YOU ARE HERE: Trains > Rail Tips 1 > Rail Tips 2
The Eurailpass and other rail passes
One big advantage of having a Eurailpass, Flexipass, Europass, or German Rail Pass, besides any cost savings, is you can avoid ticket-buying hassles. You’ll only have to confront a DB ticket window to make reservations if you want them. (This is advisable during peak travel periods in the summer or on popular trains.) But remember that these special tickets have to be bought in advance and may have restrictions. A Eurailpass, for example, may only be purchased in North America. Austria and Switzerland have their own rail pass offers. (See a travel agent or the web links in Part 1 for details on rail passes.).
Other things you need to know…
THE BAHNCARD BONUS | Another good idea, if you will be using the train regularly over a period of time in Germany, is the BahnCard. It won’t spare you the task of buying train tickets, but the BahnCard will give you a reduction in the cost of any tickets you buy during a one-year period. (See the Deutsche Bahn Web site for current pricing.) There are special lower cost versions of the BahnCard for students, teens, married couples, young children and families. The card is not valid for special reduced-priced tickets, and any supplementary charges have to be paid in full. But the BahnCard is valid on every day of the year, including holidays.
“RESERVIERT” MEANS DON’T SIT HERE! | When you are looking for a seat without having a reservation, pay attentionto the orange-colored reservation (Reserviert) cards slipped into holders on the luggage racks above the seats — or electronic signs on newer trains. If you have a seat reservation (Platzkarte), you’re looking for your own matching card or sign. If you don’t have a reservation, you are looking for the cards so you can avoid sitting in a reserved seat. The card will tell you which segment of the train's route has been reserved for that seat. If you are getting off before or after the reserved segment, then you can sit there without worry. If you happen to be sitting in a reserved seat, the person entitled to that seat will ask you to relinquish it. When the conductor comes by to check tickets, he will verify the seat reservation if there is one.
COUCHETTES | Some rail enthusiasts have come to appreciate couchette travel, while others use it only as a last resort or never. Offered by almost all European railways, a couchette car (Liegewagen) has compartments that have regular seats by day and sleeping bunks by night. Intended for longer journeys such as Paris to Frankfurt, Hamburg to Munich, etc., the couchette seats on each side of the compartment magically transform into four or six bunks. The porter drops off a blanket, a pillow, and a pocket-like sheet for each person. After some clever unfolding and the snapping of a few latches, the bunks are ready. There is no real privacy, and you probably won’t know most of the people in the compartment. Your traveling companions may be male or female, young or old, and from any part of the world. Couchette travel is not for timid souls. It can be a fascinating adventure, a sleepless night, or both. You must make reservations for a Liegewagen, and there is an extra couchette charge (which is usually much less than staying in a hotel).
Useful German train vocabulary and info
Abfahrt | departures (printed on large golden yellow posters)
Ankunft | arrivals (printed on white)
Bahnhof | train station. A main train station is called the Hauptbahnhof, abbreviated Hbf. Since larger cities often have more than one station, this is an important distinction. In a city like Berlin, Hamburg, or Vienna, it could take as much as 30 minutes longer to get from your hotel to the station, depending on which station you are departing from.
 |
The platform (Bahnsteig) is divided into sections labeled “A” to “E.” Here we can see the signs for sections “D” and “E”. The train to Vienna (Wien) will be arriving soon. |
Bahnsteig | train platform. NOTE: Bahnsteig vs. Gleis or Austria vs. Germany. A “Bahnsteig” is a railway station platform. “Gleis” means track. In Germany train schedules show which track (Gleis) the train will arrive on or depart from. In Austria, the schedule usually indicates the Bahnsteig, which in effect is the same as the track/Gleis in Germany, with one added source of confusion: “Bahnsteig 1a” and “Bahnsteig 1b” refer to the same platform but a different section of that platform.This is not to be confused with the system of designating areas of a platform with letters A-E to help you find the right car using the car locator (Wagenstandanzeiger). - Alles klar? (Got that?)
Fahrkarte or Fahrausweis | ticket. You buy a rail ticket at a travel agent (Reisebüro) or at the Bahnhof. Ask for a one-way ticket (einfach) or a round trip ticket (Rückfahrkarte, hin und zurück) at the ticket window (Schalter). Although some ticket agents speak English, you can't always count on that. A little German vocabulary concerning numbers and some of the terms listed here could come in handy.
Fahrplan | schedule, time table. There are two kinds of Fahrpläne: the printed booklet-sized ones and the large ones posted at the Bahnhof. Remember they are in 24-hour time! Observe the symbols carefully (usually keyed in English and German) because they tell you if a train only runs on weekdays or certain times of the year, etc.
Gleis | track
Kurswagen | a car going to only one place on a train with a different final destination. It is very important to check the sign on the side of the car to see where it is going. Sometimes cars are taken off in the middle of the night at a transfer station. If you're in the wrong car, you could wake up in Munich instead of Stuttgart.
Liegewagen | couchette car. A special car that offers sleeping accommodations in four to six bunks per compartment that convert back to regular seats during the day. (Also see COUCHETTES above.)
reserviert | reserved (seat). Rather obvious, but we're trying to be thorough here.
Schlafwagen | Pullman sleeper car. Nice but very expensive. Often flying is cheaper!
Speisewagen | dining car. As in the U.S., eating on a German train can be frustrating and expensive. Many travelers bring their own food, buying only cold drinks or coffee on the train or at the station. But you can linger over a good cup of coffee and, if you're lucky, enjoy some good company in the Speisewagen.
Wagenstandanzeiger | car locator. TIP: Make sure you are looking at the correct train number and car number. (See photo)
BACK > Rail Travel Tips Part 1
MORE > GW Topic Index
Website content Copyright © 1997-2011
Related Pages
- Trains - from the book
- Rail Travel Tips - Part 1
- Travel Page - travel in Germany and Europe
