Top Cheap Train Tickets in Germany: Savings Railway Fares and Internet Discounts on Deutsche Bahn Travel

Germany’s extensive and reliable railway network makes public transportation often the best choice for the foreign traveler. However, at first glance train tickets may seem very expensive. Standard fares (Normalpreise) allow for full flexibility but are generally not cheap. Fortunately, a wealth of discount fares and tickets is available for travelers willing to travel slower and / or less flexible.

Internet-Only Cheap Train Tickets in Germany

Deutsche Bahn’s website should be the first stop for all travelers to Germany planning on using trains. Many internet-only fares are available – the specific offers change frequently. Although tickets can be bought in English, the finer details and intricacies of regional tickets are only explained in German.

Savings Train Fares (Sparpreise) in Germany

Special savings train fares (Sparpreise) are available only on return trips. Savings of 25 and 50 percent are available on trips booked at least three days in advance. Travelers must use the specific trains booked or face a hefty surcharge.

Länder-Tickets (State Tickets)

Länder-Tickets (State-Tickets) offer excellent deals for travelers doing sightseeing in a limited geographical region. Länder-Tickets are generally available only for travel in a specific federal state, although for smaller states up to three are combined in the same ticket.

Länder-Tickets are generally group tickets and valid for up to five passengers traveling together. Single tickets are available in a few states but the saving over the group ticket is very small.

Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket (Happy Weekend Ticket)

The Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket has mostly the same conditions as the Länder-Ticket with the noticeable exceptions that it is only available on weekends but allows travel countrywide.

ICE vs. Local Trains – Time is Money

It is worth comparing prices as a little bit of research can go a long distance towards saving on train fares when traveling in Germany. For example, a standard second-class, one-way fare from Hamburg to Munich on an Inter-City-Express (ICE) train taking 5h30 is €122. With advance bookings, using easily available internet savings, and committing to taking a specific train, the same ICE train journey need only cost €29!

Traveling on a weekend and using only local trains, a group of five can use the Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket for €35 total. However, in this case the journey from Hamburg to Munich will require six transfers and last a few minutes shy of twelve hours.

In addition to these saving fares, Deutsche Bahn has further railway cards and rail passes that offer further savings options to train passengers.

Mar 22, 2009 6:09 AM

Guest :

I was going to tour Germany this summer but after seeing the extremely high cost of train tickets I think I will go else where.

John

Mar 29, 2009 4:13 AM

Guest :

I have a question.
Flying into Dusseldorf from Miami, and will take the train to Arnhem (Holland)by train.
Do I need to purchase my train ticket ahead? What if my flight is late?
Will I be penalized for taking a train I wasn't booked on?
Tks.

Mar 29, 2009 8:08 AM

Henk Bekker :

Discounted German train tickets are for the specified train only. Missing the train due to a delayed arrival by air means penalties - usually €15 service fee plus price difference or sometimes a complete new ticket. If you buy a full price (Normalpreis) ticket, you can take any train on the specified day without penalty.

For trains from Düsseldorf Airport to Arnhem (RE to Duisburg and then ICE to Arnhem) the Europa-Spezial Niederlande rules specify for savings tickets that if you miss your train, you may take a following train on the same day as your original ticket (and on the same routing) but pay the difference on the train between the savings price you have paid and the full onboard fare (normal price plus about 10%) plus an administration fee of €15. Note this must be done on the train itself and not at the station.

If you haven’t bought your plane ticket yet, you may qualify for Rail&Fly tickets, which are sold by airlines together with the plane ticket in one transaction (an option usually not available online or through general reservation services). Rail&Fly allow passengers to take a train without penalties if flights are delayed.

If you do not buy your rail ticket in advance, buy it on arrival from a ticket machine (English available) or at the station (around €2 more than the ticket machine). Tickets bought on the train have a surcharge of about 10%.

Jul 5, 2009 8:10 AM

Guest :

Is there a senior rail fare from Frankfurt to Berlin and if so can I buy it at the station. I'm 66yrs.

Jul 5, 2009 8:25 AM

Henk Bekker :

German Railways have no special fares for seniors but over-55-year olds may buy the BahnCard50 for almost 50% discount. It could pay for itself very fast but will require more than just Frankfurt-Berlin return.

Sep 8, 2009 4:43 AM

Guest :

Thanks for the good advice. My two questions are around the merit of purchasing structured products vs ad hoc discounts:
do you think it is worth getting a BahnCard25 or is it better to rely on discounted tickets? and
I'm wanting to travel from Frankfurt to Paris and back over five days, would a two country ticket for five days be better than relying on a discounted ticket?

Sep 8, 2009 5:26 AM

Henk Bekker :

Although the BahnCard25 will give you further discounts on discounted tickets, a return journey from Frankfurt to Paris alone probably won't cover the cost of the BahnCard.

The best bet is too book as far ahead as possible to get special deals - Deutsche Bahn reservations are usually possible 90 days in advance. Frankfurt-Paris return is available for adults from €68 upwards.