Discount fares, cheap tickets, and passes offer savings on train rides and buses when traveling on German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) trains in Germany and Europe.

German trains generally run on time, are fast, efficient, safe, and comfortable but not necessarily cheap. Standard railway fares can be expensive but fortunately, Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) has many discount options that allow for huge savings on regular ticket prices. It is worth working through the myriad of options available as savings can be as high as 62%.

• German train tickets bought on-line or at ticket vending machines at stations are slightly cheaper (around €2 to €5) than those bought at ticket counters or through travel agents.

For many discount train tickets it is necessary to distinguish between local (Nahverkehr) and long-distance (Fernzüge) trains. Local trains have the prefixes S-Bahn (slowest and most stops), RB, IRE, and RE while long-distance trains are IR, IC/EC, and ICE (fastest, fewest stops, and most expensive). Sometimes local rail tickets are also valid on some buses.

Standard Train Fares & Tickets (Normalpreise)

The standard train fares on Deutsche Bahn trains are the most expensive but allow for the most flexibility. Any trains may be used, journeys can be interrupted, and the ticket can be refunded without service charge.

• The standard train fare is for one-way travel – returns are simply double the one-way price.
• Tickets can be bought in the train (cash or credit cards only accepted) on long-distance journeys but a service fee is added and no discounts are applicable.

Special Discount Train Tickets on Deutsche Bahn

A huge range of discount tickets and savings fares is available to save when traveling on German trains. However, all discount tickets have restrictions attached (more than the basic restrictions listed below).

• Savings Fare 25 & 50 (Sparpreis 25 und 50)

Savings Fares (Sparpreise) give the easiest savings when using German trains. These tickets are available on return journeys only and must be bought at least three days in advance. The ticket is only valid on the specific travel day and specific train. The number of tickets available per train is limited.

Sparpreis 25 gives a 25% discount on the standard fare and Sparpreis 50 a 50% discount. A further basic requirement for Sparpreis 50 is a Saturday night stay.

• State Tickets (Länder-Tickets)

Länder-Tickets allow for unlimited travel on regional trains (Nahverkehr) for a day (some time restrictions) in a specific region of Germany (usually a federal state). It is generally available to groups of up to five traveling together (some states have individual tickets) and are very good deals for local train travel.

• Happy-Weekend Ticket (Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket)

The Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket (Happy-Weekend Ticket) is available on Saturday and Sunday and allows groups of up to five unlimited travel throughout Germany on local trains (Nahverkehr). It is an excellent deal when using slower regional trains.

Internet-Only Offers

Some of the best deals for saving when traveling on Deutsche Bahn trains are available through the internet only. These cheap tickets change frequently and availability is usually limited to a certain number of tickets per train.

Discount Cards and Passes

Deutsche Bahn has several train cards (BahnCard) and rail passes that offer good deals and discounts when trains are used frequently or over long distances.

• Railways Card (Bahncard)

The BahnCard is valid for a year and is not transferable – it is available in either first or second class. BahnCard 25 cost €55 (€110 for First Class) and gives 25% discount on standard fares and savings fares as long as the journey exceeds 100 km. It pays for itself if more than €200 is spent on train journeys per year.

The BahnCard 50 cost €220 (€440 for First Class) and gives 50% discount on standard fares.

The BahnCard 100 allows for unlimited travel for a year - €3500 (€5900 for first class).

• German Rail Pass

The German Rail Pass is only available to non-German residents. It is a flexi pass and allow for unlimited travel on four to ten days in a given four-week period. It is a good deal especially when long-distance and one-way travel is involved.

• Groups (sometimes as small as two) and parents (or grandparents) traveling with their own children often qualify for additional discounts. These group discounts (Mitfahrerrabatt) when combined with special fares and train cards can give discounts of up to 62% off the standard fare.