Train Ticket Suggestions for Amsterdam -> Berlin -> Munich trip

Formal answer: You need to think about how much you will travel and calculate which option is the cheapest.

But, I really can't see any value in buying a pass for this as it is only two longer trips. Get a BVG-ticket for the local travel in Berlin, apart from the regional trains (and S-Bahn) that ticket also covers the U-Bahn, trams and buses.

These are long jumps for a ten-day trip. Do you absolutely need to cover so much ground? Have you looked online to learn the likely time on the train? How long will it take to get too and from the train stations to your hotels?

It is highly improbable that any railpass will be the best deal. However, travel is so close-in that you may have lost the opportunity for non-changeable, non-cancellable Advance-Purchase rail tickets that cut huge amounts off the cost. Please go online immediately to see if you like the pricing for (most often ... ) a bar-coded ticket that you print at home before departure for Europe.

Have you used the blue menu top left to read our host's free Travel Tips?

Good point, if you haven't bought the tickets you should really do it as soon as possible.

We buy tickets in advance on Bahn.de to get the “sparangebot” prices (special offer). From Amsterdam to Berlin, the trip is roughly 6 hours and can be purchased a month or so in advance for 39,90 euros. Berlin to Munich is roughly 4 hours and the Sparangebot price is 17,90 euros.

These tickets have no flexibility (they are good only for the exact train you purchase) but the savings are worth it.

Local travel in each area is relatively inexpensive and there may be day passes or things like the Bayern Ticket that will reduce the price further. I definitely would not consider a Eurail pass for this trip (or any, for that matter).

Thanks to you all. I went ahead and purchased tickets for both legs, through the DB Bahn website.

2 1st class seats from Amsterdam to Berlin on 10/19 for 125 euros total. Also includes the +City pass for Berlin public transport.

2 2nd class seats from Berlin to Munich on 10/22 for 128 euros total. Also includes the +City pass for Munich public transport.

All in all, reasonable prices I think. We took late afternoon trains in each case in order to maximize our time in both Amsterdam (shorter stay) and Berlin.

That is a huge difference in the Berlin to Munich trip from what I saw.

I thought I must have made a mistake, so I re-checked. My post is correct, but the date I used was 28 October. The special offer price on that day is still 17,90 euro for 2d class on the 9:37 or 10:30 direct train. The following day, a Friday, is much higher—-59,90 and 69,90 for the same two trains. What a difference a day makes! 🎶

Hopefully you know this, but just in case. The "City-Ticket" (+City) is really not a pass, it is a ticket valid for one journey on local public transport.

Keep in mind that the City-Ticket only covers from Berlin Hbf to your destination hotel, then from the hotel to the Hbf on the day of travel to Munich Hbf and continuation to your Munich hotel. The rest of the time you have to pay for local transport. Fortunately day tickets in both cities are inexpensive.

Thanks for the tips on the +City pass. Didn’t realize it was limited coverage. Still very helpful though, since we’ll need to take the city trains to our hotel from Berlin Central and Munich Central. We’ll also look into the day passes as well.

Yes, the point of the city ticket is that you should be able to continue to your destination with local public transport.

But you will probably need some kind of local public transport tickets while you are in Berlin, whether it is a 72 h-pass or a bunch of single tickets. And it might be a good idea to buy them at the station when you arrive before you continue.