I am traveling to Germany (first time) at the end of the month and have some confusion about the DB system. I will need to travel from the Frankfurt airport to Vilseck and then return to the airport a week later. I am staying with a relative who has transportation. Will I be fine just picking up the train ticket at the airport or should I purchase prior to travel? I am very confused on the different offers on the DB website and do not fully understand the discounts. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Although the Bahn.de webpage will eventually link you to the schedule query page, and you can change it to English, this gets you directly there.
The discount fares (Dauer-Spezial, and SparPreis or Savings fares), which use faster express trains (ICE,IC, & EC) all require advance purchase and commitment to a specific train (day, time, number) and are non-transferrable, non-refundable. It could be a little risky trying to use one on the day you arrive on a trans-Atlantic flight.
Express connections take 3-4 hours with usually one change in Nuernberg. They leave from the Fernbahnhof at Frankfurt(M) Flughafen.
Regional trains take about 5 hours via Frankfurt's main station (Hauptbahnhof), Wuerzburg (maybe), and Nuernberg. They leave from the Regionalbahnhof (Frankfurt(M) Flughafen Regbf), which is underneath the building across the street from FRA Terminal 1. Your best fare would use a local (RMV) ticket from FRA to Kahl(M) for €6,95, which you can purchase at a ticket counter in the Regionalbf or from an RMV automat, and a Bayern-Ticket-Single for €22 at the counter or for €20 from a DB automat. The Bayern-Ticket-Single is valid for one person on regional trains in Bavaria; travel from Kahl to Vilseck is entirely in Bavaria. There are Regional Express trains (RE) from Frankfurt Hbf to Wuerzburg via Kahl. You don't have to get off in Kahl, you just "change" tickets.
For the trip back to FRA, since you will already be in Germany and can commit to a specific train, you can use a €29 Dauer-Spezial-Ticket and a faster express train back to the Fernbahnhof.
Posted by
OP
Dallas, Texas
2 posts
Thank you for your very helpful answers. I do have one additional question concerning Rail Passes. With the passes being priced 4 days, 5, etc., does that mean an entire day of use or a consecutive day? For instance if during my stay we did not use train travel during one particular day, does that day count?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
It depends on what kind of pass you buy. Passes for 4, 5, etc, days are flexi passes. They have a box for each validity day where you put in the date (caution here, use European format. Our seven looks very much like their one). Days do not have to be consecutive, just filled in before you travel.
Some passes are for consecutive days. They are specified as 10, 15, 21 consecutive days. Other passes, including all Select (3-5 countries) passes, I believe, are "flexi" passes, good for a number of days (4,5,6, etc) in a period, usually 2 months.