-distance trainsinclude the following: ICE, IC, EN, EC.
TO regional trainsrelate RE, R, IRE, RB, CAN, S.
When buying tickets online, you can choose which trains you prefer.
For example, we need to get berlin to Frankfurt... If we check the box Local transport, we are given only regional trains on this route, which travel slower, cost less, and have to make many transfers. We get the following option:
If we prefer high-speed trains, then check the box Prefer fast connections, and we already see an option with fewer changes (from 0 to 3) on the same route and at a higher price.
Discount tickets when traveling in Germany
Traveling on German railways isn't the cheapest thing to do. However, the good news is that here, too, you can sometimes save a lot. Below I will provide a list of ticket names and what benefits they provide.
| Ticket name | Price | Description | In which trains does | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Länder-Ticket | Varies depending on the German state you are traveling in and the number of people. For instance, ticket for Bavaria (Bayern-Ticket) costs 23 euros for 1 person, and 39 euros for 5 people in 2nd class; and from 34.5 for 1 person, and 96.5 euros for 5 people in 1st class. | Is used for unlimited within the same state of Germany (For example, Bavaria, Saxony, Thuringia, etc.). This ticket will work for a group of up to 5 people.Depending on the price paid, it can be used in 1st or 2nd grade (in some lands it is possible to buy a ticket only in 2nd class). The ticket is valid from Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 am the next day. Saturday, Sunday, and bank holidays are valid from 00:00 to 03:00 the next day. | All regional trains - IE, RE, RB, S. In addition to trains, the ticket can also be valid in city public transport, depending on the land. For instance, ticket for the state of Bavaria operates in public transport in Munich, Nuremberg, Augsburg, and other cities. Lower Saxony ticket operates on public transport in Bremen and Hamburg. |
|
| Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket | Fixed price - 44 euros. | Is used for unlimited the number of trips in 1 day throughout Germany... This ticket will work for a group of up to 5 people.The ticket is valid on Saturday or Sunday from 0:00 to 3:00 the next day. Only 2nd grade. | All regional trains - RB, IRE, RE, S. In addition to trains, the ticket can also be valid in city public transport. | |
| Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket | 44 euros for 1 person, 76 euros for 5 people. | Is used for unlimited the number of trips in 1 day throughout Germany... This ticket will work for a group of up to 5 people.The ticket is valid from Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 03:00 the next day. Only 2nd grade. | All regional trains - RB, IRE, RE, S, and some others. |
In order to make it easier for you to figure out in which state of Germany your origin / destination is located, I attach a political map of Germany below.
Also, when buying tickets in advance, the system can give you two ticket prices - the regular price ( Standard fare) and the stock price ( Savings fares). The number of tickets for a promotion is usually limited, so I recommend buying a ticket in advance - there is a chance to buy it at the best price.
Discount tickets when traveling from Germany abroad
If you want to buy a train ticket from Germany to any European country, I recommend that you go to the page of the German Railways website with special offers for tickets in Europe. On this page, for a fixed price (starting from 19 Euro), you can get by train to nearby countries (Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Poland, etc.). To buy a ticket, select the country of destination you are interested in on the left side of the page, and then click the Book your ticket here button.
If you want to buy a ticket for a night train from Germany abroad, then keep in mind that in most cases it is not possible to pre-purchase them online, therefore, you will hardly be able to buy such tickets at a discount.
What is written in the program for buying train tickets online?
In this part of the article, I want to decipher for you what is written in the ticket buying program on the German Railways website, so that you can roughly navigate it.
Now I will tell you step by step how to buy a train ticket in Germany and help you understand what is written in this ticket. Consider for example route Munich - Frankfurt am Main - Munich (München Hbf - Frankfurt (Main) Hbf - München Hbf). Hbf is the city's main train station.
1. On the main page of the Deutsche Ban in the upper left corner, fill in the required fields:
From station - departure station: choose München Hbf or München Hauptbahnhof.
… to station - arrival station:choose Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.
Then choose single journey - one way ticket or return journey - two-way ticket. In our case, we choose return journey.
Outward journey - a trip there:click on the calendar and select the departure date for Frankfurt am Main. We will choose 12/20/2013. Then we choose the time: here you can choose both the time of departure from Munich (Departure), and the time by which you need to arrive in Frankfurt am Main (Arrival). We choose the departure at 08:00.
