Arriving to Cologne by train can be magical (Source: Mika Baumeister / Unsplash)

5 practical tips for getting around Germany by train

Germany’s railway infrastructure is very developed, though the tickets can get quite expensive, especially in the peak holiday times. During my studies in the country of beer, I wanted to make the most out of my time and see as much of the country as possible. As for a student every penny counts, I have several practical tips that I would like to share with you. Does not matter if you are a regular commuter, or just a visitor or business traveller, the tips below can help you save a significant amount of cash.

1. Get a BahnCard

Do you think that getting the DB’s customer card is not relevant for you, because you don’t travel that often? Well, depends. If your ticket costs more than 80€ (which is not that uncommon with Deutsche Bahn) then you might be saving from the very first ride. The so called ‘Probe BahnCard’ is valid for three months and gives you a 25% discount on a second class ticket.

Even if you are just visiting Germany a BahnCard can help you save some cash. You can order it basically on any German address (e.g. have it sent to your hotel or airbnb) or order it personally at a train station. For the first two months of the validity, you don’t need to have the Card with you, you are also fine with a printed confirmation from the internet or the ticket sales point. Don’t forget to cancel your card 6 weeks before the end of its validity in case you don’t wish to have it prolonged for one more year.

The current ‘Probe BahnCard’ campaign (Source: Bahn.de)

2. Book in advance

The German Railways have discovered the benefits of dynamic pricing already a long time ago. Let’s take the route Berlin to Munich. A standard flexible ticket costs as much as 153€ one-way. If you book few weeks in advance, you might be lucky and get a ‘super saver-ticket’ for only 37.90€. Sound reasonable, doesn't it? But watch out for the ticket validity and cancellation options. Usually these tickets can be only used on the specific train which is stated on the ticket, and can not be cancelled (some of them can be cancelled for a 10€ fee).

3. Ticket still too expensive? Try Flixtrain

Flixtrain’s business model is quite unique as it does not own a single carriage and lets other private operators run the trains. The deal is simple: they run the train and Flixtrain runs the marketing. They currently offer several routes in Germany, e.g. Hamburg-Cologne. The best part is that the prices start already at 9.99€. Compared to the prices of their competitor, this seems incredible!

All train routes → FlixTrain

4. Make your trip completely green: Use the City-Ticket or City Mobil option of Deutsche Bahn

It is as simple as it sounds: If you choose the City-Ticket option when booking a DB long-distance ticket, you can use the public transport in the city where your trip starts as well as in your destination. All included in a single ticket and for a very fair price. Do you already have a ticket for the city of departure? Then there is the City Mobil option that allows you to get public transport tickets for your city of destination.

5. Become a student at a German university

I don’t encourage you to inscribe at a university just because of this, but e.g. in North-Rhine Westfalia all university students get a transit pass for all public transport in their city and for all regional trains of Deutsche Bahn in North-Rhine Westfalia for less than 200€ per semester. The rules for a university transit pass vary from university to university (and from federal state to federal states). Anyway, if you are going to study in Germany, this is the best way how to get to know your region better and get the most out of your time as a student.

The famous S-Bahn in Berlin (Source: Jonas Blättermann / Unsplash)

Conclusion

Travelling by train in Germany can get quite expensive. Maybe also because of that Deutsche Bahn does not have the best reputation among many Germans. In the country, where highways are toll-free, it is easily possible that renting a car is cheaper than a two-way standard ticket by train. But if you follow some basic rules, like buying the ticket in advance, using the advantages of BahnCard, checking out alternative operator’s offers etc., you can still find a very good-priced ticket. In my upcoming articles I will give tips on railway travel in other European countries and take a closer look at other ecological transport alternatives. Enjoy the summer, #travelgreen and #commutegreen!