Hi all - excited to be leaving for Germany in a few weeks. I am confused by the German trains. I'm looking for fast trains- second class is fine- between Stuttgart to Munich, then Munich to Berlin, and then Berlin back to Stuttgart. What is the most cost-effective ticket to get for the fast trains?
Thanks all!!!
Look at the saver fares.
Possible that also a Bahncard 25 or 50 will help if you need flex tickets.
A Bahncard must be cancelled before probation time leads over into a 1-year contract.
For Berlin - Stuttgart you can have a look at FlixTrain too.
The most cost effective tickets are Super Sparpreis Tickets, which are completely nonrefundable, nonchangeable, and train specific. Prices go up as time goes by, so the best prices will be today.
Check to see what the Man thinks these days.
Also note that DB used to be considered a premier rail company but now has issues with timeliness.
You're a bit late to get the lowest prices, but if you can accept ticketing as firm as an airline, you can get a lower than walk-up price by buying now and printing your ticket at home. (ID may be required when presenting the ticket to the conductor.) As long as you don't have a theater ticket or something, who cares if the train is late? Public transportation is not like that big ole SUV at home - and in fully developed suburbs like mine, traffic can be pretty tough.
Our host's travel hints, top left:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains
Phred's reference upthread was to the Man in Seat 61 website- invaluable info for those not used to European train travel. https://www.seat61.com/
As mentioned, you are a bit late to get the best advance purchase ticket prices, but browse the Bahn site, you might still find some discounted tickets. Sometimes one train will sell out all of it's discounted tickets while another one, for an early train, or on a different route, will still have those tickets available.
For instance, I can see a Super-Saver fare of 19,90€ for a 7:15 ICE train from Stuttgart on the 1st of November.
These tickets will save you some money, but you must be able to commit to a specific train (time and date) or the non-refundable ticket is worthless.
I wouldn't use regional trains to/from Berlin, but for Stuttgart to Munich, if you are willing to take an extra couple of hours, you can use regional trains with a Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket, a regional pass for any and all regional trains that day (after 9 AM workdays) for 44€.
Check the 2nd class vs 1st class prices. Probably too late now but I’ve found the difference to be acceptable when purchased early.