Return journey - a trip back:we choose the date of return to Munich. We will choose the date 12/22/2013 and the departure time at 15:00.
We want to see the prices for all categories of trains - both high-speed and regional, so we put a tick in both fields - and in Prefer fast connectionsand Local transport.
In field Passangers (passengers) by default, 1 adult and 2 class on the train are selected. If you want to add another passenger, you can expand the menu and add a passenger or a child under 14 years old, for whom the ticket will be sold at a reduced price.
Next, press the button Search... We are given a page like this, on which the German road system displayed all available trains, starting at 08:28. We see that a ticket for the route Munich - Frankfurt am Main is on sale for a promotion for 44 euros... So the best price / time ratio - 05:32 - is the RE train with 3 changes leaving at 09:00.
Please note that special conditions apply to tickets purchased under the promotion. This ticket can only be used on the trains for which this ticket was issued, ticket exchange or refund is not possible from the first day of its operation. If you want to exchange or return a promotional ticket before its validity, you will be charged 17.5 euros for its value.
In case of purchase standard price ticket, it can be used on all regular trains on this route. If you want to exchange or return your ticket before its validity, you can do it for free. Exchange or refund of a ticket from the first day of its validity is possible for an additional charge of 17.5 euros.
If we click on the red arrow near München Hbf, we will be presented with a complete itinerary of our trip with a schedule of our trip and indication of the time for the change.
Here you need to pay attention to the field Platform (path number),where is indicated the route on which you arrive at the transfer point, and the route of departure from it. For example, in our case, we start from Munich on route 21, arrive in Ingolstadt on route 2. Transfer time (time for transfer) is 11 minutes.
We turn the arrow back and now click on the red button Return journey (Return trip)to select the train back from Frankfurt am Main to Munich.
We are given options for the return route at the time indicated by us - after 15:00 on 12/22/2013. We are satisfied with the first option - the RE train with 3 changes, leaving at 15:30. In field Savings fares now the price of 88 euros is reflected - this is the price for a round-trip ticket, both ways. Press the red button Purchase (buying a ticket).
Information about our round-trip ticket appears on the screen, the system has combined the offer Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket,valid on a weekday (in our case, on the day of departure, on Friday), with an offer Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket,valid on a day off (in our case, on Sunday). The system once again reminds you that ticket exchange or refund is not possible. You can also choose the regular price ( Standard fare), but already more expensive - for 118.60 euros. We boldly press the button Continue at our chosen price - 88 euros.
Then the system offers us to register or buy a ticket without registration. Selecting a field Book without registering (purchase without registration) and click on Continue booking.
On the next page, the system offers us options for delivering a ticket to us - via the Internet by e-mail or by real mail :) We choose to receive a ticket via the Internet (Online-Ticket)... I want to immediately draw your attention to the fact that you (and, if necessary, someone accompanying you) must travel with the ticket that you order and pay. An e-ticket is valid only for the person whose name appears on it.Click on the button Proceed.
Go to this page.
On this page we need to select an identity document - in our case, select bank card (Credit card) ... We are not Europeans, and we have access only this identification method. Do not chooseIdentity card - this is not just a passport, but an ID card of citizens of a number of European countries, and Russia, Ukraine, Belarus are not among them.
An important point:be sure to take with you on a trip bank cardfor which you bought the ticket! You will definitely be asked to present it with your ticket! You must be the owner of this card, as it will be used as a means of identifying you.
So choose Credit card, enter in the field First nameown name, Surname- surname strictly in accordance with those indicated on the bank card, Credit card number -bankcard number, valid until - card validity period (month / year). Then, for convenience, we put a tick in the box Also use this credit card for payment (use this card to pay for the ticket).
Update to 10/20/16:starting from 1.10.16, it is no longer required to fill out this page on the website and present a bank card to the controller on the train as an identity document. Now you are required to present your ticket and passport to the controller when checking. Accordingly, your name and surname on the ticket must match those indicated in your passport.
Then go to the part Your Personal data (personal data)below.
Fields marked with a red asterisk are required. In field street, number write the name of our street and house number. In the postcode / ZIP field - your zip code, in the town / city field - the city. In the country field, select Russian Federation. Then we also write our email in the E-mail field.
Then we put a tick on our agreement with the terms to which I have already drawn your attention above in bold. And a tick in the box Delivery of online ticket (E-ticket delivery).
