What is the cheapest way to get from Germany to Spain?

You can use www.whichbudget.com or similar site to see which airlines fly to various cities. The bahn.de website (http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml) will provide train schedules. Where are you traveling from in Germany and what is your destination in Spain?

Hi, thank you for responding. I will check out the airlines website now. We are traveling from near Nuremburg - I will check out bahn.de too - thank you!
I haven't decided where in Spain to go yet ...

As you look into budget airlines, take a look at www.easyjet.com and www.airberlin.com. Both airlines have really cheap airfares if you book well in advance and both fly from certain airports in Gernany to certain airports in Spain. A third budget airline would be the Spanish www.vueling.com but their cities in Germany may be more limited. If you are looking at budget airlines, be sure to read the conditions on their website. There you will see all of the things such as luggage size and weight that will increase the cost of your ticket. The airfares can be really attractive but the extra fees can add up quickly.

Thank you Larry. I caught on to restrictions when I was booking flights to Dublin a few months ago. There were so many add on fees - fees to sit together, fees for check-in baggage and fees for overweight carry-on baggage. AirBerlin looks good - I will check out the other ones you listed too.
Thank you!

The German Rail (Bahn) website will give you schedules all over Europe, but only fares for connections they sell online. These usually include any number of changes in Germany, but only include the last leg starting in Germany and ending in another country. The only exception I know of is Switzerland, where legs entirely in that country can be included as long as long as you stay on express trains. So, you could buy a ticket online from Nuernberg to Geneva with changes in Frankfurt and Olten, CH. With advance booking, a non-refundable Europa-Spezial fare as low as €39 is possible (I see one for Mar 23). Perhaps others can come up with fares from Geneva to Spain. On the train, you can take all the luggage you can handle for no extra charge.

I have looked into taking the train from Spain to Germany before (Madrid to Frankfurt). It's not a very good option. There are no direct routes and the time spent on trains is well over a day. Fly. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive flight options.

Patty, In the same situation, I'd travel by train to the Frankfurt Airport and go from there to Spain. Air Berlin is a good choice, but two important points to note: 1.) The fares often vary according to the destination. Although you haven't decided yet where you're going in Spain, you may find that choosing a "popular" location such as Barcelona provides the cheapest fares. 2.) Some Air Berlin flights are direct from FRA and some have one layover. Be sure to note that when you're making the booking (I always prefer direct flights). If you don't mind travelling a bit further to Hahn, I'm sure RyanAir will have cheap flights also (be sure to budget for the numerous "fees" that RyanAir charges, and be sure to pack light). Happy travels!