Train advice for trip to Germany please!

Hello all -

I am flying into Frankfurt with my girlfriend on the morning of October
7, 2006. We will be staying until the afternoon of Saturday the 14th.

We will initially be staying in Cologne until Oct 10, then renting a
car from Frankfurt's airport (was going to rent in Cologne and drop at
FRA, but I want the GPS navigation system and Hertz does not allow that
on one-way rentals).

Afterwards, we will be touring Bavaria by auto (guesthouses we are
staying at have parking) and eventually returning the car to the
airport before our flight home.

The only part of the trip causing me problems right now is the train
travel - I orignally planned to travel between FRA and Cologne by
train, then do daytrips to Dusseldorf and Brussels, also by train.
However, looking at the bahn.de website, the prices seem pretty high.
102E per person one-way for FRA to Cologne on the ICE, and E38 p/p o/w
for the scenic 3hr route.

Koln to Dusseldorf ~E12 p/p o/w, and Koln to Brussels ~E32 p/p o/w.

This all adds up pretty quick! Now, I can extend my rental car the
extra days for a slight fee, much less than the train fares (of course,
that doesn't count gas). However, I was really looking forward to
experiencing the German rail network for part of the trip. Can anyone
explain the fares to me, and is there a cheaper way to go? I can't read
German very well, and all the "specials" and fare plans are not offered
in English, so I'm sort of lost here....

Thanks!

You may want to consider purchasing a German rail pass. You can get
them for as little as $200 for four days, or a twin pass which allows
travel for two people starting at about $260 for four days. Even if you
don't use all four days, it may be cheaper than buying round trip
tickets for two people.

Jim Armstrong wrote:
Hello all -

I am flying into Frankfurt with my girlfriend on the morning of October
7, 2006. We will be staying until the afternoon of Saturday the 14th.

We will initially be staying in Cologne until Oct 10, then renting a
car from Frankfurt's airport (was going to rent in Cologne and drop at
FRA, but I want the GPS navigation system and Hertz does not allow that
on one-way rentals).

Afterwards, we will be touring Bavaria by auto (guesthouses we are
staying at have parking) and eventually returning the car to the
airport before our flight home.

The only part of the trip causing me problems right now is the train
travel - I orignally planned to travel between FRA and Cologne by
train, then do daytrips to Dusseldorf and Brussels, also by train.
However, looking at the bahn.de website, the prices seem pretty high.
102E per person one-way for FRA to Cologne on the ICE, and E38 p/p o/w
for the scenic 3hr route.

Koln to Dusseldorf ~E12 p/p o/w, and Koln to Brussels ~E32 p/p o/w.

This all adds up pretty quick! Now, I can extend my rental car the
extra days for a slight fee, much less than the train fares (of course,
that doesn't count gas). However, I was really looking forward to
experiencing the German rail network for part of the trip. Can anyone
explain the fares to me, and is there a cheaper way to go? I can't read
German very well, and all the "specials" and fare plans are not offered
in English, so I'm sort of lost here....

Thanks!

Jim Armstrong schrieb:
Hello all -

I am flying into Frankfurt with my girlfriend on the morning of October
7, 2006. We will be staying until the afternoon of Saturday the 14th.

We will initially be staying in Cologne until Oct 10, then renting a
car from Frankfurt's airport (was going to rent in Cologne and drop at
FRA, but I want the GPS navigation system and Hertz does not allow that
on one-way rentals).

Afterwards, we will be touring Bavaria by auto (guesthouses we are
staying at have parking) and eventually returning the car to the
airport before our flight home.

The only part of the trip causing me problems right now is the train
travel - I orignally planned to travel between FRA and Cologne by
train, then do daytrips to Dusseldorf and Brussels, also by train.
However, looking at the bahn.de website, the prices seem pretty high.
102E per person one-way for FRA to Cologne on the ICE, and E38 p/p o/w
for the scenic 3hr route.

