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even more train questions Munich-Berlin-Lohne-Amsterdam

Posted by (Michigan) on

I think you can never have too many train discussions, right? We are debating pros and cons of German Rail passes for our 4 adults, 2 "youth" (ages 22 and 26) arriving in Munich June 28 and touring there and Berlin before heading to a "775th global family reunion" (yes, 775!) in Lohne and then flying out of Amsterdam.

So, main train travel will be airport to Munich Hauptbahnhof June 29, ICE train Munich to Berlin July 2, ICE + regional train Berlin to Lohne, regional trains (?) Lohne to Amsterdam (date to be determined, likely July 9 or 10).

Since most of our travel dates are set (airfare purchased, accommodations reserved), it seems like purchasing advanced tickets individually might be the cheaper way to go? We don't mind paying a little bit more (but not a lot) for the convenience of a pass though...Thanks for your input!

Posted by
4049 posts

A pass is inconvenient if travelling on the major trains that require a separate reservation (at a separate price). Check out point-to-point tickets first, especially when early purchase allows drastically lower fares that include reservation. The sage to consult, always, is www.seat61.com

Posted by
20141 posts

I think that the "con" is that a rail pass will cost nearly twice as much as buying point-to-point Sparpreis tickets now. I get 100 EUR for 4 people direct Munich to Berlin, 120 Euro for 4 to Lohne, and 80 EUR for 4 to Amsterdam.

So how much do you want to pay extra for "flexibility". Airport to Munich Hbf is a cheap group day ticket from MVV. Amsterdam Cetraal to Schipol is equally cheap.

Edit- I did it priced considering 2 "adults" and 2 "youth" (actually 4 adults). 2 more adults would just be 50% more, or 450 EUR. 3 adult twin passes (actually cheaper per person than 2 separate Youth passes) would be a total of 876 EUR.

Posted by
268 posts

There is no reservation requirement in Germany or the Netherlands; this issue exists in other countries (France, for example). So that is not an argument against the pass.

Posted by
14521 posts

If there are savings to be gained, then it is a matter of priorities, ie, savings vs flexibility. Which is more important to you, more priority , more value? Are you willing to sacrifice savings over flexibility or vice versa? Or, forget the savings and have at your disposal the flexibility.

The trains you are taking in Germany do not have mandatory reservations, that's one good feature of German trains. It's your choice to reserve a seat or not, the worse scenario is that you stand or sit on the floor in the hall way on the ICE. I've been on numerous RB and RE trains that were packed, sometimes I stood, other times I sat while lots of riders stood, sat on the stairs, etc.

Posted by
20141 posts

But seat reservations are only 4.50 EUR per seat per itinerary and may be a good idea to get if you want insure you sit together. The train between Osnabruck and Loehne is a regional, so no reservations there. The others are ICE or IC trains. They can get crowded at times.

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