Click on the button Proceed.
The next step when buying tickets is payment... I am sure that you will pass it without any problems without my help. After paying for the ticket, you will receive an e-ticket in pdf format by e-mail, which need to print... The ticket contains the full route of your trip, departure-arrival time, ticket price, train numbers. You cannot bend the barcode on the ticket!I would like to emphasize once again that you do not need to receive any additional ticket to this e-ticket at a train station in Germany.
Buses in Germany
Recently, the prices for train tickets in Germany have increased dramatically, so I would advise you to choose a bus to travel around the country. In some cases a train ticket costs as much as 3 times more than a bus ticket in a similar direction! Bus route network in Germany is very extensive, buses call in both cities and many major airports country.
All experienced travelers have known this life hack for a long time: it is convenient to get around Germany by bus: you will not need to make transfers, because almost all buses are direct (which cannot be said about trains), you will save yourself on lunch or even overnight in a hotel in a new city. Judge for yourself, it's better to keep the same € 30 - 40 saved on buying a ticket for your pocket money. And yet, getting on the bus, you will definitely not get confused, you will not get lost and you will get straight to your destination. This is very important for tourists who are in Europe for the first time.
For greater clarity, I will give the approximate prices for bus tickets in Germany one way in comparison with the prices for train tickets:
- Berlin - Munich (bus ticket: from € 49, train ticket: from € 115);
- Dresden - Berlin (bus ticket: from € 20, train ticket: from € 36);
- Frankfurt - Munich (bus ticket: from € 35, train ticket: from € 79);
- Munich - Dresden (bus ticket: from € 45, train ticket: from € 76);
- Nuremberg - Munich (bus ticket: from € 15, train ticket: from € 29);
- Frankfurt - Hanover (bus ticket: from € 40, train ticket: from € 69).
Buses travel, of course, not only in Germany, but also throughout Europe, Ukraine and Belarus. Here is a list of the most popular bus routes from Germany with one-way ticket prices:
- Berlin - Kaliningrad (from € 78);
- Berlin - Kiev (from € 50);
- Berlin - Minsk (from € 47);
- Berlin - Warsaw (from € 19); at reliable agencies of official dealers of Aeroflot, S7, Ural Airlines and all well-known airlines in the world.
Germany has perhaps the most powerful and efficient railway system in the world. The railway accounts for the vast majority of intercity and suburban public transport trips, as well as a significant part of intracity ones. Most regions of the country have a dense network of lines, and railway stations are usually the main transport hubs in cities.
Train types
Germany has a rather complex system of train types. They are divided into mainline (Fernzuge or Fernverkehr) and regional and suburban (Nahverkehr). Mainline trains are white, regional trains are usually red.
Trunk lines include:
- ICE (InterCityExpress) - high-speed (in some sections up to 300 kilometers per hour) express trains with the least number of stops. However, on many routes, they are no faster than other ambulances.
- IC (InterCity) - ambulances, following between major cities in Germany.
- EC (EuroCity) - similar to InterCity, but followed abroad.
- CNL (CityNightLine) - sleeping night trains, mostly international. Lying places are only in them.
Regional and suburban areas include:
- RE (RegioExpress) - a regional train with stops in large and medium-sized cities.
- IRE (InterRegioExpress) is a relatively rare type of train, found on some long routes. Otherwise similar to RE.
- RB (RegionalBahn) - regional train with frequent stops.
- S (S-Bahn, Stadtbahn) - suburban train. The route always starts or passes through big City and is part of a network of such lines. Often used for intercity travel, supplementing or replacing the metro.
Movement features
Most of the lines are very busy. All trains, except for night trains, run at a clock interval. In the vast majority of cases, it will be an hour, half an hour, 20-, 15-, or 10-minute. Between nearby cities there is often a choice of 5-10 different trains per hour. Traffic usually starts at 5-6 am and ends at about midnight, on some routes - an hour or two later. In addition to sleeper trains, regular day trains occasionally run on some popular lines at night.
Tariffs
At first glance, the tariff system is also quite confusing. However, if you understand it, getting around Germany is relatively inexpensive.
