Where can the pass be used?
Eligibility
- You can buy a German Rail Pass if you are permanently residing outside Europe, the Russian Federation and Turkey.
Pre-booking time
- The pass must be validated within 11 months of purchase.
Discounts
- Twin
- Youth
- Children 6-11
- Children 6-
Additional Details
- The German Rail Pass is valid on all trains within Germany operated by Deutsche Bahn (DB). You can also travel to the border stations Basel Badischer Bahnhof (Switzerland) and Salzburg (Austria).
- Pass-holders have access to German high speed and quality day trains such as ICE*, IC or EC, however reservations are recommended during peak travel times.* Exception: supplements may be required for ICE Sprinter trains.
Pass Delivery
- This pass is printed on official railway ticket paper that will be shipped to you. You can select from the available shipping options during checkout. Please allow sufficient time to receive your pass before your departure.
ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS
German Rail Passes may be issued to anyone permanently residing outside Europe, the Russian Federation and Turkey. Residents of overseas territorial regions or territories of European States are eligible. U.S. and Canadian military personnel stationed in Europe are considered to be American and Canadian residents respectively and are entitled to buy a German Rail Pass.
THE GERMAN RAIL PASS OFFER
General description of the offer / validity in Germany and Europe
The German Rail Pass entitles the customer to travel throughout Germany, inclusive of the stations Salzburg Hbf (Austria) and Basel Bad Bf (Switzerland), as well as on selected routes in Europe on trains/buses operated by DB:
- on ICE International trains to/from Liège and Brussels.
- on DB-OeBB EuroCity trains to/from Kufstein, Innsbruck, Bolzano/Bozen, Trento, Verona, Bologna and Venice.
- on DB IC Buses on the following lines:
- Berlin Südkreuz-Copenhagen
- Berlin-Wroclaw-Kraków
- Dusseldorf-Roermond-Eindhoven-Antwerp-London
- Dusseldorf-Lille
- Dusseldorf-Liège
- Frankfurt-Hahn-Trier-Luxemburg
- Munich-Milano
- Munich-Prague
- Mannheim-Nuremberg-Prague
- Leipzig-Prague
For travel dates and frequencies of IC Buses please check at www.bahn.com
For the validity of the German Rail Pass on trains within Germany not operated by DB please refer to the website www.diebefoerderer.de
German Rail Passes are available as FLEXI and CONSECUTIVE passes.
German Rail Passes FLEXI entitles the holder to a specified number of days of travel within a period of 1 month. These passes are printed with a travel calendar.
German Rail Passes CONSECUTIVE entitle the holder to a consecutive period of days, travel is possible on all days within the period.
There are “Twin” and “Youth” versions of the German Rail Pass. For specific conditions see the following section.
THE GERMAN RAIL PASS RANGE
German Rail Pass FLEXI for a “flexible” number of travel days to be chosen within 1 month, available for both 1st AND 2nd class. Per adult 2 children between 6 and up to including 11 on the first day of validity of the pass can travel for free (CHILD passes are issued with price “0”):
- 3 days / 1 month
- 4 days / 1 month
- 5 days / 1 month
- 7 days / 1 month
- 10 days / 1 month
German Rail Twin Pass FLEXI for a “flexible” number of travel days to be chosen within 1 month, available for both 1st and 2nd class for a party of 2 travellers travelling together. Per adult 2 children between 6 and up to including 11 on the first day of validity of the pass can travel for free (CHILD passes are issued with price “0”).
Depending on the issuance the names and passport numbers of the two persons are either printed on the pass or on a separate control voucher. There is only one pass issued:
- 3 days / 1 month
- 4 days / 1 month
- 5 days / 1 month
- 7 days / 1 month
- 10 days / 1 month
German Rail Youth Pass FLEXI for a “flexible” number of travel days to be chosen within 1 month. Available for both 1st and 2nd class and only for young people not having reached the age of 28 on the first day of validity of the Youth Pass AND for children (between 6 and up to including 11 on the first day of validity of the pass) traveling alone:
- 3 days / 1 month
- 4 days / 1 month
- 5 days / 1 month
- 7 days / 1 month
- 10 days / 1 month
German Rail Pass CONSECUTIVE for a consecutive period of travel days. Travel is possible on all days within the period. Available for both 1st and 2nd class. Per adult 2 children between 6 and up to including 11 on the first day of validity of the pass can travel for free (CHILD passes are issued with price “0”):
German Rail Twin Pass CONSECUTIVE for a consecutive period of travel days. Travel is possible on all days within the period. Available for both 1st and 2nd class for a party of 2 travellers, travelling together. Per adult 2 children between 6 and up to including 11 on the first day of validity of the pass can travel for free (CHILD passes are issued with price “0”).
