Train questions for Northern Germany.

So now you have those price details and know which have the greater savings for advance purchase. In comparison, the price per person for a German Rail Pass for 7 travel days in a month is $233 per person or 10 days is $298 (based on twin discount and price drop planned for next Tuesday). That compares well with the prices you found above, and allows you to hop on nearly any train without much planning. Seat reservations cost extra with either tickets or pass but I doubt that I would bother with them. It sounds like these are short trips, so other regional day passes or shared tickets may work. There is no senior discount for German rail, except when buying an annual BahnCard, useful for longer stays.

Reservations are not sold for regional trips, which should include parts or all of anything involving Quedlinburg and Binz. When possible, I always get a purchase a seat reservation. Not to guarantee a seat (there's always vacancies), but for convenience. With a reservation, you know which carrriage to board and you then procede directly to your spot. Otherwise, you may fumble around for a little while looking for an opening.

Do you have your hotels picked? I can give you some recommendations for Berlin, Dresden, Quedlinburg and Binz.

Nancy, didn't you have questions about this trip earlier?

You have eight days of travel. Six of the last 7 days are with regional passes (Länder-Tickets). They require travel on regional trains only, but I can see no case where regional trains take significantly more time the express trains, if these trains are even available.

For Dresden-Quedlinburg, you can use a Sachsen-Ticket for the whole route. The fastest route uses a bus and takes no longer that with an express train. That bus is probably included with the Sachsen-Ticket.

The 52€ "Savings Fare" for Quedlinburg to Lüneburg is a Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket, a weekday hop on/off ticket for regional trains all over Germany. No prepurchase needed.

For Lüneburg RT to Hamburg, a Niedersachsen-Ticket for 27€ should cover all your travel.

Not sure how you get Lüneburg to Lübeck for 27€. Lübeck is in Schlewig-Holstein; most of the trip from Lüneburg is in Niedersachsen, so a Niedersachsen-Ticket will not cover the trip. However, point-point tickets should only cost 31,40€ for the two of you.

With those changes to your estimate, I get 235,40€ ($252.40 today) for the last 7 days of travel. These are all routes where the trains are regional and regional passes give you as much flexibility as a rail pass, and you can buy those ticket the day of travel; no need for advance purchase. So if you have to puchase a train-specific, non-refundable ticket for the first travel day (I assume you will have spent several days in Berlin and can be sure of making that specific train) in advance, to save $150 vs a pass, I'd do it.

Thanks, Tom. I do have hotel reservations, including Rugard Strandhotel in Binz, which you recommended to me in an earlier post.

Lee, I did ask abut this trip earlier. Actually, it ended up being almost completely planned with the help of you and others on the forum. You've just given me a great guideline for the tickets I'll need to purchase and I so appreciate that. It may be that I'm particularly dense on this subject, but could you humor me and explain how one knows when a regional pass is appropriate. I don't see anything about passes when I go on bahn.com to book a particular trip. Is it a matter of knowing German geography and all of the passes available, or is there some clue that I'm missing? Again, you've given me the information I need for this trip, but I'm looking for some education here.

On a different subject, you earlier suggested that we see some of Saxon Switzerland. I especially liked the idea of taking a cruise on the Elbe from Dresden to Rathen and, then, returning on the train. But, once I saw a picture of the Bastei Bridge, I knew we had to include that. What I'm not finding is good information about getting off from the cruise and up to the bridge. It appears that, from Rathen, there is a bus going up to the bridge (or part way), but I'm not positive about that.

Thanks again for all of the help you've given me in planning this trip!

Hi,

To answer your query: part of it is knowing German geography, ie which places in a given Land (province) you want to see in terms of cities and towns accessible by regional train

Good that you're going to Lüneburg. Which hotel have you reserved there? For that day trip to Hamburg just buy the ticket from the machine at Lüneburg train station. Lüneburg's train station has coin lockers located on the train platform against the building. If you feel more comfortable buying the ticket from the DB personnel, the DB office is also located at the station.

