We will be traveling with a Eurail pass this summer. We know that there is a Navigo Easy Pass in Paris and a tap in and out system in London. Note: I’ve read what is included and is not included on the Man in Seat 61, but I’m unsure of which of those are local transport. First time visitor.
Will the Eurail Pass cover local/general transport in all of Germany?
Is there any travel card for local transport (mainly bus, tram, metro), if Eurail isn’t included?
Thanks!
You received a lot of helpful answers on your other thread. Did you see those?
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/eurail-pass-countries
Dutch_Traveler—still looking for some answers, though. Thanks!
It's better to keep the discussion in a single thread.
I don't think Eurail pass covers any local transport such as buses and metros. Even the train from Interlaken to Lautenbrunen in Switzerland it only gave a 25% discount and thats an actual train.
still looking for some answers, though. Thanks!
which specific answers do you still need? I thought the other answers were pretty clear. What is still confusing?
I believe Eurail IS valid as far as Lauterbrunnen, the discount only happening above there.
I used to go to Wilderswil annually on an Inter-rail and don't remember paying a supplement from Interlaken.
The linked RS advice agrees with me.
Hi, TravelMom, I understand the train system can be confusing so no worries about starting a new thread to cover just Germany.
Basically the Eurail covers trains only; with some exceptions. The easiest way to find out is at the Eurail site, which has a list of each country covered by the pass that details what the pass covers in that particular country. Just scroll down and click on the link. https://www.eurail.com/en/plan-your-trip/trip-ideas/trains-europe/useful-train-information/participating-railway-companies
In Germany, it will cover everything that is listed in the link above. If you want something that covers local transport within a city; i.e., bus, tram or metro, you can either subscribe to a Deutschland ticket (commonly called the D-ticket) that allows you to travel on regional trains in German (including Salzburg and Kufstein in Austria and Schaffhausen in Switzerland) but will also cover local public transport within each city (except Salzburg and Kufstein in Austria and Schaffhausen in Switzerland). :-)
So what you need to do is figure out whether the cost of the D-ticket (€58 each month) is worth it. A lot depends on how many people are in your family (children under 6 are free, but everyone else needs their own ticket), how long you will be in Germany and in what cities/towns you will be staying. It might be easier and cheaper to just pay as you go. Many cities in Germany, such as Munich, are very walkable and you might not need public transport as much. I was in Berlin for a week, and didn't use public transport that much as I walked whenever I could. So I would try to do the math as much as possible.
To be honest, I don't think it would be worth it, since your Eurail pass would cover the train travel that you would get with the D-ticket. So you really you would only be using it within the city for public transport. But again, I would do the math. There is also the additional chore of having to cancel the D-Ticket by the correct date so that you do not continue to be charged for it. It's not that much of a hassle, but it is something to think about that you have do.
EDIT: Just an FYI, most major cities in Germany and in Europe have their own travel card for public transport. For example, you can find one for Berlin by visiting this website: https://www.berlin.de/en/public-transportation/1772016-2913840-tickets-fares-and-route-maps.en.html Some will be geared for tourists, and these usually include public transport plus entrance to many major sites. One example is the Berlin Welcome Card. The easiest way to find these is to visit a particular city's tourism website and there should be information about that. Or you can come back here and ask specific questions (in the relevant forum) about each city's options for public transportation and whether there is a travel card.
Will you have a CONSECUTIVE/CONTINUOUS EURAILPASS (30 days of unlimited travel within a month, for example)??
...or a FLEXIBLE PASS (10 days within a month, for example)??
The railpass is valid for both long-distance (ICE, EC, etc.) and regional (RE, RB for example) trains. But there are TWO kinds of regional trains and both are covered by the Eurailpass....
1) RE and RB trains take you from one town to another.
2) Then there's the S-Bahn train systems, which also fall into the regional category and are found in major cities. S- is short for STADT (city) - meaning that it's for getting around within the city and its suburbs - and this system might cover your needs to some extent within places like Munich, Berlin, and Frankfurt.
Munich S-Bahn: https://cdn.foravisit.com/_munich/mvv/s-bahn/_xl.gif
Berlin S-Bahn: https://sbahn.berlin/en/route-map/
If you can make good use of the available S-Bahn stops and don't mind the walking needed to get between them, a CONSECUTIVE/CONTINUOUS pass permits unlimited travel on the S-Bahn at no extra charge.
With a FLEXI pass, however, you would need to purchase additional railpass days to cover those days on the S-Bahn :( :( which is not a good value when compared to the Deutschland ticket or the local city day passes Mardee mentions... these latter options cover not only the S-Bahn but also the "standard" (RE, RB, etc.) regional trains within network boundaries, the subways, buses and the trams.
