We are going on the Rick Steves Germany/Switzerland/Austria tour in the fall. Is it best to get train tickets from Frankfurt to Trier in advance on the Bahn web site or to wait until we get to the train station?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
IMO, there is no reason to purchase tickets in advance unless you can get discounted fares. You can get from FRA to Trier with local tickets to Mainz (@ €4,10/p) and a Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket (€25 for two people) - €33,20 for two people. You can buy both tickets just before you travel from an automat at the airport. The trip will take about 4 hours and there are no reservations for regional trains. If you want to be a little (less than 1 hour) faster, you can get advance purchase Savings Fare tickets online from the Bahn website starting at €29 for 2 people (via Mainz and Koblenz). However, these are train specific tickets and, if you plane is late, you lose them.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
For an extra €2, for personal service, you can buy all of those tickets at a ticket counter in the airport Bahnhof. But the new touchscreen Bahn ticket machines can display in English. I think the instructions are pretty straightforward.
Posted by
OP
Portland, Oregon
12 posts
Thank you. That's a big help.
Posted by
OP
Portland, Oregon
12 posts
Thank you, Lee. Are there instructions in English to get us through the train-ticket process in Frankfurt? Our fourth Rick Steves' tour, but riding a train in Europe will be a new experience.