Koln to Dusseldorf ~E12 p/p o/w, and Koln to Brussels ~E32 p/p o/w.

This all adds up pretty quick! Now, I can extend my rental car the
extra days for a slight fee, much less than the train fares (of course,
that doesn't count gas). However, I was really looking forward to
experiencing the German rail network for part of the trip. Can anyone
explain the fares to me, and is there a cheaper way to go? I can't read
German very well, and all the "specials" and fare plans are not offered
in English, so I'm sort of lost here....

Thanks!



Hi Jim,

travelling from Frankfurt Airport to Cologne on Oct. 7th and returning
to Frankfurt Airport on Oct. 10th allows you to book the "Sparpreis
50"-Ticket (Savings fare 50).
I would recommend an outbound journey to Cologne by ICE-train via the
highspeed-track (time of travel 55 minutes, max. speed 185 mph), and
the trip back to Frankfurt by IC-train through scenic Rhine valley (time
of travel 2 hours).
The complete trip will cost 66.- EUR for both of you (2 adults).
Recommended seat reservation is 1,50 EUR per person for each direction.
You have to book your tickets at least 3 days in advance by internet.
The ticket is restricted to the booked trains!! So be sure, you will
catch your train in case of late arrival in Frankfurt!

Regards

Peter

Maybe a less comfortable way, but maybe cheaper (if you won't get the
"Sparpreis") is http://www.eurolines.com/
or http://www.mitfahrerzentrale.de/ or http://www.mitfahrerzentrale.com/
(private trips, in german but I guess one can figure it out).
I think you can get cheaper tickets at the counter as well (if www.bahn.de
is too confusing), but about 2-3 days ahead book ahead. Never ask: " A
ticket to ... please!" but "What's the cheapest way to go to ..."

For Belgium: If you're under 25 there's a "Go Pass", costs about 46€ for
ten rides (all around the country). You can use it for your partner as well.
In Germany there are also special tickets for certain regions in Germany
(not valid for ICE). Might be an option as well... ask at the counter
(tickets always available).

-Alex-


Jim Armstrong wrote:
Hello all -

I am flying into Frankfurt with my girlfriend on the morning of October
7, 2006. We will be staying until the afternoon of Saturday the 14th.

We will initially be staying in Cologne until Oct 10, then renting a
car from Frankfurt's airport (was going to rent in Cologne and drop at
FRA, but I want the GPS navigation system and Hertz does not allow that
on one-way rentals).

Afterwards, we will be touring Bavaria by auto (guesthouses we are
staying at have parking) and eventually returning the car to the
airport before our flight home.

The only part of the trip causing me problems right now is the train
travel - I orignally planned to travel between FRA and Cologne by
train, then do daytrips to Dusseldorf and Brussels, also by train.
However, looking at the bahn.de website, the prices seem pretty high.
102E per person one-way for FRA to Cologne on the ICE, and E38 p/p o/w
for the scenic 3hr route.

Koln to Dusseldorf ~E12 p/p o/w, and Koln to Brussels ~E32 p/p o/w.

This all adds up pretty quick! Now, I can extend my rental car the
extra days for a slight fee, much less than the train fares (of course,
that doesn't count gas). However, I was really looking forward to
experiencing the German rail network for part of the trip. Can anyone
explain the fares to me, and is there a cheaper way to go? I can't read
German very well, and all the "specials" and fare plans are not offered
in English, so I'm sort of lost here....

Thanks!

Jim, Peter:
I can only recommend booking the "Sparpreis 50" - this is certainly the
cheapest way of getting this ticket.
(unless there are other specials - and it seems there aren´t any for the
time of your trip).

However
- you´ll have to book the tickets way ahead. There´s only a limited
contingent of tickets available for these discount prices. Don´t wait
for the "3-days-in-advance".
- since these tickets are only valid on the booked train, make sure
to include plenty of extra-time in your schedule so you´ll definitely
catch them.

