Our family of 4 - two adults and 2 teens ages 13 and 16 will be renting a house in Tübingen, Germany this summer for 11 weeks.
We want to be able to get on a train any day of the week and go for a day trip in Germany or near by countries we can travel to and from in one day. Since we are renting a house long term, we want to save on lodging for most of our trips and travel departing early and returning in the evenings. We will occasionally travel for 2 or 3 days to another country as well. What type of pass/tickets will be the best for us? I have not been able to find a 2 or 3 month Germany only train pass. Also are there any German bus passes that work everywhere?
Posted by
Salt Lake City
1481 posts
For starters, you will be in the state of Baden-Württemberg and can use the the Baden-Württemberg ticket to visit any part of the state on regional trains and other local means of travel. The B-W ticket costs 28 euros for 2-5 people, good for all day. You can not travel before 9AM on weekdays with it. Here is a map of the extensive area that it covers.
You can check schedules on Die Bahn (German Trains)
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
Change "Means of Transport" to "only local transport" to get the appropriate trains, buses, etc.
Regards, Gary
Posted by
Salt Lake City
1481 posts
Here is a description of all Länder Tickets including the Baden-Württemberg Ticket. I think that this would a great tool for you. Less expensive than a pass on any given day. Baden-Württemberg is a very large state with a wealth of sights. The BW-Ticket also allows visits into a few places in Bayern (Bavaria) as well.
http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/prices/germany/laender_tickets.shtml
Regards, Gary
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
I would go for the Laender tickets as well. It's a cheap way for a family to get around.
They are valid for the day but don't begin until after the morning commute so you can't depart as early as you might otherwise.
They are for the local trains which aren't as fast as other options (because they stop frequently) but have always worked well for our family. The local trains are often the better (or only) choice for stopping at the charming smaller towns.