You are in Germany. You know about the trains, but what you don't know is how it actually works. There are some good ways to save money and to enjoy your trip by train without big trouble. Easy guide with step by step, tips and tricks for having a fun ride through a beautiful and historical country.
First of all, I won't mention problems such as delay, because something like that even exists in the usually "on time" Germany. Believe me, I have plenty of stories to tell you. But instead of discouraging you, I want to encourage you to use the DB.
#1 BOOK A TICKET IN ADVANCE
It is true, booking tickets in advance can save you a lot of money and the good thing about the website, its available in English as well. Therefore, you don't need to worry about translating German, which could have been a lot of pain and time-consuming.
Not only is it much cheaper, but you can check what kind of festivals or activities are going on to plan your trip to either avoid the specific cities, because they'll be crowded, or to join the club and dive in to meet new people and have the best time of your life!
Website is available in Cesky, Danks, Deutsch, Espanol, Francais, Italiano and Nederlands.
It is true, the prices of the tickets vary extreme from saver to regular price. That means for some trips you only pay the early bird of €19,90, but in case you buy it too late, it may change to €69,90 which is quite expensive in the end. So, check out your trip in advance.
#2 BEST TICKETS FOR YOUR JOURNEY
There are plenty of options what kind of tickets you actually can buy. Weekend Ticket, Regional Day Tickets, Extra Saver, Group Tickets and more.
Specially the Group Tickets are nice, because that means you can use regular (no fast trains) trains and split the price.
That means, your journey gets funnier while exploring the country with your friends or family. Often you get extras like getting the "Lower Saxony Day Ticket" and you can use it in cities for Bremen and Hamburg as well. That means, no extra spending money on subway or tramp. Just hop on and enjoy the ride.
Just check out the photo and what kind of counties actually exist in Germany. You can even check on the Deutsche Bahn page what kind of Tickets are available for every part. Group or Single Tickets can't be purchased.
#3 DEUTSCHE BAHN MOBILE APP For all the people who just like to have everything on their Mobile Phone, you should check out their App. With that you always have your ticket with you and are able to check whether there will be problems like a delay, train tracks are under construction or whatever may can happen during your trip.
During my journeys and recommending it to friends I only have positive feedback of how to navigate the App and even though there haven't been any WIFI, your ticket is always saved and ready to show the train conductor.
#4 WHAT IF? What if the train is delayed or you are not able to get the next train? That happens. Sometimes more often than you like, but since the Deutsche Bahn is building new train tracks or are under constructions, weather changes and more, you want to be on the save side to know that you'll be helped out in case of an emergency.
Usually you can go to the Service Center of each train station, and they'll tell you what to do.
In case you booked a standard ticket you can take the next train that is available, or in case the delay is over 60 minutes you are allowed to claim back your money. Just let the Service Center know and you get a document that you have to sign and send back to the address which is shown on it.
Often, specially when you have a day ticket, you just can hop on the next train, but take care, only those who are not IC or ICE can be used. To get the newest updates, check your
DB Navigator App and it shows you normally a lot of different trains that you can take to continue with your journey.
#5 IN CASE OF...
In case no trains are available any more, because they have problems with the train station itself (which is not common, but can happen), they order busses to bring you to the next connection. Be it your final destination or the nearest train station, no matter what it is, with a bit of patience, they find a way to sort out the problem.
In the end, best is you get to know the mascot of the Deutsche Bahn which always appears when there is something under construction.
List will always be updated. Let me know in case you have something more to share and I'll add it. Thanks ♥
I hope you enjoyed reading the article and that it has been helpful. Don't forget to share this post on Pinterest or visit me on any other Social Media pages.
Give me a shout, in case you need some more advice and leave a comment below to let me know! I am always happy to help out. :)
Thank you so much and see you in the future,
Sina
You like to save the post for later on Pinterest? Just add the pins to your boards.
Disclaimer: This post contains #affiliatelinks. It only means, in case you decide to purchase something through my links, I might earn a tiny bit at no extra cost to you. :)
Comments