How to choose transport in Germany
- Maya del Aire
- Dec 8, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 20, 2019
Germany has a very well organized and on time public transport. It consists of buses, trams, and different kind of rail lines that helps people commute within the city, and country itself.
Depending on the city, some rules might vary, but in general, these are the tips you may follow to make your trip more enjoyable.
Train
If you choose train as your mean of transportation, try to book your ticket online, or use the machine to purchase it, as the price increases if you go to the counter. With some tickets, you will have to validate it before going into the train, make sure you do it, to save yourself a trouble and embarrassment when the controllers come to check your ticket.
There are trains used within a city, U-Bahn (underground) they have big blue U signs, and these trains are faster than trams or buses. To access other cities, there are regional trains (with abbreviation RE), S-Bahn, city rapid rail that also goes through the city, and fast trains ICE and CE.
Depending on your ticket and the city you are in, your ticket might be valid for other means of transportation. For instance, if you purchase an S-Bahn ticket in Berlin, you may also use it for trams and buses within 2 hours of first departure.
There are different options for tickets that you find on www.bahn.com, national railway website. When using this website or an app, tick the box “local transport only,” otherwise you will get option only for fast trains which are drastically more expensive than others are. Tickets may vary from a day or two day ticket, including 2 or more users, there are also some regional tickets that sometimes might come handy for example if you would like to take a train from Munich to Neuschwanstein castle. These regional ticket can be used for up to 4 people with only €3 extra fee, from 9am until 3am the next morning, and you can have as many trips you want during that time as long as it is in the same region.
When using your transport to commute from one city to another, I would recommend sparing a few moments checking other websites except from www.bahn.com, as they might have better offers, especially if you purchase your ticket earlier.
Www.bahn.com Www.thetrainline.com Www.loco2.com
Bus
Within a city, buses are frequent and on time. You may spot signs around the city, with green H with a yellow circle. If you don’t have a ticket you may purchase it from the bus driver, if you already have a ticket just don’t forget to validate it when entering the bus. There is a stop buttons along the posts in the bus, if you are the only person to exit the station, you will have to press it before you arrive to the station, to alarm the driver to stop and open the door for you.
When choosing to commute around Germany with a bus, these few websites will help you find the best price.
If you would like to use a bus to reach another city, you may look for routes and prices on the following websites.
www.busradar.com www.busbud.com www.fexibus.com www.raileurope.com
Note that some rides may take way longer than trains, so it might be smarter to pay the train ticket rather than taking a bus.
Taxi
Taxis are not part of the public transportation, therefore they are quite expensive. I would suggest Uber if you are in a quite hurry and not able to take a train or a bus.
Renting a car
Whenever you would like to rent a car in Europe, use these 3 websites to check the best offers.They will have significantly better prices rather than going directly to the official rental company website.
www.autoeurope.eu,
www.skyscanner.com
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