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Buy German Rail Pass or Individual tickets for this itinerary in July?

Posted by on

I just read 2 other recent posts on rail travel in Germany and learned quite a bit--thank you all. My question is whether I should buy individual Saver tickets for rail travel or buy a German Rail pass for this schedule with 5 train trips. I checked the Deutschbahn schedules and current Saver prices are 19.90 Euros for each trip, which would be less expensive than a 5 trip pass (2nd class is $263). Do the Saver prices change or become unavailable closer to July? I understand they are for specific trains and at this point I'm not ready to commit to specific times for all of these days of travel.

Fly into Frankfurt July 3 wed (my flight arrives in the morning direct from Dallas, so I'm thinking of going to the Palmengarten, but I will be back at the end of the trip, so should I try to do more or hop a train to Heidelberg instead of spending the night?)
Train to Heidelberg July 5 Thur (2 nights)
Train to Karlsruhe July 6 Sat morning (visit distant relatives I've never met, 2 nights, this is the only definite commitment before Jul 12)
Train to Munich July 8 Mon (2 nights in Munich, I'm mostly interested in art museums and gardens, sketching)
Train to Nurnburg July 10 (1 night)
Train to Frankfurt July 11 (4 nights for a weekend Urban Sketchers event--I could change to stay 2 nights in Nurnburg and train to Frankfurt on July 12)

Next Trip Berlin and northern Germany!

Posted by
2326 posts

  1. Frankfurt to Heidelberg can be done with local trains; a flexible ticket is €21.30. There are several Flix Bus connections from the Airport to Heidelberg, prices from €6.

  2. Heidelberg to Karlsruhe is a S-Bahn connection (0:53), €10.30, buy from a vending machine on the spot.

  3. For the Karlsuhe to Munich leg I'd decide as soon as possible, since flex prices start from €75.00 and using a saver fare you can save up to 50%

  4. Munich to Nürnberg can be done with a Bayern ticket for €25 (each additional traveller: +€7; valid on any local train after 9am, travel time 1:45 compared to 1:05 - 1:15 by ICE)

  5. Nürnberg to Frankfurt: flex price is €64.50; it's a popular connection, so best saver fares may be already sold out (saver fares are available six months out and popular ones sell out quickly).

To sum up, even if you buy flex price tickets for the two most expensive legs you will end up at just under €200 - no need to buy a pass.

Posted by
16893 posts

Yes, the Saver ticket prices can both change or become unavailable closer to July. There are a few different levels of discount and limited seats sold at each discounted price point. You may still get a pretty good price closer to departure, but on the actual day of departure you would pay the standard fare. On the other hand, some of these routes could be done with cheap day-tickets if you stick to the regional trains; see info and links at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/germany-rail-passes.

Posted by
11 posts

Thanks for links to the seat61 site--very educational!-- and the suggestion to use S-Bahn or Flix bus to Heidelberg, which I had not considered before. The bus directly from FRA to Heidelberg has me thinking again--and back to looking at hotel availability in Heidelberg. You expert travelers are exceptionally helpful!

Posted by
14499 posts

How about taking a day trip from Karlsruhe to Rastatt? Maybe your relatives might be interested and take you there.

In order to reach Rastatt, you usually have to go through Karlsruhe. I visited it once in 1989. But Rastatt I did as a day trip in 1992.

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