Accoding to the English language page of the Bahn website for the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket, the price is €27, €19 for the RL-P-Single ticket. According to the German language page, it is €28 and €20.
Do they really charge less for English speaking travelers? According to www.der-takt.de, the official website for regional transport (Nahverkehr) in Rheinland-Pfalz, the prices are €28 and €20. I think the Bahn just failed to update the prices on the English page when they went up in December.
I saw this on two separate German pages on bahn.de today, but I can't find the links any more to prove it to you. I assume the same as you - one was a link to an older page. Well, I'll cough up the extra $1.40 for what is still a great deal.
I just bought one last week to travel up the Rhein with some friends. It was 28 €.
In case anyone was planning to walk up to the Marksburg castle in Braubach. I have read a couple different versions about how long this takes. We got off the train at 11:23, the walk to the trail from the train station took about 5 min. and the walk up the path took about 20 min. We made it in time for the 12:00 tour in plenty of time. This walk is steep, but at age 54, it didn't take me near as long as what I thought it would. Beautiful views from up there too.
Here is the German language page showing the correct price for the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket.
And, here is the English language page. In English the offer isn't on a separate page; click on Rheinland-Pfalz to expand the page.
I agree, even at €28, it's a great deal.
Looking up at the Marksburg from town, it is an intimidating looking climb, and I too was surprised at how little time it took (I was 60 at the time). The trail, as with many in Germany, was rather steep. You have to pace yourself. There is also a trolley you can ride when the K-D boats are running. It goes from the K-D dock through the town square.
Thanks for the information.
Can you tell me if this ticket covers a trip to Koln?
Wendy
The R-P ticket will cover travel as far north as Bonn. You'll need a separate ticket for the stretch from Bonn to Cologne. A one-way ticket for this is 6.60 on the regional trains and can be purchased at a ticket machine in Bonn, or from a DB machine in Koblenz or whatever town you're starting from.
Regional transit authority for the Bonn-Cologne area:
http://www.vrsinfo.de/eng/index.php
The RL-P-Ticket covers travel by regional trains within the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz and to a few border stations (e.g., Bonn, Mannheim, and Karlsruhe) outside Rheinland-Pfalz. Rheinland-Pfalz comprises the land between the Rhein River and France all the way down the Rhein to between Remagen/Linz and Bonn.
You can see a somewhat lame map of the area of validity here.
We've gotten off-topic here, but I'll carry on...are you only going to Koeln from Rheinland-Pfalz? Then the single ticket add-on is your best deal. But if you are traveling around Nordrhein-Westfalen that day, you could also add a NRW Land ticket for another €35. Or, if you're traveling on a weekend, you could buy the Schoenes Wochenende ticket and take regional trains throughout the entire country for two days for €37. Make friends with the Bahn.de site, it's full of great information, and nearly all of it is available in English if needed.
All these prices are the total price for groups of up to 5 people (more people allowed if they are your children or grandchildren under age 15).
Nelly,
We are planning a day trip to Koln from Bacharach. Wondering what the best ticket would be.
Sorry didn't mean to hi-jack this thread.
Wendy
"Wondering what the best ticket would be."
Depends. On a weekend, for 2-5 people, the Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket, for €37 all the way to Köln, would be less than a €28 RL-P ticket and point-point tickets from Bonn to Köln.
For 2 people, on a workday, if you are starting from almost anywhere inside the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Mosel (VRM, www.vrm.info), which runs from Oberwesel to Remagen and up the Mosel to Bullay, a VRM Minigruppentageskarte for €20 for 2-5 people plus 2 x €9,80 VRS tickets from Remagen to Köln would be slightly less than using the RL-P-Ticket, VRS tickets combination.
I think the responses here pretty much cover your options. I checked to see if a fast train would save you much time - it doesn't, so you may as well buy one of the cheaper all-day tickets for regional trains. It's an easy day trip. I lived near Koeln for a year, and the trip over the Rhein on the railroad bridge thrilled me every time - you're facing right into the Dom (Cathedral)as you come into the city. My favorite museum was the Roman museum right next door to the Dom, with a huge original in-situ mosaic in the basement. Have a great trip!
Fast trains:
That's a different story. The Bahn has a special Sparpreis fare (€19/€10) for trips less than 250 km. The Sparpreis ticket has to include at least one leg of travel on an express train (ICE/IC/EC), which you could do from Koblenz to Köln. Sparpreis tickets, of course, must be booked at least 3 days in advance and much earlier is advised to get the lowest fares, which do sell out. They are date and train specific and have only limited refundability.
But, Bacharach to Köln is less than 250 km. The fare for two would be €19 for the first traveler, €10 for the second, €29 total.