Getting to Berlin Tegel from Berlin Hbf.....take the TXL bus at Invalidenstraße outside of the Hbf, bus after bus stop on that block.

but could you humor me and explain how one knows when a regional pass
is appropriate. I don't see anything about passes when I go on
bahn.com to book a particular trip. Is it a matter of knowing German
geography and all of the passes available, or is there some clue that
I'm missing?

Here is a link:
http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/prices/germany/laender-ticket.shtml

In English the Ländertickets are called "regional day tickets", but a better translation would be state tickets. They are usually valid within a state, like Bavaria, Hesse or Saxony. Usually, because there are some exceptions. The Ländertickets of Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt are valid in all three states, which means with a Länderticket of Saxony you can travel from Dresden (Saxony) to Quedlinburg (Saxony-Anhalt). And in case of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (M-V) Länderticket the route from Lübeck to the state of M-V is covered by the ticket.

On a different subject, you earlier suggested that we see some of
Saxon Switzerland. I especially liked the idea of taking a cruise on
the Elbe from Dresden to Rathen and, then, returning on the train.
But, once I saw a picture of the Bastei Bridge, I knew we had to
include that. What I'm not finding is good information about getting
off from the cruise and up to the bridge. It appears that, from
Rathen, there is a bus going up to the bridge (or part way), but I'm
not positive about that.

Don't take the bus but the train, which runs along the banks of the Elbe river. If you want to arrive early (less people) take the train to Rathen, otherwise take the ship (timetable). To get from the train station to Rathen you have to take a ferry (1.50€). From Rathen I recommend to hike a bit. Here is a map:
http://www.wander-pfade.de/images/stories/berichte/schwedenloecher/schwedenloecher-wanderkarte1.jpg

From Rathen follow the green bar to the Amselgrund. Afterwards turn left and follow the blue bar through the Schwedenlöcher to the Bastei bridge. Don't forget to visit the remains of Neurathen castle. Hike down to Rathen and take the train or ship back to Dresden.

On our last trip to this region, we found the german Rail system quite disappointing. We reserved seats, only to find that after trains had been canceled, and the passengers combined on the next one, our seats were double-booked. So, we were two parties who've paid extra for seats, but half of us had to stand with no chance for a refund.

Staff in the stations in Berlin and Dresden were unhelpful. I speak German but they simply told us "i'm sorry I don't know anything" (umm, then why are you wearing the uniform and hat?!) Finally, they were all sealed trains - not the nice old fashioned ones with windows you can crack. As they had "air conditioning", the windows don't open - except of course the A/C was broken, so we simply sweltered in an enclosed train car with no ventilation. I was longing for the old smoke-filled trains with a window I can crank.

We had MUCH greater pleasure riding the commuter rails that connect smaller towns (RB - Regionalbahn) Those trains move slowly but have plenty of ventilation and were not as crowded. Take them whenever you have the option.

Hope this is helpful.

Nancy, first of all, I want to say Hooray! and congrats that you're going to all these wonderful northern Germany places! I see that the trains from Quedlinburg to Lueneburg all have a stop or a change of trains in Uelzen. Be sure to at least look out the window at the train station. It was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a really interesting artist and architect.

Also, I hope you end up liking Binz as much as I do. Love love love the beach and the Promenade and the restaurants (Gosch, and the Meerbar at the Hotel am Meer, where I stayed). Also the Junge Baeckerei, where you can get good sandwiches and pastry.
You can take the steam train, Rasender Roland, to Sellin to see the wonderful pier. Renting a bike and riding west from Binz to see the Prora is also quite interesting.

I don't know what it's like in July, but in early September I heard no Americans or other English-speaking tourists in the Binz area.

Anyway....have a wonderful trip, and may your trains all be on time! :)

(

"I don't know what it's like in July, but in early September I heard no Americans or other English-speaking tourists in the Binz area. "

I've been there in June and July. Same deal. I think it's completely off the radar for most foreign tourists, other than Poles, Danes and Swedes. Let's hope RS never makes his way around, lest it becomes like the Cinque Terre...

Hi,

I rather doubt that you will see any Americans at all in Lüneburg either. Most likely, you two just might be the only ones. In all my trips to Lüneburg one time I saw another American. He was staying at the same hotel, never saw or heard any others in museums, restaurants, at the train station, or exploring the town. A greater chance of seeing other Americans might be in Lübeck but don't bet on it.

