Travel with a Deutschland Ticket but using a ICE or IC train on occasion

There likely are solutions that use only regional trains, but the DB site, for that distance, will default only show faster connections, even if you deselect faster trains.

Since no reservations or tickets are required, you could old-school it and just hop trains in that direction. But if you want to use faster connections, your best option is to buy an ICE ticket between larger cities. I do not think any good pass, in connection with the D-Ticket really exists.

I keep coming up with ICE trains especially when traveling from Biberach to Freiburg im Breisgau

Biberach (Riß) right?

I don't see the problem. Click on Mode of Transport and select "local transport only," if you haven't done so yet. That provides journeys without ICE. I find morning departures at 7:58, 8:58, 9:58, 10:08 with 2-3 changes; travel is fully covered by the D-Ticket.

The only pass option for IC / ICE and other high-speed trains is the Eurail pass (global, or just for Germany) which you'd buy at Eurail.com.

I'll also add that the DB site is not very good at routing using local trains in some locations. If you use an app like Rome2Rio that can help. I'm become accustomed to just searching the local rail services for moves between cities and then picking up the DB schedules. Make sure you have a ticket for IC or ICE trains, I find those usually get checked, and it can be expensive to buy a ticket if you don't have one. And if you can't do that they will put you off at the first stop.

Still, there are sections where your only logical recourse is IC/ICE. Then you buy another ticket. That's what you have to figure into the cost of staying in places like Biberach or Ravensburg. They are out of the way, and that adds to the time and cost of visiting.

If, instead of Frieburg, you stay in Villingen-Schwenningen, you can do the whole trip by train on the D Ticket. Or you can go to Villingen-Schwenningen from Ravensburg, and from there to Freiburg on the regionals. But this is a 5-6 hour trip, if the trains are on time.

You could also consider staying in Offenburg instead of Freiburg, which would make the regional train use easier.

Note: As Russ says, there are trains that you can use for Biberach to Freiburg, but there's construction on that line at both Biberach and Frederickshafen, and there's a chance the schedules will be affected. You need to consider what your plan will be if you miss a connection.

Thanks for the comments, and Russ yes that is Biberach an der Riß. And thanks for finding the early times! I wanted to go to both Ravensburg and Biberach because my genealogy history had my great grandparents living in those areas, no relatives there today, but I wanted to see the area.

Please be sure to review all those times on your own at the DB site for your specific date(s) and the changes of bus/train and layover times as well... make sure they will work for you, and if not or if you have additional questions, feel free to post your concerns.

I would definitely get the DB app, especially if you are getting tickets as you go.. If you have any definite dates and times, book ahead on the website and save tickets to the app (always bring a hard copy backup).

This may be a stupid idea, but any thoughts on me renting a car one way from Fussen to Freiburg during my trip mentioned above. I can do my stops in Ravensburg and Biberach and then on to Freiburg. The RS Germany book mentions Fussen having traffic jams, plus I just checked Kayak for a search on car rental from Fussen to Freiburg Im Breisgau, several prices end up about 300 euros with tax. An another but is that fact of the drop off locations being something like 1.5 kilometers away from the town centers-the place I need to be. Can anyone out there confirm my doubts about car rental. Or do does anyone think it is a due-able plan?