When I was in Germany in October, I bought the DB regional ticket for the state of North Rhine Westphalia to use for day trips within the state and it was very convenient.
I will be staying 2 nights at a Frankfurt airport hotel and would like to buy a similar regional ticket on the DB. Which regional ticket covers that area? Thank you.
The RMV is the Frankfurt Verkehrsverbund is pretty extensive. Map is here.
https://www.rmv.de/c/fileadmin/documents/PDFs/_RMV_DE/Linien_und_Netze/Liniennetzplaene/RMV-Schienennetzplan.pdf
Frankfurt is in Hessen, so the Hessenticket day pass might work...
https://www.rmv.de/c/en/tickets/your-ticket/tickets-overview/day-tickets/hessenticket/
https://www.rmv.de/c/en/tickets/your-ticket/tickets-overview/day-tickets/day-ticket
But it really depends on your destinations. The RMV authority sells the RMV day ticket - not a DB ticket, but still valid on all regional trains.
https://www.rmv.de/c/en/tickets/your-ticket/tickets-overview/day-tickets/day-ticket
But the RMV day ticket doesn't cover all of Hessen. And it covers destinations OUTSIDE Hessen as well, like Bingen and Bacharach.
The conditions of use for the RMV ticket aren't quite the same as the Hessenticket either.
Where do you intend to travel?
I’m not sure where — Mainz? Heidelberg? Koblenz? Bacharach?
These links are really helpful. The RMV looks interesting. I can’t find the cost of a day pass. Is there a one price day pass for the region?
Frankfurt is in Hessen, so the Hessenticket day pass might work...
I don’t see the Hessenticket on the DB app. Can you show me the link?
https://www.bahn.com/en/offers/regional/regional-day-tickets
These and the RMV tickets can be bought at the station as well. No need to buy in advance.
DB also sells the Day Ticket for Germany for interstate travel:
https://www.bahn.com/en/offers/regional/day-ticket-for-germany
Russ, the DB app offers “regional offers” with a daily pass within the state or region for around €25-30 depending on the state or region for 1 person which is cheaper than what the above links offer. I didn’t see Hesse though. I do see “Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket” and “Saarland (Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket)”. I wish I could find out what that covers.
I would certainly buy a day pass on the day of travel as I did when I was in Germany in October. I’m just trying to figure out if it would cover Heidelberg. RMV doesn’t. Or else I’ll take advantage of the interstate day pass.
Heidelberg is in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Mainz, Bacharach, and Koblenz are in Rheinland-Pfalz. For those 3 you can buy an RMV ticket to Mainz and an R-P ticket for the rest if you want to hit them all in one day. An RMV Tageskarte is just every so slightly cheaper than 2 one way tickets for the same distance.
I would certainly buy a day pass on the day of travel as I did when I
was in Germany in October. I’m just trying to figure out if it would
cover Heidelberg. RMV doesn’t.
Neither does the Hessenticket. But the link I gave you for the H'ticket indicates how close you can get to Heidelberg with the H'ticket. It is valid for travel...
"...in the cross-network fare zones between VRN and RMV
to the towns of Hohensachsen and Lützelsachsen in the township of Weinheim..."
Which means you'd need a supplemental ticket for Weinheim-Lützelsachsen to Heidelberg Hbf to stay on the train all the way. On the RB train from Frankfurt, that's about 30 additional travel minutes through the VRN - and you'd need a VRN ticket for that stretch. OR, as you suggested, perhaps the Day Ticket for Germany.
Hessenticket map: https://www.vrn.de/mam/tickets/tarifgebiete/hessenticket.jpg
Can't help you with what's on the DB app and what isn't.
As Sam indicated, the RMV Day Ticket has a generous travel zone with many fine places to visit. The same is true for the Hessenticket. You'll probably have a very nice day staying within those boundaries. Heppenheim - accessible on that same RB route to Heidelberg - would be a nice trade-off, for Heidelberg, just for example. Both the RMV and the Hessenticket passes should get you there.
Look on the RMV website and you may find it is cheaper and easier to just buy a day ticket to where you want to go. Perhaps Limburg, or Bad Homburg, or Hessen Park or Rüdesheim.
www.rmv.de
Look on the RMV website and you may find it is cheaper and easier to just buy a day ticket to where you want to go
This may be a silly question but when you say a day ticket, do you mean buying a roundtrip ticket that can be used any time of day on RMV trains like NYC’s suburban commuter rail?
