My wife & I will be traveling by train from Nuremberg to Berlin on Saturday, October 7, and from Berlin to Frankfurt on Sunday, October 15, this year. I want to buy tickets in advance but not too soon, in case our travel plans change.
Any advice on how far in advance I should buy tickets? I've included the days of the week as that could make a difference.
Thanks for any responses.
As soon as your plans are set. The advance tickets will only cost more the longer you wait.
I didn't realize that train fares went up like that. Important feedback - thanks!
What Badger said. I booked my tickets for a trip to Germany in 2022 6 months ahead of time and got the lowest fares possible.
As you purchase the tickets, I would also set up an account on bahn.de/en. After that, download the DB Navigator app. The tickets will be stored on the app so all you need to do is show your QR code to the conductor. It's also handy as the app will keep you updated about any potential delays or track changes. https://www.bahn.com/en/booking-information/db-navigator-app
What is the differential in train fares between 6 M in advance and 1 D in advance?
How many days in advance are needed to get the lowest fare in Germany? In the US, it seems like 2 W is the point at which fares jump. It's possible for the OP to determine this for himself - check the price of Nur->Ber for tomorrow, for 2 W in advance, and for 1 M in advance. Usually you can do this without committing to the final purchase. As to "travel plans change", for us that does not happen, because we make hotel reservations, etc. So a change in travel plans would be a big problem in about 6 ways. I would just buy the tickets. The plans for travel follow the reservations of trains and hotels for us.
Mardee: thank you for that! I'll follow-up as you say.
Buying in advance, the first class tickets are often reasonably priced and they include the seat reservation
I didn't realize that train fares went up like that.
The fares don't exactly go up. The base fare (called the Flexi-price) stays the same. It's just that there are discounts for advance purchase of tickets. The discounts are tiered, with the highest discount tickets being sold first. When the lowest priced discounted tickets are all sold, the only ones left for you to buy are more expensive.
The discounted tickets are not like the full fare, Flexi-Fare tickets. The discounted tickets come as non-refundable or with limited refundability. Full fare tickets are always refundable through the first day of validity, at least.