Basic fares (tickets that allow you to board any train on the required route and make stops of your choice) are very high. For example, a 3.5-hour journey between Berlin and Dortmund costs 86 euros in IC / EC and 98 euros in ICE. A standard ticket from Cologne to Munich (4.5-6 hours) will cost 108 euros in IC / EC and 112-142 euros in ICE. The road from Berlin to Leipzig or Dresden (1.5-2 hours) costs 40 euros in IC / EC and 47 euros in ICE. Regional train tickets are also slightly cheaper. The first class is about one and a half times more expensive.
However, if you buy in advance (at least a day in advance, but the sooner the cheaper) Sparpreis discount tickets are available. They are available on pre-sale for all domestic and most international routes from Germany at prices of 19, 25, 29, 35, 39, 45, 49, 55, 59, 65, 69, 75, 79 euros and so on up to 119 euros (for long-distance routes). At the same time, the number of seats for each price level in each train is limited, and tickets for 19 and 25 euros are available only for transfers with a distance of no more than 250 kilometers.
Thus, when planning in advance, the price can be knocked down several times, and the whole country, with some luck, can be crossed for 29 euros. But it should be borne in mind that such a ticket is valid only for the selected train. Refunds and exchanges of these tickets are subject to a 15 EUR fee.
In the first class, Sparpreis fares start from 29 euros (on routes over 250 kilometers - from 39 euros). The booking must have at least one mainline train (IC, EC or ICE).
A similar system operates on night trains. For example, the standard fare on the Berlin-Munich train is 152 euros in a seated carriage, 162 in a six-seater couch, 172 in a four-seater, 207-335 euros in different options sleeping car. With a preliminary purchase, the price can be reduced by 2-3 times.
When buying Sparpreis tickets, you should pay attention to the numerous possibilities of the booking system of the www.bahn.de website - the most advanced in Europe. In particular, there you can choose the type of trains - say, refuse the most expensive ones - ICE, or completely limit yourself to only the cheapest ones - regional.
In addition, the passenger can indicate at which station he wants to change trains and how long he wants to spend there. For example, if you are traveling from Frankfurt to Hamburg, but would like to see the Cologne Cathedral on the way, indicate the need for an hour or two-hour stop in Cologne. In this case, the ticket will be one and much cheaper than two separate tickets from Frankfurt to Cologne and from Cologne to Hamburg.
There are discount offers for regional trains. In particular, you can buy a Wochenende-Ticket on any weekend. It allows unlimited travel all day throughout Germany for 44 euros for up to five people at once, but only on regional trains - RE, IRE, RB and S-Bahn, as well as in public transport.
On weekdays, a similar Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket is valid only from 9:00, and for 44 euros only one passenger can travel, and the surcharge for each subsequent one is 8 euros. In addition, on any day the same, but cheaper offers (Länder-Ticket) are valid for travel within the federal states.
For a number of districts, it makes sense to consider proposals from local urban and suburban tariff systems. For example, a day of travel in the VRR tariff system between Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Bochum, Wuppertal, Mönchengladbach, Kreve (plus the Dutch Venlo and Nijmingen) costs 26 euros for the first passenger and 4.5 euros for each subsequent passenger.
Most tickets have a € 5 surcharge when purchased at the box office (not online or at the ticket machine). You cannot board regional trains without a ticket, you can board mainline trains, but you will have to buy a ticket at the full fare. In the event of a serious delay or cancellation of a flight, passengers are entitled to compensation, including a refund of the cost of travel by alternative transport, including taxi or hotel fees, if the last evening flight was canceled.
From time to time, there are other good deals on German railways. For example, relatively cheap monthly passes are sometimes sold in the summer. In other cases, for intensive travel or regular visits to Germany, it makes sense to consider buying a BahnCard 25 or BahnCard 50 discount card.
Another option is the pan-European InterRail pass (www.interrailnet.com). Its version only for Germany is not cheap, but it can pay off with a large number of trips. Unlike many other European countries, in Germany InterRail passengers do not need to pay extra for the use of high-speed trains or have to reserve seats in them. Theoretically, booking a specific seat on mainline trains is possible for all passengers, but it makes sense only on peak flights, where there is a risk of being left without a seat.
Railway stations
Large train stations in Germany are usually open around the clock, medium and small ones can close at night. The main city station is almost always called the Hauptbahnhof (abbreviated as Hbf.). At large train stations, there are always many food outlets, mini markets, and more. Luggage storage can be expensive, while automatic ones are always cheaper than manual ones.
