We, My wife and I, are traveling to Germany starting January 25, 2019 to about February 12, 2019. we are flying into Frankfurt and will be traveling Wurzburg, Rothenburg, Freiburg, Munich for about 7-8 days. then back to Frankfurt. Then train to Berlin. Then to Paris. What would be the best, most cost effective rail pass to get? We are both 63 years old, are there any senior citizen discounts on the trains? On the Germany flexi rail pass, the one that can be used over a month long time, is the month a calendar month (Jan 1-jan 31 or Feb 1 to Feb 28) or is it for 30 days? We may fly from Berlin to Paris, depending on how long the train ride is and how much. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you Brad
Posted by
San Francisco
14507 posts
Taking the train between Paris and Berlin, you can expect the ride to take ca. 10 hours. I've done it as day ride... in 1995. Now it can be done partially at night.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8141 posts
Have you looked at a Germany map? Your itinerary takes you all over the place from the far southwest to the northeast. Unless you have specific reasons to visit these cities, other towns closer together might be preferred.
You can fly from Berlin cheap on EasyJet.com. 1 hour in a plane sure beats 10 hrs. on a train.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, USA
321 posts
Hi Brad & Pat- why are you returning to Frankfurt from Munich then catching the train from Frankfurt to Berlin? Why not catch the train from Munich directly to Berlin? And why did you choose the towns listed? Freiburg appears to be the outlier in the sequence listed. And if this is your first trip to Europe, is there any way to change the dates? You have picked the worst time of the year for short days and bad weather which can cause unplanned-for trip interruptions....And some hotels/restaurants/sightseeing venues are closed.
The train station at the Frankfurt airport is within a few blocks of Terminal 1 in the airport. Use
https://www.seat61.com/ for a lot of good info re trains in Europe.
I hope you have a good trip and dress warm...
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
The fastest Berlin-Paris train connections take 8.5 hours with one connection at Cologne or Mannheim. Flying can be cheap; see www.skyscanner.com, for instance.
If you fly to Paris, then the rest of your trip can be done with a German Rail Pass with twin discount, about $195 per person for 5 travel days within a one-month period or $245 for 7 travel days. Wurzburg-Rothenburg would be the shortest, cheapest ticket to buy separately.
The one-month period starts when you have the pass activated at a train station, such as from January 25 to Februry 24. There are no relevant senior discounts either on German train tickets nor on this pass.
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
Yes, take a direct train from Munich to Berlin rather than going back to Frankfurt. If you want to spend some time in Frankfurt do it when you arrive.
And fly from Berlin to Paris, the train journey is very long and not especially interesting.