You won't have to spend 27 euros for your day trip from Quedlinburg to Wernigerode. The regional bus service is more direct than the train and will be considerably cheaper. When I stayed in Wernigerode a couple of years ago, I got a book of vouchers in exchange for paying the local tourist tax at my hotel that included a regional bus pass for the duration of my stay, so I didn't pay any travel costs for my day trip to Quedlinburg at all. Don't know if that will happen if you stay in Quedlinburg.

We've been at the ball park all afternoon (Spring Training in AZ) and I just came home to all of these wonderful responses! This is going to take a little digesting before I get back to you. Many thanks!

Agree. Lueneburg and Luebeck, and even Wernigerode, will likely not have any other Americans around. I did find that a number of the Germans I met and talked with in Binz were there to celebrate something special, like a birthday or an anniversary, or in one case, a little lady I talked to outside the bakery was from Lueneburg and was treating herself to a nice getaway. She was staying at Rugard. :)

I love the architecture of those northern, Hanseatic League cities, and I also love the food. Gross to some, but I had herring at breakfast numerous times. Yum! :)

Fred, our hotel in Luneburg is Bremer Hof. And, thanks for the info on getting to Berlin Tegel at the end of our trip.

Martin, thanks for the Bahn link. I've copied it into my travel notes.

If we take the ship to Rathen, is is obvious where to begin your suggested hike? And, how strenuous is this? When you refer to the green and blue bars, are these trail markings or the bars on the map?

Hille, we'll definitely get a look at the train station in Uelzen. Will read up on Friedensreich Hundertwasser, too. It's the little things like this that make traveling so interesting, isn't it?

Thanks for the suggestions for Binz. I think we're going to love it there? Did you use the spas at the Strandhotel?

Philip, thanks for the bus suggestion for Quedlinburg. We'll look into the possibility of vouchers while we're there - what a great deal!

Philip is half right. I see that for the Harz area, which includes Quedlinburg and Wernigerode, your kurtax gets you a Harzer-Urlaub-Ticket which gives you free transportation by bus and tram in the area, but not by train. However, the train from Quedlinburg to Wernigerode takes 45 minutes vs 53 minutes by bus. But hey, if it's free, what's eight minutes. Watch your time carefully, because the buses back to Quedlinburg later in the day take significantly longer.

Wernigerode is a neat town, with lots of Fachwerk buildings. I understand that during the Cold War, East Germany invested a lot of money making Wernigerode nice so they could bring visitors there (it was near the border) and say, "see how nice it is in East Germany". If you go there, I would suggest seeing the castle that overlooks the town. Otherwise there is not much point to going there.

On the other hand, you might take the narrow gauge, steam railroad to the top of the Brocken, the highest point in northern Germany, site of a radio listening tower out up by the Stasi to intercept western communications to West Berlin, and inspiration for Walpurgisnacht in Goethe's Faust. The trip to the top of the Brocken on the narrow gauge railroad is not covered by either the Harz-Urlaub-Ticket, the Sachsen-Anhalt-Ticket, nor any rail pass.

If we take the ship to Rathen, is is obvious where to begin your
suggested hike? And, how strenuous is this? When you refer to the
green and blue bars, are these trail markings or the bars on the map?

Both. And it's all quite obvious. You first follow the main road of Rathen for a few metres until here, where not only trail markers (green bar + Amselgrund + Amselsee + Schwedenlöcher) but also this old sign tell you to turn left into the small side road. The trails are very well marked, you just have to follow the markers... and the other tourists (this is probably the most popular hike of the mountains).
And how strenuous it is? Well, the altitude difference between the Elbe and the Bastei is 200 metres, and there are many steps (700+), which can be slippery at times. But it's worth it.

" Otherwise there is not much point to going there." Other than being an extremely attractive town? As kind of noted already by Lee, if you don't have a car and you want to ride the Brockenbahn (recommended!), your only convenient option is from Wernigerode.

I don't know if you can tour it (probably not), but one of Germany's largest brewers, Hasseröder, is based in Wernigerode.

