(Editor’s note: You only have till the end of the year to take advantage of the 49 euro Deutsche Bahn pass. Government officials have decided to increase the price of the pass to 58 euros per month starting in 2025. At 58 euros per month, it is still a fantastic deal at less than 2 euros per day.)
Germany’s 49 euros monthly transport pass, or Deutschland-ticket, has gotten massive global media coverage. That’s because it’s even better than you can imagine. Take it from me … I’ve used it. Friends and family have used it.
So, I’ve put together a comprehensive post with the pros and cons of using the pass as well as with my tips on how to plan your travels … and a few suggestions about where to go.
Germany is made up of 16 states. With so much to see – everything from the sea to lakes to rivers; large cities, charming villages, and mountain peaks – a transport pass is a great way to go.
I have been to all 16 states, mainly on trains, which is such an easy way to travel. Each state has something unique to offer as you will find out about more below.
Why the pass is better than you can imagine
After purchasing the Deutschland-ticket from Deutsche Bahn, the national train system, you can ride regional trains and all types of public transport across Germany for a flat rate of 49 euros per month. For example, you can take buses, trams, the S-Bahn (Stadtschnellbahn commuter rail services), U-Bahn Untergrundbahn underground railway and even ferry boats within, and outside, cities.
Details about the ticket can be found here in nine European languages including German and English.
So, let’s look at the deets:
PROS:
• Economics of buying a pass. You can potentially make up the price of the ticket in one trip.
• Think of the time and convenience of not having to buy tickets for each type of transport.
• Currently, this ticket is available year-round
• Deutschesbahn trains are (for the most part) well run
• Websites are multilingual and easy to use
• In major cities, transit announcements are bilingual in German and English
CONS:
• You are in second class, but hey!, I always travel by second class.
• You are limited to regional trains.
• You can’t be in a huge hurry with regional trains. If you are, you can always splurge on a long-distance train such as Intercity Express (ICE), Intercity (IC) or Eurocity (EC) trains operated by Deutsche Bahn at some point, say on your way home.
• This is a subscription system and your monthly ticket will automatically renew if you don’t cancel it by the 10th of the month for the following month. If this doesn’t suit your fancy, you can look for other types of passes as my nephew did in Munich, buying a Day Pass for 27 euros.
Tips
Crossing borders on the cheap ticket:
If you are coming from a neighboring country (the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech, Poland, Denmark), you can take advantage of your country’s ticket to cross the border.
For example, from Vienna, you can take a train to Passau, Germany, which is just across the border from Austria. Not only is Passau a beautiful place to spend a day but it can also serve as the landing point for your next destination wherever that may be.
Once when I was in Munich, I stopped in Passau for the night before heading on to Budapest, and then to Vienna.
Here are a few of my train travel tips:
• Book your train trips in advance.
• To avoid super crowded trains, avoid traveling on regional trains during holidays.
• Load the transport app for each city you are visiting. How to find it? Type in the name of the city you are looking for and the words “transit app” on the web or go through your app store searching for the same.
• What if you get stuck in a town you didn’t mean to? Have a meal, take a tour, or book a hotel, and have an unexpected adventure.
• Don’t mess around with German train conductors. Purchase your ticket in advance! (Let me tell you about my time heading home from the Frankfurt airport when I was in a hurry and one of the ticket machines wasn’t working….)
Where to go:
In Germany, my favorite places include everything from Germany’s biggest cities to lesser- known places.
Here are some of my recommendations for where to go for each state:
• Berlin, the capitol, with so much history and culture (State of Berlin), you can never be bored.
• Munich (Bavaria) for the elegant city itself and Oktoberfest. For smaller gems in Bavaria, visit the nearby castles, such as Neuschwanstein; Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which is a walled city; Bamberg, a must-visit for beer tasting; and Nuremberg for its past, markets and gingerbread cookies.
• Hamburg for its parks, lakes and industry (State of Hamburg).
• Dresden for its architecture, summer concerts and other activities along the Danube (Saxony).
• Potsdam for its history and palaces (Brandenburg).
• Frankfurt for its intriguing mix of old and new as well as its many museums and financial institutions (Hesse). As an alternative, try the nearby and slightly smaller Wiesbaden, which has a
fabulous pedestrian zone, wonderful shopping and eating, a casino, thermal baths, as well as a little tourist train that will take you past fancy houses and to the top of the hills for a view of the way.