Have you asked your travel agent?
A lot of airlines offer train tickets in combination with the airplane
tickets at very low prices (like Euro 40,- per return-ticket for going
to/from anywhere in Germany to Frankfurt); these tickets are valid on
all trains. I´d check this - if you can get something like this I´d
prefer it over the "Sparpreis"-Ticket because of the added flexibility.

Regards,
Axel



Peter Burgdorf schrieb:


Jim Armstrong schrieb:
Hello all -

I am flying into Frankfurt with my girlfriend on the morning of October
7, 2006. We will be staying until the afternoon of Saturday the 14th.

We will initially be staying in Cologne until Oct 10, then renting a
car from Frankfurt's airport (was going to rent in Cologne and drop at
FRA, but I want the GPS navigation system and Hertz does not allow that
on one-way rentals).

Afterwards, we will be touring Bavaria by auto (guesthouses we are
staying at have parking) and eventually returning the car to the
airport before our flight home.

The only part of the trip causing me problems right now is the train
travel - I orignally planned to travel between FRA and Cologne by
train, then do daytrips to Dusseldorf and Brussels, also by train.
However, looking at the bahn.de website, the prices seem pretty high.
102E per person one-way for FRA to Cologne on the ICE, and E38 p/p o/w
for the scenic 3hr route.

Koln to Dusseldorf ~E12 p/p o/w, and Koln to Brussels ~E32 p/p o/w.

This all adds up pretty quick! Now, I can extend my rental car the
extra days for a slight fee, much less than the train fares (of course,
that doesn't count gas). However, I was really looking forward to
experiencing the German rail network for part of the trip. Can anyone
explain the fares to me, and is there a cheaper way to go? I can't read
German very well, and all the "specials" and fare plans are not offered
in English, so I'm sort of lost here....

Thanks!



Hi Jim,

travelling from Frankfurt Airport to Cologne on Oct. 7th and returning
to Frankfurt Airport on Oct. 10th allows you to book the "Sparpreis
50"-Ticket (Savings fare 50).
I would recommend an outbound journey to Cologne by ICE-train via the
highspeed-track (time of travel 55 minutes, max. speed 185 mph), and
the trip back to Frankfurt by IC-train through scenic Rhine valley (time
of travel 2 hours).
The complete trip will cost 66.- EUR for both of you (2 adults).
Recommended seat reservation is 1,50 EUR per person for each direction.
You have to book your tickets at least 3 days in advance by internet.
The ticket is restricted to the booked trains!! So be sure, you will
catch your train in case of late arrival in Frankfurt!

Regards

Peter

Alexandra Mittermeier wrote:

For Belgium: If you're under 25 there's a "Go Pass", costs about 46€ for
ten rides (all around the country).
There is also a "railPass" which is valid for the over 25 yo. But this
is not really usefull to the OP, as from Köln to Brussels he needs a
Thalys or ICE train, on which these passes are not valid.

The qouted price of Euro 40 one way for Thalys is the normal fare. I
would suggest a visit to www.thalys.com, as booking ahead can lead to
big savings. You can get a return for 29,-, but you have to book ahead.

The advantage of the German Rail pass is that you have free access to all DB
trains including ICE trains (except for the MET trains) on any four days
over a 30 day period. You have complete freedom of the days and trains you
choose. Just fill in your pass with the date you are travelling (before
entering the train!). If you miss a train (my flight was 3 hours late
arriving which nullified the two hours I had left for contingency), there is
usually another within an hour during the day. The twin-pass for two always
travelling together is good value, especially if you are covering long
distances.

Brussels will not be covered by this pass.

Clive Reid


"Jim Armstrong" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello all -

I am flying into Frankfurt with my girlfriend on the morning of October
7, 2006. We will be staying until the afternoon of Saturday the 14th.

We will initially be staying in Cologne until Oct 10, then renting a
car from Frankfurt's airport (was going to rent in Cologne and drop at
FRA, but I want the GPS navigation system and Hertz does not allow that
on one-way rentals).

