Does anyone have a phone number for Deutsche Bahn for an English Operator.as I need tickets that say you must call to purchase ie. Krakow to Budapest. Will they ship the tickets or e mail them since I will not be starting in a German station
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
Whether they can sell the ticket at this number, I don't know, but try (your int'l long distance code, maybe 011)(National code for Germany, 49) then 1805-99-66-33. Whenever I've called them (for information) the person answering has always spoken German, but they can put on an English speaker quickly if you need one (you might be on hold a few minutes).
Posted by
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
lee, do try to find (google, etc.) a UK-based service center for Deutsche Bahn. I remember having read about this on one of the internet travel forums a couple of months ago.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
When the operator answers ask, "Do you speak English?" They will almost always say yes and you can converse in English. As was said before, If they don't speak English they will ask you to hold (in English) and the next person that picks up the phone will speak English.
Posted by
Redding, CA, USA
1568 posts
When in Germany, I never ran into a German that did not speak English.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
JB, I'm sure you haven't, but that just means you need to get out more! I have met many Germans who did not speak a word of English.
My cousin, about my age, and his wife, speak no English.
I have stayed for 4 separate weeks at a pension in the German Alps where, if you take "Halbpension", and everyone does, you sit at the same table with the same people every night. Of my 11 "tablemates", not including my wife, one was fluent in English, one spoke less English than I do German, the other nine spoke no English.
That also included about 2/3 of the proprietors of hotels I have stayed in. But I like to get out into the areas not frequented by English speaking tourists. As long as you stay in touristy areas, or speak to people who talk to international tourist, then they will probably speak English.
Posted by
Yorkshire, UK
264 posts
Not diverting too much from the original post
Plenty of Germans out there that do not speak English. A fair amount do though to be honest. It is certainly though not the near certainty it is in Scandanavia.
Just a Suggestion: If there is a need to call a German Number. A simple "Sprechen sie englisch?" might be more comfortable for the person answering the phone. Imagine picking up your phone to someone talking in a foreign language.