Rail/Train Pass Frankfurt

Two people for 10 days is $554 plus about $18 for shipping. If you're only going to take the train 5 days during your trip the pass is $394 plus the $18 shipping.

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/germany-rail-passes

It may be cheaper to buy the pass from Deutche Bahn directly:
http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/prices/germany/germanrailpass.shtml

At $400 for 5 trips, that's about 4 times the cost of buying 5 individual one way (non-changeable) fares well in advance.

I've made 9 trips (19 weeks) in Germany since I last bought a German Rail pass. Before every trip I price out using point-point tickets, regional passes (Bayern-Tickets), and advance purchase, Saver Fare tickets vs. a rail pass, and I have never found a pass to be close to being a viable option.

Most regional passes are less then 30€ all day for two people. For short trips, point-point is often cheaper than a regional pass. Advance purchase ticket are a good option if you are already staying in a city and can be sure of catching the specified trains. They are available for trips that include at least one leg on an express train (ICE/IC/EC). These tickets start at 48€ for two for trips over 250 km or 38€ for two for trips under 250 km.

So, it's better to buy your tickets each day as you travel versus a rail pass?

In rare cases it might be better to use a rail pass, but since only you know your schedule, only you can figure it out what's best. The Bahn's schedule and fare website shows full fare, point-point prices as well as Savings Fare and regional pass prices.

In the case of long distance trips on express trains, the best fares are advance purchase tickets and the sooner you book, the less you will pay.

What is your itinerary?

BTW, a regional pass, like the Bayern-Ticket, can be used for all transport in metro districts (S-/U-Bahn, streetcars, and buses) and is also valid for many regional buses; a rail pass is only valid on the S-Bahn.

Itinerary. We will be doing a series of day trips out of Frankfurt to the following cities/areas:
Wurzburg / Koblenz / Stuttgart / Heidelberg / Wiesbaden / Mainz and some other places.

Wiesbaden and Mainz are commuter train (S-Bahn) so the price is fixed, just buy the day you leave. A pass may work out cheaper since the ticket would include the return and can be bought to include a group up to 5. You could also stop in Mainz on the way to or from Wiesbaden for free.

What's odd about the long distance trains (RE, ICE) is that any distance is the same price for the cheapest tickets (it's the same in Italy), so all the other destinations you are considering bought in advance will be 19 euros (or so, maybe 5-10 euros more) each way.

Hi,

What's on your itinerary for Koblenz? Historical/military sites? For a ten day trip in Germany, I would not suggest getting the ten day Pass, since your trip is too short as well as your itinerary. The ten day Pass is what I use, which presently has a promotion.

An RMV day pass for two to five people for unlimited travel on regional trains and all local conveyances (S-/U-Bahn, streetcars, and buses) between the downtown Frankfurt area and Wiesbaden or Mainz (Gruppentageskarte 5 Personen) will cost 27,90 euro. From there, since Mainz is actually in the state (Land) of Rheinland-Pfalz, you can go anywhere in that state (Koblenz) on regional trains (after 9 AM workdays) using a Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket for 28 euro for 2 people. There are regularly scheduled (every 2 hours) Regional Express (RE) trains from Mainz to Koblenz, or if you want to stop in towns along the Rhein gorge, take an MRB (Mittelrheinbahn, hourly) milk run train that stops at every station.

To go from Frankfurt to Heidelberg, there are regularly scheduled regional trains. The point-point fare for two people on regional trains is 35,80. With sufficient advance purchase, you might get a faster IC for 38 euro.

For Frankfurt to Stuttgart, with sufficient advance purchase you could get a non- or one-stop ICE or IC for as low as 38 euro for 2. You can also purchase a QdL-Ticket for after 9 AM on a work day or a Schönes-Wockenende-Ticket for any time on a weekend day. The QdL-Ticket (Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket is 52 euro for two; the Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket is 32 euro for two). These two Länder-Tickets are all day passes for regional trains only.

"So, it's better to buy your tickets each day as you travel versus a rail pass? ...We will be doing a series of day trips out of Frankfurt to the following cities/areas: Wurzburg / Koblenz / Stuttgart / Heidelberg / Wiesbaden / Mainz and some other places."

The advance-purchase fares on the IC and ICE trains for your longer routes, as suggested by Lee, are good deals compared with normal fares. However...

• You must buy those tickets well in advance (91 days if possible to get the very best fares; if you are attempting day trips, you'll pay double the one-way fare minimum.)
• Saver fares require the use of specific trains on specific days that you select at the time of booking.
• Saver fares are refundable (but there's a substantial fee.)

For those same long trips, a German rail pass offers flexibility of day and travel time and it may be a good solution if you need scheduling flexibility. It can be purchased for a minimum of 3 days - then you might use day passes for the shorter journeys.

Some of your day trips would require many hours on a day pass using regional trains (like 7 hours to Stuttgart and back to Frankfurt on the QdL or the SW ticket - why even bother?) I like day trips but because of the distances I don't see Frankfurt at all as ideal.