The 7-day flexi adult version will see a 20% discount for travel before June - price is €220 from DB. See this page for info and other GRP promotion options. Buy prior to April 1.
At €30/day, the price competes favorably with DB saver fares and day passes.
Traveling to other countries too?? The GRP is valid for certain foreign destinations too, including Venice, Brussels, and others.
The German Pass Specials also have Twin discounts. For instance, a 7-day Flexipass for two totals €340 in Germany or $460 today for US home delivery through our link at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/germany-rail-passes. The special requires travel completed by May 31 and is nonrefundable.
Laura is correct that the twin pass is available at DB for promo price of €340; the twin pass is not listed on the linked GRP page for some reason. But once you enter the DB ticket shop and start the ordering process, it appears as an option. (I've edited my original post accordingly.)
Laura writes,
a 7-day Flexipass for two totals €340 in Germany
German Rail passes at normal prices are available at certain stations in Germany, but I'm in doubt about this promotion-price GRP. In the past, I recall that DB has said otherwise - that the promotional price from DB is available online only. The page for this springtime promotion is mute on the issue. I cannot find any indication anywhere at the DB site that the current promotional price is available at train stations in Germany - all I've come across is this page from October at the DB community forum, which confirms that purchases for the 2017 Autumn Special from DB were not available in Germany.
Laura, would you mind confirming the availability of the promotional price in Germany? Someone could have an unpleasant surprise if it's not.
Good question. I may have assumed too much. While it should be simple for German ticket agents to access any rate that's in the computer, their info only mentions purchasing online. Consecutive-day versions of the sale can be ordered there and printed at home.
Personally, I would not book through DB for a flexi pass to be delivered by international mail. I also don't find DB's rail pass shopping cart experience to be up the standard of their regular ticket sales. Orders processed in the US by Rail Europe are delivered by traceable, 2-day UPS (free for orders of $399 or more).
Purchasing in Germany is advantageous since you can ask questions and get in-person guidance - and you get the DB price - but it looks like that's not possible for the promotion.
I haven't had problems with delivery from DB myself.
For comparison's sake... This site (part of Eurail) also sells the discounted GRP 7-day 2nd class twin pass for $439:
https://www.germanrailpasses.com/passes-prices
I used them successfully a couple years ago when DB was having online technical problems and could not manage to sell me a pass. 5-day shipping with tracking costs $12; 11-day economy shipping is free. I like delaying purchase - but no closer than 3 weeks out for me, just in case there is a shipping issue.
Has anyone actually used this pass? I've been trying to locate information on reservation fees for certain trips and cannot find anything. I would like to go from Munich to Venice but there doesn't seem to be availability for passholders.
(Below, I'm revising my previous post. See additional comments in italics - they revise my original text in the quotes.)
I've used the pass. Probably will use one this May again.
*You do not need reservation fees for any of the eligible trains. (If
you WANT seat reservations you can buy them at the standard price.)
This is true for 99.9% of German trains but NOT true for the eligible EC train from Munich to Venice - you need a seat reservation.
https://www.bahn.com/en/view/offers/other/seat-reservation.shtml
It's not like the French rail system - DB does NOT allocate a limited number of seats for rail pass holders - you can just get on the train - as long as it's one of the "DB-OeBB EuroCity trains" - when you travel Munich-Venice. (You cannot use the rail pass to board just any train or sequence of trains.)
*So once you have found an eligible train, there's nothing to do but
climb aboard (and enter your travel date on your GRP of course.)
But climb aboard with your reservation in hand. If you don't have one, I believe the train personnel will compel you to buy one from them. Not sure if they are priced the same in this situation.
The EC 87 from Munich to Venice is direct and eligible - it leaves at 11:34 on the date I checked.
Those rides I do want to reserve as I don't reserve all ICE rides, I buy the reservations when I get to a Reisezentrum in any German city.
The optional seat reservations for German domestic trains cost €4.50 when purchased on the DB web site (use link for "Seat only - no ticket") or in stations. However, the required reservation on the direct, international Munich-Venice train (departs at 11:34 southbound) is not sold on the DB site. It's sold in stations there, which you might do at the same time that you get the pass activated. (Rail Europe's web site also should sell it, but I see that it's not calculating correctly right now.)
That is exactly what I do when getting my Pass activated at the first Reisezentrum upon landing. I pick up the reservations for the night train rides (this time there are 3, instead of the usual to two) and those ICE rides in particular. Getting the seat reservation at the counter does not mean you pay more.