Afterwards, we will be touring Bavaria by auto (guesthouses we are
staying at have parking) and eventually returning the car to the
airport before our flight home.

The only part of the trip causing me problems right now is the train
travel - I orignally planned to travel between FRA and Cologne by
train, then do daytrips to Dusseldorf and Brussels, also by train.
However, looking at the bahn.de website, the prices seem pretty high.
102E per person one-way for FRA to Cologne on the ICE, and E38 p/p o/w
for the scenic 3hr route.

Koln to Dusseldorf ~E12 p/p o/w, and Koln to Brussels ~E32 p/p o/w.

This all adds up pretty quick! Now, I can extend my rental car the
extra days for a slight fee, much less than the train fares (of course,
that doesn't count gas). However, I was really looking forward to
experiencing the German rail network for part of the trip. Can anyone
explain the fares to me, and is there a cheaper way to go? I can't read
German very well, and all the "specials" and fare plans are not offered
in English, so I'm sort of lost here....

Thanks!

The advantage of the German Rail pass is that you have free access to all DB
trains including ICE trains (except for the MET trains) on any four days
over a 30 day period. You have complete freedom of the days and trains you
choose. Just fill in your pass with the date you are travelling (before
entering the train!). If you miss a train (my flight was 3 hours late
arriving which nullified the two hours I had left for contingency), there is
usually another within an hour during the day. The twin-pass for two always
travelling together is good value, especially if you are covering long
distances.

Brussels will not be covered by this pass.

Clive Reid


"Jim Armstrong" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello all -

I am flying into Frankfurt with my girlfriend on the morning of October
7, 2006. We will be staying until the afternoon of Saturday the 14th.

We will initially be staying in Cologne until Oct 10, then renting a
car from Frankfurt's airport (was going to rent in Cologne and drop at
FRA, but I want the GPS navigation system and Hertz does not allow that
on one-way rentals).

Afterwards, we will be touring Bavaria by auto (guesthouses we are
staying at have parking) and eventually returning the car to the
airport before our flight home.

The only part of the trip causing me problems right now is the train
travel - I orignally planned to travel between FRA and Cologne by
train, then do daytrips to Dusseldorf and Brussels, also by train.
However, looking at the bahn.de website, the prices seem pretty high.
102E per person one-way for FRA to Cologne on the ICE, and E38 p/p o/w
for the scenic 3hr route.

Koln to Dusseldorf ~E12 p/p o/w, and Koln to Brussels ~E32 p/p o/w.

This all adds up pretty quick! Now, I can extend my rental car the
extra days for a slight fee, much less than the train fares (of course,
that doesn't count gas). However, I was really looking forward to
experiencing the German rail network for part of the trip. Can anyone
explain the fares to me, and is there a cheaper way to go? I can't read
German very well, and all the "specials" and fare plans are not offered
in English, so I'm sort of lost here....

Thanks!

In article ,
"Clive Reid" wrote:

The advantage of the German Rail pass is that you have free access to all DB
trains including ICE trains (except for the MET trains) on any four days
over a 30 day period. You have complete freedom of the days and trains you
choose. Just fill in your pass with the date you are travelling (before
entering the train!). If you miss a train (my flight was 3 hours late
arriving which nullified the two hours I had left for contingency), there is
usually another within an hour during the day. The twin-pass for two always
travelling together is good value, especially if you are covering long
distances.

You can also get them for more days, of course. Any time I've been in
Germany for any length of time traveling around in the last decade or so
I've used one. VERY handy and a good deal if you're covering any
distance at all, which I tend to do between stops of 2-3 days.

--
Mary Loomer Oliver (aka Erilar),
philologist, biblioholic medievalist

http://www.airstreamcomm.net/~erilarlo

Clive Reid schrieb:
The advantage of the German Rail pass is that you have free access to all DB
trains including ICE trains (except for the MET trains)

As the MET trains have been discontinued, that doesn't hurt :-)

.... Martin