Train station and Train Safety

I'm planning a trip through Germany using trains during September. I'm not aware of any "immigrant unrest" in Germany at the moment. There were some protests in January that were pro-immigrants, but I know of nothing recently.

I've just returned from 2+ weeks in Germany and Austria, a trip which included transfers in Munich, Mannheim and Cologne. Nothing I saw anywhere on this trip spoke to me as evidence of "unrest" on the part of immigrants or anyone else.

What is your source of information on this unrest, and what if anything was said about the chances of it occuring during your dates of travel? I've read/heard nothing at all so far that would undo any potential plans I might have for June.

I've traveled all over Germany by train in the last year and took public transit to and from the train stations.

Never had a problem nor saw a problem.

In fact, I'll be back in Berlin next week and my hotel is about a 10 minute walk from the Hauptbanhoff. I plan to walk unless the weather is bad.

I only travel by train. There is no immigration unrest happening in Germany. You will be fine as the trains and the stations are safe.

No idea what Gettransfer is, but usually I just use taxis if needed, from the airport to get home if I am tired. Taxis are abundant and legal, so why pay more for something that is already readily available?

Second Ms. Jo's opinion.

There are no "immigrant unrest" in Germany.

Choose taxis (all rides metered, cars licensed, drivers especially educated) or public transport for transfer. Search and book train tickets on https://int.bahn.de/en.

Heads up: Euro 2024 starts mid of June in Germany. Some cities, trains and places might be more filled up temporarily.

Thanks to all for your safe recent experiences in Germany. My husband shared his concerns after hearing about random attacks in Germany some time ago - we were not sure about locations. Just wanted to make sure we were making wise choices for transportation! Did not know about Euro 2024, thanks for heads up on that!

Will the unmentioned segment between Heidelberg and Cochem be a driving segment? Just wondering since Cochem lacks car rental/drop-off locations AFAIK.

Get transfer is some kind of global consolidator based in Hong Kong and Cyprus- which tells you everything you need to know. Why use them when you can just get a taxi locally- where part of their money isn't being creamed off by a third party. Whether or not they are "legitimate and trustworthy".

Heidelberg to Cochem is bike and barge.
Planned on getting taxi from Cochem Saturday June 21/22 to train station and connect to get to Cologne to see Cathedral’s Shrine of the Three Kings.

Biggest challenge seems to be disembarking Danube River Cruise at Passau in the morning and getting to board our barge for barge and bike trip starting in Heidelberg. It is some 4-5 hours away - was going to attempt train. Long way for taxi.

Passau > Heidelberg: You're looking at roughly 6 hours between Passau Hbf and Heidelberg Hbf station. Travel times vary depending on departure time. On your date there is a replacement bus (EV) for the train out of Passau which is covered by the train ticket. This bus takes you to Osterhofen, where you shuttle onto the train to continue your journey. Some cruises dock in Vilshofen (which is also served by the EV bus on its way to Osterhofen; starting the journey at Vilshofen shortens the journey time by about 25 minutes.)

One or two train transfers, depending on the journey you choose, will be required after the initial bus ride. I did not see any journeys on the DB site which require a transfer in Mannheim, specifically, but I did not check every possible journey throughout the day.

https://int.bahn.de/en/

Please post a link to the "immigrant unrest" you have heard of. As others have noted, I am not aware of any current "situations". I have traveled on several German trains within the past year.

Perhaps you are thinking of the situation that existed in 2015 - 16?

Media will amplify everything, Just like you are not permanently at risk to be shot in the US you are also not at risk when travelling in Europe. Yes, bad things happen, and then they are then all over the news for days, making people forget that it is only news because it is so rare...

Thank you for your assurance about train/ bus safety.

What my husband heard about an attack was an isolated incident in the news. However, since we do not travel abroad frequently it caught his attention.

Thanks also for alerting me to the need to get a bus out of Passau for our train connection on the way to Heidelberg!

Since this is a travel, rather than political forum, I will refrain from any comments regarding issues with immigration in the US vs Europe. Instead, I will pass along a couple of travel anecdotes from 2023 associated with peaceful protests.

In Cologne it was actually kinda fun to watch the farm tractors rolling down the city streets in support of their French colleagues. And in VIenna, the tram lines circling the city center (reference Rick’s Vienna tours) were closed for a couple of hours to accommodate a protest (don’t remember what it was about).

My point? IMO peaceful protest is a part of European culture. Be flexible with your plans if a protest interrupts your trip.

jkh - the tractors in Cologne were there because the farmers in Germany were protesting. They were not there to support the French farmers. They were protesting all over Germany. They were in every city and on every autobahn.

Thanks to all! Think we now know what to expect and how to proceed with our train connections over mid-June in Germany!
You have been so gracious!

You are more likely to run into large crowds of soccer fans than unrest. One of the UEFA games is in Köln on June 22 (Belgium v Romania) and one on June 23 in Frankfurt (Switzerland v the home team of Germany). But those shouldn't disrupt your plans at all--just make for fun people watching and hopefully a celebratory atmosphere.