I am having difficulties understanding the German Bahn rates. I am planning a 2 week trip in Dec.2009 and would like to travel from Bondorf (Herrenberg) to various cities (Rothenburg,Bamberg,Nuremburg,Strasbourg,France and even a weekend in Paris). The "savings fares" vary when they are available. Is there any one who could decifer the Bahn chart?
Posted by
Freedonia
14980 posts
FYI--train fares and schedules are only posted at most two to three months out. It's too early for December.
Posted by
OP
Manchester, NH, USA
6 posts
I understand that Frank, I used dates a little closer, in order to see the fares.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Bondorf and Herrenberg are in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bamberg, and Nuremberg are in the state of Bavaria.
DB has a new ticket called "Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket" which allows unlimited travel all day throughout Germany across all states ("Laender"). Travel must begin after 09:00 on weekdays and is limited to regional trains. The fare is €34 and you can buy it from station ticket machines. This special ticket should be cheaper than any two Savings fare tickets (one to get you from Point A to Point B and the other to get you from Point B back to Point A, both points being within Germany). It will definitely be cheaper than buying a Laender ticket for Baden-Wuerttemberg plus a Laender ticket for Bavaria.
You can, however, benefit from Savings fares if you go to either Strasbourg or Paris. When offered, the Savings fares vary according to the types of trains taken and how many tickets are left for each discounted price. When the cheapest Savings fare tickets are gone, there may still be some available at a slightly higher price. It pays to book at www.bahn.de ASAP (up to 90 days allowed). Those fares are for specific departure dates and times and are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.
Posted by
OP
Manchester, NH, USA
6 posts
Thank you Tim
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
Rothenburg, Bamberg, and Nürnberg are fairly close to each other and quite a ways from Herrenberg. Are you going to make three day trips or one overnight trip to all of them? It will cost more for a Dauer-Spezial-Ticket to, say, Wuerzburg, which is central to all of them, but you can use a express train to get there.
Posted by
OP
Manchester, NH, USA
6 posts
We plan on using Bondorf(Herrenberg) as one base town (I have a brother that lives there). Rothenburg on the Tauber will be a 3-4 day stay with day trips to Nuremburg and Bamberg. From Bondorf we plan on making day trips to Alpirsbach,Freudenstadt, Strasbourg and maybe even Colmar.