I’m looking at train tickets from Strasbourg to Cologne in early December for 2 people. On the SNCF app, the price is 284€. Same trains on the DB app: 99.80€. The train numbers are the same, both in second class. Is it normal for different companies to have such different prices? On DB, first class is only 12€ more. I feel like I must be doing something wrong.
Posted by
Wengen
1684 posts
Strasbourg - Cologne is going to be entirely, or almost entirely, on German trains. The issue here is that when SNCF sells tickets for German trains they only sell full price tickets (their booking system really only recently has realised that there exist other countries than France...)
So in this case booking with Deutsche Bahn, which does have some interesting discounts, is the better option.
Posted by
2422 posts
Also check out via > https://www.thetrainline.com
Posted by
Green Bay
20143 posts
For even less money (79.80 EUR Sparpreis Europa) and an hour longer journey, you could take the IC train from Mannheim that travels along the scenic Rhine River route.
Posted by
Augsburg, Bavaria
2335 posts
On DB, first class is only 12€ more.
That's DB's "Super Sparpreis Europa" (super saving fare Europe), which is non-refundable and non-exchangable. Don't book it if your travel date isn't set in stone.
The next fare level, Sparpreis Europa, can be exchanged at least until one day before departure for a fee of €10 and a voucher (!) for the remaining amount, and in your case costs only about 7€ more.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6354 posts
The issue here is that when SNCF sells tickets for German trains they only sell full price tickets (their booking system really only recently has realised that there exist other countries than France...)
Hahahahaha! Very funny, wengen!
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19099 posts
Also check out via > https://www.thetrainline.com
In my experience, Trainline is not a very good substitute for the Bahn website. Ditto RailEurope.
The absolute best place to buy tickets for trains within Germany is from the Bahn. Anyone else is a 3rd party reseller who sells for a higher price and/or adds service charges. Third party resellers sometimes try to restrict your options to higher priced trains and often don't offer (even seem to be aware of) Lander-Tickets and regional passes which can save a lot of money.
I've never tried to buy a ticket from German Rail for a trip entirely outside of Germany, so I can't comment on that.
For a trip with one end outside of Germany, sometimes even a trip requiring one or more train entirely in the other country, you can often get the tickets from Germany Rail, probably for the lowest price.
When buying tickets involving rail travel in Germany, search first on the Bahn website. There are exception. Czech Rail often offers heavily subsidized tickets between from Czech stations to the German border or to German stations for less than German Rail can offer.
Posted by
Wengen
1684 posts
Train line is good when buying tickets across the Latin/Germanic Europe divide. This because it will split the ticket in the correct spot, and then buy both segments from the respective companies. Ideal if you are travelling from some small town in France to some small town in Germany.
Posted by
Augsburg, Bavaria
2335 posts
Train line is good when buying tickets across the Latin/Germanic Europe divide. This because it will split the ticket in the correct spot, and then buy both segments from the respective companies.
But to my knowledge, this can lead to the same problems as traveling by air with two different carriers. You have two different tickets with different conditions, and if you miss the connection, you're on the goodwill of the other carrier.