Cheap Ways to Travel Around Germany | Transportation Guides
Well, if you are travelling to Germany and looking for cheap ways to travel around Germany, then you have come to the right place. Since I am in living in Germany currently, you can say it’s one of the best transportation guides by a local. I have covered the range of Travel Pass, which you can understand easily and buy as per your requirements (One Day Ticket, Weekly Ticket, Unlimited Travel, Group Tickets).
Altogether, there are 16 states in Germany and all are well connected via buses, trains as well as airline services. Please note, you just cannot rely on Google Maps for local transport. If you are driving, then its okay, otherwise you will not see any bus number or metro (subway) numbers. All you need to do is download the Deutsche Bahn (DB) App before landing here in Germany.
Most importantly, irrespective of the city you are landing in Germany, DB Navigator can help you buy tickets or passes for any local bus, S or U Bahn, RE, RB, IRE or ICE.
DB Navigator and Connectivity
Whether you have relocated or visiting Germany on a holiday. DB Navigator App is a saviour. With awesome connectivity details and ease of booking tickets online, DB Rails also offer some great offers like flexible fare offer, super saver offer, group tickets and daily pass.
DB Rail’s services include bookings for inter-city travel, local travel, and travelling across the borders. Yes, you read it right, you can even cross Germany borders to other EU nations via train. I can vouch for this that express train journeys are fast and comfortable. Thus, they bring very inexpensive travelling and commuting options to travel around Germany.
All the trains in Germany have both first and second class, where first is always expensive than second class. Make sure you check if the seat reservation is required or not in your train.
S-Bahn, U-Bahn and Trams | Subway and Metro lines
Since, I am from India I generally say ‘ Metro’ to the local high-speed trains. However, in Germany, you call it ‘ S-Bahn’ and ‘U-Bahn’ [pronouced as – Ooo Bahn]. This is a very different name from my previous experiences. For example, in Singapore/Malaysia– metros are called MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), in Hong Kong, it’s known as ‘MTR’ (Mass Trasport Railway) and ‘Tubes’ in London, just like ‘DMRC‘ in New Delhi, India.
I find public transport cheap and affordable if you are on budget travel. Travel around Germany is much affordable if you are travelling in groups. Since Germans prefer family and friends and want you to spend more time with them. The German Government has offers for people who travel in groups. This includes a one-day travel pass and weekly travel pass.
So, the S-Bahn and U-Bahn are local trains in Germany (metro), which you will find in every major cities of Germany. The train numbers are like S1, S2, S3, S4, U1, U2, U3, U4. These trains in Germany are a great option for you to cover cities like Frankfurt or Munich or Berlin.
With a wide range of dense network connectivity, the S-Bahn and U-Bahn will connect you to the main station (Bahnhof). At Bahnhof, you can find connectivity to difference city, region or country to travel around in Germany.
Regional Trains in Germany | RB, RE, IRE
The Regionalbahn (RB) offers a basic stop train service from all local stations. These trains generally have many stops between the two cities. It also connects to the RegionalExpress (RE) trains in Germany.
Long Distance Trains in Germany | ICE-High Speed Train
The long-distance train station operated by German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) to get around by train from anywhere in Germany or Europe. Thus, these High-Speed Trains in Germany will connect you with other countries in Europe. You can also look for overnight travel trains for a comfortable journey to travel around Germany or from Germany.
Local City Bus Transport
Apart from high connectivity via trains, busses are also available for travelling within a city. You can also book your bus tickets from DB Navigator application.
If you have bought a day ticket, group ticket, weekly pass or monthly pass, its valid on both busses and trains (S Bahn or U Bahn).
Where to buy Travel Pass (Train) in Germany?
DB Rail application is your saviour to buy tickets online in Germany. I personally don’t like wandering around at the airport looking for the ticket booth and buy my Train pass. With that luggage and bag pack, I really wish to reach my hotel as soon as possible. In this case, a handy ticket booked online would suffice. As we are a budget traveller, we don’t like spending money on Taxis and pick up vans.
You can book tickets in advance as in like 11 months, 6 months or 7 days in advance. Before you even arrive in Germany, you can book your ticket on DB application.
Types of Train Tickets | Trains in Germany
1. Single Ticket (Travelling from one place to another once)
2. Small Group Ticket (Up to 6 people)
3. Group Ticket (From 10 to 30 or 50 people)
4. Day Pass (Unlimited Travel from 12:00 am to 3:00 am the following day)
5. Weekly Ticket
6. Monthly Pass
7. Tickets for children, pets and bicycle
8. Special Tickets
Which is the best travel pass to buy in Berlin?
Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) is the transportation association system run in public providers of Berlin. You do not need a separate VBB application if you already have DB navigator app.
Please check here for more details of the Tickets and Prices of trains in Berlin.
Which is the best travel pass to buy in Frankfurt?
Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is the transportation provider used in Frankfurt and nearby locations of Hessen state. You do not need a separate RMV application if you already have DB navigator app.
For more details of the ticket and options of Train tickets in Frankfurt: Check Here.
Which is the best travel pass to buy in Munich?
Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (MVV) is the transportation association system of the Bavaria region of Germany. You do not need a separate MVV application if you already have DB navigator app.
Please check here for more details of the Tickets and Prices of trains in Munich.
Best Offers on DB Train Tickets?
I know all you guys have your own different style and way of travelling. If you are also looking for some cheap travel options to buy tickets for DB Trains, this is the right place. This list has a complete overview of Super Saver Fare, Saver Fare, Night Trains, Group Travel Tickets, Train Passes and Bahn Cards. Please note, I am repeating this again, DB Navigator app can help you book a ticket for any region in or from Germany.
Thus, this was an easy guide for cheap ways to travel around in Germany and understand the basic names of the trains in Germany along with their public transportation system. I hope my transportation guide will now give a good idea of how to travel in Germany and where to book tickets in advance.
We hope you enjoyed this post and looking forward to visiting Germany by yourself. If you are already travelling in this region you might wanna read about things to do in Koblenz and some other magical road trips from Frankfurt don’t forget to check some amazing beaches of Germany.
If you are thinking of travelling alone – Here are the recommendation for Top European Countries for Solo Female Travel In Europe. We also covered some interesting topic around the cheapest place to visit in Europe.
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