How to travel (relatively) cheaply with ICE trains in Germany?
When I first checked prices for ICE trains in Germany, I was a bit shocked by prices of over 100 Euros (in Poland not long ago the trains were the cheapest way of public transportation).
But then I found out that there are some promotions such as BahnCard 25 and it's possible to travel cheaply if you book the ICE in advance (something similar to a plane).
But how is it in practice with these promotions? How to use them to really save money, for example, when someone wants to do a round-trip once a month?
Best Answer
Book early.
Most tickets can be bought up to 90 days in advance. Some tickets can be bought only on shorter notice, and some tickets on even longer notice. The cheapest rates get sold first, so you want to be the first to buy the ticket after it becomes available.
Cheap domestic tickets (on any train) are called Sparpreis and exist in domestic and international forms. This is distinct from the Länder-tickets, that are cheap group tickets but do not permit entrance on fast trains (and are thus not practical for intercity travel). You can read more about domestic Sparpreis-tickets here.
Cheap international tickets are called Europa-Spezial and are valid if either starting point or destination is outside Germany (but not both). They exist for all neighbouring countries of Germany and a few further countries (for example, Sparpreis Schweden offers cheap tickets to Sweden). Those are available on limited connections though a special interface. Those tickets are between any station in Germany to a selection of stations abroad (usually those served by direct trains from Germany, or possibly with a single change, but not more). In your case you should be interested in the Europa-Spezial Polen which offers trains between Poland and Germany from €19. For example, booking now for mid-January finds Warszawa–München for €49. See also @neo's comment below to save more money.
Cheap tickets for night trains are available directly through the CityNightLine interface as soon as tickets become available. (Citynightline no longer exists)
Note that, just like for airfares, with cheap tickets you might want to carefully check the flexibility. You might not be able to change or cancel a cheap ticket, or only at considerable cost. However, if you are going to travel a lot in a short time, consider getting a railpass, such as Interrail or Eurail; then you need only the reservations in addition, which are very cheap (a few euro for a day train) and fully refundable.
Pictures about "How to travel (relatively) cheaply with ICE trains in Germany?"
How can I save money on my train in Germany?
Take a look at our top 10 tips for securing the best train ticket prices in Germany.What is the cheapest way to travel in Germany?
Cheap travel in Germany: bus If you are unable to get cheap train tickets or a carpool, you can most definitely consider taking buses for your trip. With a large number of low-cost bus services like Meinfernbus, DeinBus, Eurolines, Flixbus, you can travel across large distances at the cheapest prices possible.How much does it cost to travel by train in Germany?
Saver Fare (Sparpreis) \u2013 prices for one-way tickets in Germany start from \u20ac19 for short distances (up to 250 km). For longer distances prices start at \u20ac29 (Second Class) and \u20ac49 (First Class) Travel on the ICE is possible. Prices for two people traveling together start at \u20ac49 in Second Class.How much does ICE train cost?
Reservation feesTrain type1st class2nd classRegular ICE5.30 euros4 eurosICE Frankfurt / Munich / Stuttgart - Paris30 euros13 eurosHow to Travel Germany by Train! (200km/h ICE to Frankfurt) 🇩🇪
More answers regarding how to travel (relatively) cheaply with ICE trains in Germany?
Answer 2
Traveling by train in Germany is expensive. You can get special offers by booking days in advance.
http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/prices/germany/dauer-spezial.shtml
If you are commuting there are special discounts: http://www.bahn.de/p/view/angebot/pendler/uebersicht.shtml?dbkanal_025=1&dbkanal_007=L01_S01_D001_KIN0014_top-navi-pendlerangebote_LZ01
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Frans van Heerden, Pixabay, Pixabay, Maria Geller