Hi,
Having some trouble figuring out best way to travel by train...
I%26#39;m travelling Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark this December. I am going to buy a Eurail pass for long travels (e.g. Frankfut to Paris) but not sure how many days I need to select. For German section of my travel, I%26#39;ll be doing Bruges (Belgium) -%26gt; Cologne, Cologne -%26gt; Bremen, Bremen-%26gt; Lubeck, Lubeck -%26gt; Sonderborg (Denmark). I need to do these travels all in separate days, as I%26#39;ll be staying in those cities. Is it better to buy point-to-point tickets or should I include these trips in Eurail pass days? Also, I went into DB website, for Cologne to Bremen, it%26#39;s suggesting Bahn Card. What is this? And there are many different Bahn Cards, 25, 50 and 100? Can you kindly explain how this works and which way would be cheaper for me? I%26#39;m travelling with three daughters by the way. (15, 12 %26amp; 11 y.o.) Thank in advance!
Veronica
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BahnCard is a one-year pass that gives a discount of resp. 25, 50 or 100% on standard fares either for 2nd or 1st class. These are of use to people who live in Germany or spend a longer time here but not for short-term visitors because these passes cost quite a bit of money.
That said, I have to mention one exception that might be interesting for you: DB offers a %26quot;Test%26quot;-BahnCard 25 valid for 4 months for the price of 25 Euro at the moment. For teenagers up to 19 years, a one-year %26quot;Youth%26quot; BahnCard 25 costs 10 Euro. These give you a discount of 25% on all 2nd class DB tickets.
Buying a BahnCard is a subscription, so remember to cancel it in time.
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You look for some advices on rail travel here - europetrainsguide.com/200907153/Countries/Ge…
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There are a number of points which will make a rail pass not the best option:
- you can only buy a 1st class Eurail Pass for yourself
- your 11 year old can get the same pass for 50%
- the other 2 have to buy youth passes - these are however only for 2nd class. Or you buy 3 saver passes for 1st class
BahnCard is in first place an offer towards residents. However in your case a BahnCard 25 for all of you will pay for.
1 x Probe-BahnCard 25 (the 4 months test version) for you EUR 25,00
3 x Youth BahnCard 25 for EUR 10,00 each
thus EUR 55,00 for all of you together.
BahnCard 25 gives 25% discount on the standard fare but also in combination with some specials. BahnCard 25 gives you also 25% discount on tickets from/to Germany to abroad. This is why it pays for also for your 2 youngest daughters which are inside Germany free if traveling with you on standard fare tickets (but must be listed on the ticket). If buying a ticket with a BahnCard this will cover also local public transport at your destination city (Cologne, Bremen, Lübeck). This is shown on the ticket e.g. as %26quot;Bremen+City%26quot;.
You can buy the BahnCards on spot in the DB travel center at Frankfurt Airport. The 4 months test version offer is good till March 2010. You need photos like for a passport for each of you. You%26#39;ll get preliminary BahnCards on spot. The real ones are send to your home address (a useless exercise in your case - but this is the way how it works). Don%26#39;t forget to cancel the BahnCards in time, latest after arriving back home.
DB timetable
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
From: Frankfurt
From: Frankfurt Airport
To: Paris Est
Of course you should give all 4 travelers. Each with a BahnCard 25. It%26#39;s sufficient to have the BahnCard when boarding. You have however in this case only the option to use your credit card to verify the online ticket. Thus you have to bring the printout and the credit card you paid for it. Or choose delivery by mail (adds EUR 3,50 shipping fee). Such a ticket on DB special paper is not personalized.
A route where seat reservations are compulsory. However included in the price. A ticket I would buy in advance. If you travel only next day to Paris, i.e. not directly from Frankfurt Airport, you can buy also a discounted special. These specials are only valid for the booked connection. No change. No refund. While standard fare tickets are flexible (beside the compulsory seat reservation in this case).
From Bruges (Brugge) to Cologne (Köln).
I%26#39;ve seen specials for the direct ICE trains from Brussels to Cologne for EUR 28,00 (for all 4 of you together!). A ticket you should book as soon as possible.
Thus query for
From: Bruxelles-Midi
To: Cologne
and sort out the part Bruges to Brussels locally.
Paris to Bruges
Check with www.thalys.com for specials.
For the other trips past Cologne DB timetable shows no special, as here the combination of free under 14 years olds and the BahnCards 25 is less than the specials. You can buy these tickets online or after arriving in Germany. Please note that the days around Christmas and New Year are the peak travel days of the whole year. Here you better reserve in advance. A family seat reservation if bought together with your ticket is EUR 4,00. If bought online (only possible for domestic trips inside Germany) without a ticket it is EUR 8,00.
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Thanks so much for the detailed replies.
Abalada,
So, according to your advice, it%26#39;s better for me to buy the point-to-point tickets rather than the Eurail pass, even for the long journey like Frankfurt to Paris and all the other destinations I mentioned. Is that right? So, look for the best special deals that are available? Also, I%26#39;d benefit from purchasing the Bahn Card 25?
Can I get this straight, please? So, Bahn Card 25 is a kind of a discount card, not actually a train ticket. I pre-purchase the Bahn Card at EUR 25 and EUR 10 for my three kids, then I use these Bahn Cards to get discounts for train tickets. Is that a correct understanding?
So, should I forgot about buying a Eurail pass all together?
Veronica
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Sorry, I have another question. I understand that the specials don%26#39;t last long. So, if I book the special train tickets now with the Bahn Card discount on line %26#39;now%26#39; and then purchase the Bahn Card %26#39;later when I arrive in Frankfurt airport, is it OK?
Thanks for your time and all.
Veronica
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