Hi, I will be arriving to Heidelberg via Frankfurt airport for about 8 days in the first week of March. I plan to travel one night to Bern, Switzerland, then to Strasbourg for a couple nights. I'll need the rail back to Heidelberg. I won't need the rail much beyond that. I wondered if a France-Germany rail pass would cover trips in and out of Switzerland from heidelberg and strasbourg, and would a four day pass would be a good choice?
Thanks for any advice!!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23268 posts
Probably not. Price it but am sure p2p will be cheaper.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
A pass is almost certainly not worth it for what you have proposed. Go to the websites of Deustche Bahn, SNCF and SBB (German, French, and Swiss rail, respectively) to get some cost estimates. If you can commit to traveling on a specific train in advanced, you can often save a lot of money. In Heidelberg, don't miss the Philosopher's Walk!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Discount fare tickets are for a specific departure date and time. Since you can't guarantee your flight will arrive on time in Frankfurt, buy your Frankfurt airport-Heidelberg ticket at the airport. It will only be a few euro more than the discount fare anyway. If you book Heidelberg-Bern ASAP on the German Rail site, you can get a good discount fare. Buy your Bern-Strasbourg ticket in Bern. There are no discount fare offers. Book Strasbourg-Heidelberg ASAP on the German Rail site to get a good discount fare.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
"Buy your Bern-Strasbourg ticket in Bern. There are no discount fare offers." However, Kehl is the last German Rail station before you go over the bridge into Strasbourg. German Rail will sell you a discounted ticket online from Bern to Kehl for as low as €39. You'll change trains in Offenburg and probably have time there to buy your Kehl Strasbourg ticket (€3,80) so you won't have to get off the train in Kehl. (Or you could buy the Kehl Strasbourg ticket in Heidelberg.)
Posted by
OP
w. yarmouth, ma, usa
11 posts
I only used the Euro rail once in Italy with an Italian friend leading the way, so all your advice was huge! Thanks very much!!!
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
You could not have used "Euro Rail" since there is no such thing. You used Italian Rail, or Trenitalia. Passenger rail service in Europe is not one monolith like Amtrak. Each county runs there own trains. Sounds like you will be traveling on trains run by German Rail, Deutsche Bahn, and Swiss Rail, Schweizerische Bundes Bahn.