How to travel (relatively) cheaply with ICE trains in Germany?

7/3/2018 3:13:09 PM

First of all you should compare what’s comparable. ICE trains are similar to EIP trains in Poland. Compare the IC fares to the fares you may be used to from Polish IC trains, Or ICE to EIP. Also note that generally speaking, the cost of living is higher in Germany than in Poland. This means that plenty of things are more expensive in Germany than in Poland.

The strategy to find a “cheap” ticket, for IC or ICE trains, is the same as if you are looking for “cheap” flight tickets. The earlier you book the more chances you have to make a good deal. Moreover, avoid peak times, like Friday evening or Sunday evening. In the past I have made some good deals on Wednesdays. Flexibility pays off. Also check the DB’s search engine for saver fares.

If you travel frequently, you might consider to buy a Bahncard. This entitles you to discounted fares, as well as other advantages.

If you want to save money, have a look at alternatives. Have a look at what Ryanair and Wizzair propose, but also Germanwings. More generally, play a bit with Kayak. Also the classical airlines can have interesting fares. The bus may also be an option. On the German side, you should have a look at Deutsche Touring or BerlinLinienBus. There may also be Polish bus companies operating between Poland and Germany.

7/3/2018 1:49:39 PM

Book early.

Most tickets can be bought up to 90 days in advance. Some tickets can be bought only on shorter notice, and some tickets on even longer notice. The cheapest rates get sold first, so you want to be the first to buy the ticket after it becomes available.

Cheap domestic tickets (on any train) are called Sparpreis and exist in domestic and international forms. This is distinct from the Länder-tickets, that are cheap group tickets but do not permit entrance on fast trains (and are thus not practical for intercity travel). You can read more about domestic Sparpreis-tickets here.

Cheap international tickets are called Europa-Spezial and are valid if either starting point or destination is outside Germany (but not both). They exist for all neighbouring countries of Germany and a few further countries (for example, Sparpreis Schweden offers cheap tickets to Sweden). Those are available on limited connections though a special interface. Those tickets are between any station in Germany to a selection of stations abroad (usually those served by direct trains from Germany, or possibly with a single change, but not more). In your case you should be interested in the Europa-Spezial Polen which offers trains between Poland and Germany from €19. For example, booking now for mid-January finds Warszawa–München for €49. See also @neo’s comment below to save more money.

Cheap tickets for night trains are available directly through the CityNightLine interface as soon as tickets become available. (Citynightline no longer exists)

Note that, just like for airfares, with cheap tickets you might want to carefully check the flexibility. You might not be able to change or cancel a cheap ticket, or only at considerable cost. However, if you are going to travel a lot in a short time, consider getting a railpass, such as Interrail or Eurail; then you need only the reservations in addition, which are very cheap (a few euro for a day train) and fully refundable.

7/3/2018 3:15:28 PM

Traveling by train in Germany is expensive. You can get special offers by booking days in advance.

http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/prices/germany/dauer-spezial.shtml

If you are commuting there are special discounts:
http://www.bahn.de/p/view/angebot/pendler/uebersicht.shtml?dbkanal_025=1&dbkanal_007=L01_S01_D001_KIN0014_top-navi-pendlerangebote_LZ01

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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