Through a series of unexpected circumstances, I may find myself living in Mannheim for a few years, starting next fall. If that is the case, I will probably need to make frequent trips to Belgium, and I would probably prefer to ride the rails than drive. I'm very familiar with NMBS, but less so with DB. Does DB offer any kind of pass (or savings) for regular commuters?
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9003 posts
My husband and I have a Bahn Card which gives us 50% off of our train fare in Germany. You usually get a good discount for trips out of the country too, especially to those near by, like Belgium. I think I paid 240 euro this year for mine and my husbands was 100 euro.
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
You can chose from different kind of BahnCards (25%, 50% or 100% discount for either 1st or 2nd class) and there are also EuropaSpezials which tend to be even cheaper on routes from German train stations to neighboring countries. As holder of any valid BahnCard you get a discount on Mannheim's public transport as well (busses, trams, S-Bahns). E.g. instead of paying €2.20 for a regular single ticket you only pay €1.70...
Posted by
OP
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Thanks, that was just the information I was looking for. BTW, are there direct ICE trains between Frankfurt and Brussels? I know Thalys does not service Frankfurt, and as I remember from a previous visit, Mannheim is a very short ride from Frankfurt.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Yes, there is direct ICE service from Frankfurt to Bruxelles.
Your fastest route from Mannheim, with only one connection, is Mannheim-Koeln-Bruxelles on ICE trains. The regular 2nd class fare is over €100; but if you book well in advance (up to 90 days allowed) at www.bahn.de, you can get a Europa-Spezial Belgien fare as low as €39.
Go to the DB site and click on the drop-down flag menu for English. After you get summary timetables for Mannheim-Bruxelles, click on the arrow to the left of each departure time to see the connecting points.
Posted by
OP
Danville, VT
12040 posts
So, let me see if I understand correctly (as the DB website doesn't make this very clear)... With a Bahn Card, depending which level I bought, the usual 100 euro cost for Mannheim to Brussels would be discounted 25, 50 or 100%? Is that how the card works?
BTW, it looks like a near certainty that I'm moving to Mannheim next year.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9003 posts
Sounds like we will have to have a "Welcome to Deutschland" party for you when you get here.
Posted by
LINCOLN, NE, USA
5 posts
What can you tell me about the 4,5,6 day EuroRail Passes? Traveling from Berlin to Amserdam, how do you use the pass and get into another country not covered by the pass? Pay the ticket person on the train more, pay for another ticket and not use up a day. I'm a little confussed. Thanks Sorry to butt into your conversation.