The DB budget tickets SW or QDL look nice at first glance, especially for two travelers. But it seems that the time involved to go on any lengthy cross Germany trip is so many extra hours since one can only take the slower trains that it doesn't seem worth it, in terms not just of length, but also in energy, for visitors who only have a limited amount of time to do and see things. In contrast the regional lander tickets seem much more attractive for the shorter, smaller town type visits that one might make while staying in a home base type city, especially since only slower trains might be going there.
Has anyone found a DB sweet spot where the SW or QDL is a nice buy when factoring in time?
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
My feeling is that I would only use those regional-train deals if they covered the trains I already wanted to take. I normally wouldn't make a big timing trade off to save the money. Although they cover a wider territory than the Laender tickets, I'd bet that they're still used primarily for shorter distances, like a family taking a day excursion from their home, which may just happen to cross a regional border.
Other money saving options for longer distances include advance-discount tickets and multi-day rail passes for visitors. The German Rail Pass is among the cheapest in Europe, especially for pairs traveling together.
Posted by
San Francisco
14980 posts
@ rob in cal...If you're planning on doing any zig zag train travel in Germany, I would forget the regional train option, ie taking the RB train. Not only slower but more often packed with locals, school kids, etc. I take the ICE esp if it is on trunk lines you are on and also the IC when no transfer is needed. For regional traveling in Germany I would suggest the regional trains and the Länder tickets. I don't use the SW or QDL, not suited for my way of traveling Germany
Posted by
Green Bay
21166 posts
They are also useful when where you want to go spans Land border lines so a Laender ticket won't work.
When plotting a route, check the times and Sparpreis ticket prices. Then click on the "local transport only" button and see what pops up. Occasionally you will see that using regional trains does not really cost you much or any time at a reasonable cost and more flexibility to hop on and off at will.
There are also tricks from Lee "The Master", like making the first part of the trip with an IC or ICE, and the continuation with regional trains. Then you can get the Sparpreis, but the continuation can be made on regional trains as you wish, making stops along the way if you so desire.
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
"If you're planning on dong any zig zag train travel in Germany, I would forget the regional train option, ie taking the RB train."
The Regionalbahn or RB train is the milk-run option that stops everywhere. But the RE trains (regional express) are also accessible with the SW and QDL and Laender tickets, and in many cases they substitute nicely for high-speed equipment. (The less common Inter-Regio Express (IRE) trains and S-Bahn trains round out the equipment options. With the SW and QDL tickets, there are also many private regional operators you can use, like VIAS on the east Rhine bank with their own train labels.)
One "sweet spot" for the SW and QDL tickets is the oft-traveled Rhine-Rothenburg route (which crosses through 3 separate Laender.) With a bit of luck, two can use a saver fare, purchased 1-3 months in advance for Bacharach-Rothenburg at a pre-determined hour, for 58E (lowest possible price - if the 58E tix are sold, you'll pay 78E or more.) This trip of 4.3 hours includes the high-speed train between Mainz and Wuerzburg - but the other trains are regional. This is a good deal, but you must travel as scheduled, basically, as far as Wuerzburg. Changes or refunds involve a penalty. ALTERNATIVELY... Buy a SW ticket at the last second from any ticket machine and use the regional trains only (which on this trek adds about 45 minutes total to the trip) for 44E/2 adults. Catch any MRB or other regional train you like from Bacharach. Stop over for any length of time you wish in Mainz or wherever; as long as you ride the regional trains and make it to Rothenburg the same day, your ticket is valid. And of course, with the SW or QDL ticket, there's no need to buy months in advance for a good price since it's always availablIe. Also, if your train to Mainz is late and you miss your ICE train to Wuerzburg, you don't have to hunt down train personnel to OK your original ticket for use on the next one to W'burg - with the SW ticket, all you need to do is get on the next regional train. If you choose to spend a night or an hour longer in Bacharach, you incur no penalty. And except for the ICE between Mainz and Wuerzburg, the SW (or QDL) ticket means you'll be riding the same regional trains as with the pricier saver fare ticket.