Jo tipped me off to this earlier in the week. With the schedule change tonight (Dec 12-13), the pricing on the Rheinland-Pfalz ticket will change. You will now have to specify the number of travelers at the time you purchase the ticket. The price will be €21 for the first traveler, €3 for travelers 2-5. Not sure what they will do for parents and their own children under 15. So, the price has gone up €1 for a single, down €4 for two, down €1 for three, up for 4 or 5. The change has yet to appear on the Bahn website, but it is already shown on Rheinland-Pfalz's website, www.der-takt.de. This is the same price structure as was announced for the Quer durchs Land Ticket, a non-weekend version of the Schönes-Wochenende-Tickets for all of Germany. I haven't seen a change on other Länder websites, but I'm expecting it.
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
That's really good news for traveling couples. Probably will cut down on the freeloaders on these trains who ask traveling couples if they can travel on their ticket, too; I've gotten several such requests while on the train. From what I've read, it sounds like the Schönes Wochenende ticket, the daypass for 1-5 travelers on Saturday or Sunday, will not be restructured but will remain a pass for up to 5 at a single price - but it's going up from 37 to 39 Euros at ticket machines, and is now 41 Euros at ticket counters instead of 39.
Posted by
OP
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
We'll see. They should start to post the new prices at 4 PM Denver time (that's 3 PM in California).
Posted by
OP
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
This is not directly related to Länder tickets, but for Munich to Venice. A few years ago, one of the ECs from Munich to Verona went on to Venice, so you could get a Europa-Spezial Italien ticket all the way from Munich to Venice. Then they ended the connection in Verona, and you had to take an Italian train, at extra fare, from Verona to Venice. Now the direct train to Venice has returned. EC 87, leaving Munich at 11:31, goes all the way to Venice. No need to change trains in Verona. Europa-Spezial tickets are available starting, at €39, train specific, non-refundable fares.
Posted by
OP
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
If you tried after 10 PM Germany time (2 PM Denver, 4 PM Eastern, 1 PM California time), you got a mesage that the DB booking site will be unavailabe until 5 AM German time (9 PM Denver, 11 PM Eastern, 8 PM California time), while they make changes.
Posted by
OP
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
So far it looks like only the RL-P ticket has taken the 21+3 format. Both the Baden-Württemburg and Bayern-Tickets and most other Länder tickets have gone up to €21 Single, €29 for up to five. The S-W-T will be €39 for up to five (no single ticket). The QdLT will be €42 single plus €6 each additional. UP-DATE: Almost all Länder tickets are now €21 Single, €29 up to 5P. Exceptions: Brandenburg doesn't have a single, up to five is €27. Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Rheinland-Pfalz have adopted the 1-2-3-4-5 format with single starting at €26, €20, and €21 respectively and all Mitfahrer €3 more. It also look like for Sparpreis tickets, where in the past, if the first person's fare was, say €29, each additional "Mitfahrer", up to 4 total, would pay €20 (€9 less) the number of Mitfahrers is now only 3. UP-DATE: 3 appears to be a typo on the Bahn's Sparpreis page (in German). In the text at the top it says "up to 3 additional people". However, in the Angebotskonditionen (conditions of offer ) it specifies up to four Mitfahrer (co-travelers). When I test it on the booking webpage, it allows me 4 co-travelers.
Posted by
OP
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
The Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket (now €39) used to be for Sa, So, and Bahn recognized holidays. It is now only for Sa or So. For Bahn recognized holidays, you must use the Quer durchs Land Ticket (starts at €42 Single). For such holidays, the QdLT is valid from midnight instead of 9 AM as on normal workdays.