One more thing, Nancy... you've received a lot of good advice and I applaud that you've taken the courageous step of going against the grain of the Rick Steves travel universe in planning this trip. When you get back, make sure you write us a thorough trip report!

The train to the Brocken from Wernigerode wasn't cheap, but I enjoyed the trip up there, in spite of the chilly windy weather.. There was an interesting photo/newspaper display in the building housing the cafeteria that showed how ecstatic the hikers of the region were when "the wall came down". The border between East and West had cut right through the middle of the national park with all it's "Wanderwege" (hiking trails).

Although it is possible to go on the narrow gauge train all the way from Quedlinburg to the top of the Brocken, it's a long (5+ hrs) trip.

It's shorter (under 2 hours) to take the train from Wernigerode. If you get the bus pass from you hotel, you'll only pay for Wernigerode to the Brocken.

But the shortest train stretch is from Schierke, the last stop before the top. That trip takes 30 minutes, one way. There is a bus, #257, from Wernigerode to Schierke. That bus might be covered by the bus pass also. I don't think you save on the train. It looks like the fare is the same from any HSB station to the top.

@ Nancy...

Not familiar with Bremer Hof. I stayed at "Hotel Stadt Hamburg" a two star place across from the huge church, the Johanniskirche, the other two places I don't recommend, one being the HI hostel.

You'll find Lüneburg a very nice relaxing serene place, great walking town, a perfect place to escape from the hectic and noise of a big city, not swamped with tourists, they're in Hamburg, or Lübeck or Kiel. The only ones I saw were German on my last visit there in 2009. My first full day In Germany was spent in Lüneburg, when I took the train from Lübeck for a day trip in Lüneburg, the first of many visits there over the years, sort of like a traditional pilgrimage. Be sure you see the Church of St John (the Johanniskirche) and the immediate area, Bei der Johanniskirche. From your schedule I see you'll be in Lüneburg over the week-end of 18 July, which is the Saturday "farmers' market." That takes place in that square in front of the Rathaus.

This town escaped the war intact, was not fought over nor bombed out, was quickly taken over by the British upon their reaching the lower Elbe and the greater Hamburg area. South of Lüneburg on the Lüneburger Heide was the site of the British Second Army's Tac HQ where the Germans effected one of their four surrenders in April-May of 1945.

Yes, the buses between Schierke and Wernigerode are covered by the pass.

So many thanks to all of you for your help, interesting notes and suggestions! I've included every word of it in my travel plans. You've given us lots of good options. And, Martin, the picture links you included are wonderful. The Bastei hike is a definite go for us.

But it looks like the fare to the top of the Brocken is the same from any station on the HSB, so you wouldn't save any money taking the bus to Schierke. I'm sure, when I went up the Brocken in 2008, that the fare was lower from Schierke (but I was staying in Braunlage, so Schierke was the closest station).

Hello Everyone,

I had intended to report back to you at the end of our trip, but I can't go another day without offering my thanks. We finished the RS St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Helsinki tour and flew to Berlin for a five day stay. Our time in Berlin was made a bit difficult due to some 99° days, but we made some adjustments and thoroughly enjoyed the city. We're now in Dresden for four nights and what an amazing city it is!

I first have to thank all of you who helped me put this trip together. Your suggestions and advice were far better than any guidebook I've seen. Special thanks to Lee, Tom and Martin for all of your train advice, including itinerary, schedules and the basics of using the German rail system. Right now, I can't remember who told me to extend my planned two nights in Dresden, but I'm so glad we did. Today, we took the train to Rathen for the hike to the Bastei Bridge. Thanks to Martin for the step-by-step directions, along with photos. We had an amazing day hiking up to the bridge and, then, beyond to take photos. (I absolutely wasn't leaving without photos from above after that climb!). Just a note for others who might be considering this hike - I'm 71 and my husband is 80 and we made it just fine. We're both in good health and we work hard at keeping in good walking condition, but it's quite doable. I will admit that we're weary travelers tonight, but that's not too unusual these days.

I know I'm leaving names out, but please know that I so appreciate all of your input. I think that this Helpline is simply an incredible resource!

Nancy