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Best Train Ticket Option

My wife and I arrive in Frankfurt on Friday September 18th, we are then taking train to Sankt Goar, we depart from there on Monday morning and will be taking the train to Munich and then on to Freising that same day where w are staying. We will train into Munich on Tuesday and train to Frankfurt airport on Wednesday.
Is there is a best ticket price option that would cover all rather then buying the ticket for each leg of the journey?

Thank you

Posted by
2305 posts

St. Goar - Munich - Freising: Buy a Sparpreis (saver fare) ticket (approx. €36 pp, valid only for the long distance train you have selected when booking). You can break up your journey in Munich and later take any local train to Freising (S, RE, ALX).

Freising - Frankfurt: Since train tickets over 100km are valid for two days you can cover the entire trip with a Sparpreis ticket from Freising to Frankfurt too. Again, you have to decide on your Munich - Frankfurt train when booking. For the Freising - Munich leg you are free to take any local train.

For FRA to St Goar I'd buy two standard ("Flex Price") tickets €22.10 pp). You might save a few Euros by splitting the fare into two different Verkehrsverbund tickets, but in my view it's not worth the hassle.

Book at the DB web site (www.bahn.com). If you register your ticket cannot get lost. And you can download it to the DB app on your cell phone as well.

Posted by
65 posts

great info on the fare saver.

Still always confused as to where to buy the tickets, should they be pre purchased on the DB website?

Thank you

Posted by
19052 posts

Is there is a best ticket price option that would cover all rather
then buying the ticket for each leg of the journey?

NO!

You could purchase a German Rail pass for two, but it would be way too expensive compared to individual advance purchase, SparPreis (savings fare) tickets and local tickets. Do what SLA says.

Still always confused as to where to buy the tickets, should they be
pre purchased on the DB website?

Pre-purchasing on the DB website is about the only way to buy SparPreis tickets, since they have to be purchased at least one day in advance, and the prices are "tiered" - that is, the price goes up as the less expensive tickets sell out. Buy them as soon as you can commit. The local tickets can be purchased at any time; there is no price advantage to pre-purchase online.

You can break up your journey in Munich and later take any local train to Freising (S, RE, ALX).

SLA is referring to a feature of SparPreis itckets called Vor- und Nachlauf (which is explained on the ticket, but in German). It means that, although the ticket is restricted to a specific (date and time) long distance train, any regional train on the same route to/from the long distance train can be used as long as the trip to the long distance train is on the same day (ie, after midnight) or the trip from the long distance train is completed by 10 AM the following day. So, in your case, you couold spend an indeterminate time in Munich that day before proceeding to Freising by S-Bahn or regional train.

Posted by
65 posts

thanks for the info.
Looking on the DB website and selecting Sankt Goar, can somebody explain what the difference is between

Sankt Goar - Biebernheim , Am Burggraben 2-10
Sankt Goar - Biebernheim , Am Burggraben 11-18
Sankt Goar - Biebernheim , An Der Bach 1-10
Sankt Goar - Biebernheim , An Der Bach 5
etc .....

Thanks

Posted by
19632 posts

Deutsche Bahn site also shows local bus stops for many towns, and that is what you are seeing. You just want "St Goar". If the site asks you to specify a stop, just click it again and it will know you want the train station.

Posted by
65 posts

ahh, got it, thanks again.
Last question. Looking at the schedule we arrive from Mainz to Frankfurt HBF (tief) and the transfer time is 10 minutes, is this enough time to get from "Platform 102" to Frankfurt (Main) Hbf ICE 625?

Thanks so much, greatly appreciated.

Posted by
19632 posts

Well, DB say it will take you 10 minutes for an 11 minute connection. I'd look for something a tad more comfortable.

Posted by
19052 posts

I think the Bahn is overestimating the time to go from the S-Bahn to the ICE. Two years ago, we came into the ground level part of the Hauptbahnhof on an RE from the direction of Würzburg and transferred to the S-Bahn in the underground (tief) station. I don't think it took 10 minutes to do it. There are escalators from the middle of the platforms (101 - 104) in the S-Bahn station to the main level of the Hauptbahnhof. I think one escalator goes to the parking garage under the front of the station and the other one to the main track area. They should be clearly marked, to the parking garage with a sign with a letter P with a roof over it and to the trains with a picture of a train. There are also elevators from tief to the ground level track area. From the map, it looks like it is elevator number three. Here is the map; the S-Bahn station is on ebene -3 (third underground level).

When using the map, notice the direction of north (0----->N). Although the S-Bahn tracks are shown running left to right on the map, they actually run parallel to the tracks on the main level, which are shown running vertical.

Here is a picture of the ground level end of the escalators to/from the tief station. The escalator comes up opposite track (Gleis) 15. Looking at tomorrow's schedule on the Bahn website, ICE 625 will leave on track 7, 4 platforms away from the escalators in the same direction that you come up. That could change on the day you travel, but I would bet 625 will leave from a track near 7 on the day you travel. If you have internet access, check with the Bahn website a few days before you travel for the track number. It should be posted at least a week before. Actually, if might be posted on June 14, when the schedule for the 2nd half of 2020 is posted.

If you want more time, click on "adjust the transfer time" above the ICE 625 connection, then click on "arrive earlier ...". It will show you a connection leaving St Goar earlier and giving you about 40 minutes to make the connection in Frankfurt.