• Heidelberg, a very worthwhile day trip, is located to the south of Frankfurt. It is known for its world-famous university and a hillside castle complex, which you can tour.
• Freiburg, in the Black Forest, is another beautiful university town you can visit or use as a jumping off point for a hike in the environs.
(Baden-Württemberg).
• Mainz, for its many festivals and the Gutenberg press along with a highly recommended boat ride or train trip to the Rhineland vineyards and villages, such as Rüdesheim and St. Goar (Rhineland-Palatinate).
• In former East Germany, Weimar for its Bauhaus school and sculptures and Erfurt for its architecture and squares, but I also ran into some scary neo-Nazis there. Both Weimar and Erfurt looked a little worn out 10 years ago, but that was also part of their appeal (Thuringia).
• Bremen for its architecture and northwestern charm
(State of Bremen).
• Göttingen (Lower Saxony), one of the towns on the fairy-tale road, where you can hear Hochdeutsch (High German), the standard German, taught in school.
• In the northeastern portion of Germany, you will find Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. If I had to pick between Schwerin and Neustrelitz, I would choose Schwerin, the state capital, for its palace, castle island, cathedral and churches. However, Neustrelitz, which is much smaller, is a lot closer to Berlin: fresh air, a long walk through a lakeside town or a swim, and an escape from the crowds.
• Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf are all located in North Rhine-Westphalia. Bonn was the capital of former West Germany and offers the Beethoven House Museum; Cologne is well known for its Cathedral; and Düsseldorf for its economic well-being and high-end shopping. Both Cologne and Düsseldorf have their own, competing beers, Kölsch in the former, and Alt in the latter.
• Saarland is the tiniest state, bordering Luxembourg and northeastern France on Germany’s western side. On our way from Germany to France, we stopped in Saarbrücken for lunch. Highlights of the capital include the old town, St. Johann Market, the Saar River and the 16th-century stone bridge, an 18th-century Castle, and the Gothic church of St. Arnual.
• On a trip through former East Germany, we stopped in Halle in Saxony-Anhalt. Although Magdeburg is the capital, Halle was on our route. Halle was struggling – it looked a little worse for the wear – but it included some ornate and modern architecture. We strolled by Handel’s House, hung out at Market Square, and talked to some of the locals, who were intrigued to meet us foreigners.
• I spent a day in Lübeck, in the northernmost state of Schleswig-Holstein, which lies directly north of Hamburg. If you are taking the train, make sure to budget time for a fairly long walk from the station to the city portico, which is a sight in itself. Once inside, Lübeck is a relaxing place to walk, have a meal and view the old buildings. Kiel, the capital, is farther north and is known for its world-class regatta sailing
on the Baltic Sea.
From Austria to Germany
My brother and sister-in-law, who are residents of Austria, recently bought D-Tickets for a couple of trips to Germany. Their first was a 10-day trip to five cities in southern and eastern Germany for sights, beer, music, and history (Regensburg, Bamberg, Leipzig, Berlin, and Dresden.)
They even crossed the Elbe on a ferry from Dresden and went to a national park for the day, all on their 49 euros tickets.
They mostly had positive experiences – only one diversion when a three and a half hour trip became seven hours, and once when a train was unbelievably crowded for an hour.
Their second trip was a 3-day trip to Oktoberfest with my nephew. The tickets enabled them to spend their nights outside of Munich, and day trip in for the festivities. They hopped on transit within the city to go to the Englischer Garten (the English Garden), a beautiful public park, where you can eat, relax, and stroll around.
On their way home, their tickets were used for a regional train from Munich to Salzburg, Austria, which is just over the border from Germany.
From Italy to Germany
Two of my friends from Italy took advantage of the D-ticket by flying into Hamburg and spending eight days there. With Hamburg and a nice studio apartment as their base, they concentrated on the five most northern regions of Germany (Hamburg, Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) and traipsed around Hamburg, Bremen, Luebeck, Wismar, and Lueneberg.
In Hamburg, you can hop on a public ferry down at the port and get a ship-side view of some amazing sights and architecture as well as the many vessels in the harbor.
I think the Deutschland-ticket is a brilliant idea and can’t wait to head out on my next adventure.
Eine gute reise!
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Read more about Germany here in Dispatches’ archives.
Mary Porcella is a Europhile who has lived in Germany, Norway, Italy, and the U.S. She is a writer, editor, and photographer. She loves seeing new places, returning to old haunts, and meeting up with family and friends. As of today, her travels have taken her to 20 European countries, and she hopes to visit the rest.