German Rail 1-Month all-you-can-rail flat fee

Andreas, I assume that pass is for 2nd class travel? Is that for anyone? Or just for "non-European travellers"? Is this offer shown on the DB website? I can't find it.

It's meant for Germans wishing to explore their own country... Anyone can buy it. And yes, the prices listed above are for 2nd class.

Wow, the adult saver ticket wouldn't take much to pay for itself. This might be a really good deal for people spending more than a week and a half/two weeks in Germany who want to go all over and want to do so quickly... I wish this had been available when we first got here! Still might be worth getting in the future when I make my list of "Oh crap, all the places in Germany I haven't visited yet!"

"...on all trains within Germany." This is absolutely a great ticket in 2nd class with unlimited travel within the 30 consecutive day period...just perfect for zig-zag traveling in Germany on the ICE and CNL.

Are you all sure this pass cover reservation-compulsory trains as well, such as all night trains and ICE-Sprinter? I think that is unlikely.

The official DB press release says "on all DB trains". So far that has always meant incl. ICE.

Great deal, especially for 2 adults. A true game-changer for anyone who's already gotten advice on train travel or for anyone who's planning to drive, for that matter. This page says it's being sold like any DB product sold by DB - in ticket machines, etc. - so this will surely impact sales of the traditional German railpass line-up by RailEurope and other agents. From yesterday's Stern: http://www.stern.de/reise/deutschland/deutschland-pass-ab-99-euro-die-sommer-flatrate-fuer-bahnfahrer-1837447.html Wonder how this will affect seating availability. Didn't see a DB page on the pass, but didn't scour the site either. Anyone else?

"Are you all sure this pass cover reservation-compulsory trains as well, such as all night trains and ICE-Sprinter?" German Rail, Eurail, and Interrail passes cover these trains, why not this pass? So does the Bahn Card. Of course, you'd still have to make the reservation separately. Still, it somehow seems strange to buy something for hundreds of Euro from an automat (they do take credit cards). I'd have to change my travel style, length of trip, something. Right now, for five two-week trips in the last 8 years, I've only averaged €100/wk, and that included local transportation and regional buses.

"I'd have to change my travel style, length of trip, something. Right now, for five two-week trips in the last 8 years, I've only averaged €100/wk, and that included local transportation and regional buses." You and I travel in much the same way - very few long distances, tightly focused itineraries, economy built into the itinerary. But travelers (especially couples) with a couple of weeks or more doing a more comprehensive tour of Germany will find tremendous flexibility and value in such a pass. For the same number of Euros (449) two people can only get 8 railpass days in 60 on the most advantageous traditional German Railpass (2nd class twinpass.) Advance-sale Sparpreis tickets for two, for long distances, even for just 8 days, are probably going to cost more than 449€, and they definitely involve substantial restrictions on use. But this new pass offers a month. Even the cheapest 1-month car rental, with no insurance and no gas, would cost about twice that much.

On the CNL and ICE especially 30 consecutive days at 299 Euro is plenty of time to ride this ticket into the ground. I am very glad that DB came up with this unlimited offer on all trains, which I will have to get for a future trip of at least 5 weeks....almost like in the old days.

Keep in mind so far it's only available between 18 June and 24 August 2012. It's a trial.

True, I'll try to be optimistic...thanks

Recent article in English on the Deutschlandpass: http://www.eurocheapo.com/blog/germany-by-rail-the-2012-deutschland-pass.html

Je: I posted the link not to answer your question but to provide a source where others could read what information is available in English. No such source had yet been posted. I would be shocked if the pass were created for a calendar month, but we'll have to get the details from the creators. The article does say this much: "Details are not yet available on the Deutsche Bahn Web site, but we expect them to be posted a few days prior to the first day of sale."

I can only guess, but the way I read all the existing information in German is for one month from the first day of activity. So if your first travel is on the 11th of July it's good until the 10th of August... I would say.

Whether the validity of this Deutschland Ticket is counted from the first day of activity for 30 consecutive days or valid for a calendar month does not seem to me to be such a big difference, although admittedly from first day of activity is more advantageous and flexible. You just have to time it right. We'll see if this experimental period produces the desired results for it to be approved as another DB alternative. Using this ticket for all sorts of zig zag traveling from short trips of 30 mins to long ones of over 7 hrs on IC, ICE, RE, EC (day) where you can just hop on and CNL (night) is a perfect solution.

I think it would be great to zip around the whole country for a month without worrying about needing the slow trains to fit your Laender ticket or Happy Weekend ticket. You could do a massive, huge circle and hit all the cities you wanted. Sounds to me like they are attempting to replicate how it used to be with train passes, just hop on any train you like, any time you like. So, if I had one of these, I would go to Berlin, Potsdam, Quedlinburg, Hamburg, Lübeck, Erfurt, Weimar, Aachen, Fulda, Marburg, Nuremburg, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Leipzig Friedrichshafen, Bamberg, Thuringen, Dresden, and what ever else I saw that looked good in between. Where would you go?

As an occasional costumer of DB (fast ICEs only), and someone with some knowledge of the financial aspect of the rail market, I doubt this would be a permanent product. It would be much more cheaper than most route-specific passes. It is also significantly cheaper than the month-equivalent price of the BahnCard 100 (which costs € 4000/year on 2nd class). So, as designed, this product doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I doubt it would be introduced on a permanent-basis. Yet, as a costumer, I'd rather see DB introduce more airline-style service features like SNCF or, especially, Trenitalia: only reserved seat travelling on all ICEs and some special branding that puts ICEs away from the slower trains. I'm annoyed sometimes by passengers that seat on places I have reserved even when my name is written there on that small display!!! As for CNL: they just can't make CNL "hop-on" basis. There are not much sleepers available, and when they have, just a handful of seats. CNL is a niche market, quite irrelevant for DB overall results indeed. Like the Autozug or other niche rail products.

I'm bummed to hear it's only for this summer. I might buy one for July. I'm already spending a few days in Koln and Bonn, and a weekend down by the Bodensee (I was planning to drive, but I'd use the train if I had the pass). That wouldn't pay for the pass, but we could use it as an excuse to go to Hamburg for the weekend. I could do some solo travel and hostelling if I had the pass, maybe hit up Berlin again, then Dresden. Go to Munich for a day trip.

"That wouldn't pay for the pass, but we could use it as an excuse to go to Hamburg for the weekend." Sarah, if you haven't visited it yet, I think you will find that Hamburg needs no excuse to visit!

Hamburg is THE most beautiful city in Germany. I always find it funny that people on RickSteve's website always prefer Munich... In Hamburg you need half a day alone for Miniaturwunderland and you also need at least one afternoon for your walk along the left hand side shore of Außenalster. Also they've got more shopping streets and Stuttgart and Munich altogether. A harbor cruise takes up another half day and if you can take that day trip out to Helgoland island, probably the most stereotypical thing German you could do. But it's great fun!