A day ticket costs slightly less than 2 one-way tickets in the RMV. The ticket is priced more-or-less on the distance traveled, by the "preisstufe" (price level). For instance, a one-way ticket from Frankfurt airport to Marburg is 17.60 EUR, but a day-ticket is 34.30 EUR. So with the day ticket, you could go to Marburg, stopping anywhere along the way as you like, and return the same day for 34.30 EUR.
Sam, thanks. Can I buy a day ticket at the RMV machine? If it’s in German, what is the word for day ticket?
Also, to clarify, if I buy a ticket between the Gateway Gardens S-bahn station & Marburg, I can depart the train at any stop before Marburg and then get back on another train later heading to Marburg on the same ticket?
The RMV ticket machine will have a small Union Jack (British flag) icon. Press on that and everything will be in English thereafter.
German word: Tageskarte
From the English description:
The day ticket permits one person to travel any number of journeys on all forms of RMV transport within the selected area of validity. It is valid on the day of validity until 5:00 am the following day or until the last night service journey. RMV mobile phone tickets are not available to purchase in advance.
A day ticket is valid from the time you buy it until close of business that day. It is not a 24 hour ticket. You can use it to ride all forms of transportation in those zones you are traveling to, as much as you like. U-bahns, S-bahns, buses, trams and regional trains.
The machines are really easy to use, with touch screens and they switch to English.
Ms. Jo & Sam, thank you for the clarification. I think I’ll get the Tagescarte as that sounds like a great deal of flexibility. I have a few months to pick my destination for the day trip & that’s half the fun. Thank you for letting me know that the ticket machine has an English translation.
In addition to my day trip, on my first night (my train arrives around 4:30), I will go out to dinner in Frankfurt’s old town. To stay at a hotel very close to the Gateway Gardens Sbahn station seems like a great convenience for commuting into & out of Frankfurt. I’m sure it’s easy to buy inbound and outbound tickets especially since there’s an English translation at the ticket machine.
For those only going to Gateway Gardens (GG) to stay at a hotel overnight for a quick into or out of Frankfurt Airport, the short 1-stop trip between airport and GG is eligible for a reduced-fare Kurzstrecke ("short stretch"). As of writing, the one-way Kurzstrecke adult-fare is 2.10€. By comparison, a one-way adult-fare between Frankfurt Airport and Frankfurt city proper is 5.80€.
Frankfurt Airport and its immediate environs, including GG, is in separate "zone" 5090, whereas the much larger and surrounding Frankfurt city proper is zone 5000. The bilingual RMV 2023 brochure for guests includes a map and a description of fares.
If the OP is going to go into the city though, after dropping off bags at the hotel in Gateway Gardens, then an all day ticket from the airport to Frankfurt makes more sense. It is 11.30 € and covers all the trips. Going to Gateway Gardens from the airport, going to Frankfurt and coming back to the hotel.
On the late afternoon I arrive at the hotel by Gateway Gardens, I will drop off my bags & then simply take the Sbahn into Frankfurt for the evening & then taking the Sbahn back after dinner to Gateway Gardens.
My plan is to buy a day trip card the following day. Is there a discounted Sbahn rate between Gateway Gardens & Frankfurt for that 1st night? Would buying another Tagescarte specifically for that first night between Gateway Gardens & the old town be a less expensive possibility than buying two single tickets? If so, would that Tagescarte include both the Sbahn & Ubahn?
Preisstufe 4 ticket. 5.80 EUR one-way or 11.30 EUR for a Tageskarte. You save 0.30 EUR.
Sam, does that €11.30 include Sbahn & Ubahn?
The tickets include all forms of public transportation except ICE and IC trains. So, S-bahns, U-bahns, buses and trams from start of business to end of business on one day.
Get a day ticket at the airport. This will cover your trip to Gateway Gardens, and then your trip into Frankfurt and then back to Gateway Gardens.
I live here and this is the best ticket for you to buy.
You do not have to validate your tickets in Frankfurt. They are either time stamped or all day tickets. Write your name on the back of the all day ticket.
Thank you Ms. Jo. That’s wonderful! This will allow me to use the Tagescarte right away when I arrive at FRA by ICE train. When purchasing the Tagescarte at the airport, do I select Gateway Gardens & a specific Frankfurt station in which I can use the card as much as I want that day and if so, which station do I select? Again, thank you!
Just pick Frankfurt. Gateway Gardens is on the way, just one stop from the airport. There is a button that says Frankfurt.
I appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions. So selecting Frankfurt would include ubahn stations within the old town neighborhood?
Wonderful!
Yes, it includes all of Frankfurt and any stops between the airport and Frankfurt.
Thank you!