Depending on the issuance the names and passport numbers of the two persons are either printed on the pass or on a separate control voucher. There is only one pass issued:
German Rail Youth Pass CONSECUTIVE for a consecutive period of travel days. Travel is possible on all days within the period. Available for both 1st and 2nd class and only for young people not having reached the age of 28 on the first day of validity of the Youth Pass AND for children (between 6 and up to including 11 on the first day of validity of the pass) traveling alone:
PURCHASE OF A GERMAN RAIL PASS
The German Rail Pass may be purchased maximum eleven months before the first day of validity.
VALIDATION OF PASSES
The holder him/herself chooses the day on which the validity of the pass will begin. This date together with the last date of validity (for FLEXI passes always 1 month) is entered on the pass either by the Issuing Office, or by a DB station window, before the passenger takes the train for the first time. An inspector on international trains may also validate a pass when the holder of the German Rail Pass arrives in Germany in a train from abroad. In that case, the starting date for validity to be shown on the pass is the date on which it is inspected.
The passenger is not allowed to validate his/her pass by him/herself.
In the following, a “validated pass”, is understood to be a pass showing:
- the first and last day of the validity period,
- the number of the passport (or travel document substituting a passport)
- the stamp of the station which validated the pass if it was originally issued with an open date.
The pass must be validated in blue or black ink using a fountain or ballpoint pen.
The passenger may not begin his first journey before 00:00h (0:00am) on the first day of validity of his pass. The last journey must end at the latest at 24h00h (12:00pm) of the last day of validity of the pass. The date and time taken into account are those stated in the official timetables for arrival at the destination station.
A passenger whose pass has not been validated and who has not entered the date of travel in the box provided on the calendar on his/her pass before beginning his journey, must pay a fine equal to € 50.
USING THE PASS
The German Rail Pass entitles the holder to travel throughout Germany and on selected routes in Europe on trains/buses operated by DB. Check on the website www.diebefoerderer.de for the validity of the German Rail Pass on the lines of other carriers within Germany.
All German Rail Passes may be issued for travelling in 1st or 2nd class. A pass issued for 1st class allows free travel also in 2nd class.
All German Rail Passes issued for 2nd class are valid for travel in 2nd class only. If a holder wants to travel in a higher class, he/she must pay the difference between the price of a 1st class ticket and that of a 2nd class ticket at the full fare for the journey concerned before the trip starts.
Holders of German Rail Passes FLEXI may choose the days of travel at their own convenience within a 1-month period. The pass holder must enter the date of each travel day on the pass before boarding the first train of that day. This date must be entered by the traveller in inerasable blue or black ink or with an inerasable blue or black ballpoint pen in the corresponding box on the calendar.
Pass holders can travel from midnight until midnight on the selected day. If the trip starts on board a direct overnight train departing after 19:00h (7:00pm), the next day’s date must be entered; travel between 19:00h (7:00pm) and 24:00h (12:00pm) on the day of departure is then included. However travel can never begin before 00:00h (0:00am) on the first day of validity and must be completed at the latest by 24:00h (12:00pm) on the last day of validity.
Use of high speed and quality trains / Excluded trains:
The German Rail Pass exempts the holder from paying a surcharge on German high speed and quality trains such as ICE (inclusive of ICE Sprinter trains), IC or EC. Pass holders have free access to these trains, reservations are however recommended during peak travel times.
The German Rail Pass offer is not valid on DB Autozug (Car carrying trains), chartered trains, private steam trains, narrow-gauge railways and museum railways.
Payment of additional charges:
The holder must pay other charges and supplements, in particular, those levied for:
- seat reservations (sometimes including services routinely offered and/or compulsory)
- the use of overnight accommodation, e.g. on City Night Line (CNL) trains (reclining seats, sleeperettes, couchettes, berths),
- other services offered on board trains (meals, beverages, etc.).
With regard to the transport of luggage, holders of a German Rail Pass are subject to the same conditions as holders of ordinary tickets.
GERMAN RAIL PASS AID OFFICES
GERMANY
Reisezentrum Berlin Hauptbahnhof
Mon-Sun: 06.00 am – 10.00 pm
EurAide Berlin Hauptbahnhof
Reisezentrum (lower level)
Mon-Fri: 11.00 am – 07.00 pm
(in summer extended hours; closed
January and February)
Reisezentrum Berlin Südkreuz
Mon-Fri: 06.00 am – 10.00 pm
Sat+Sun:: 07.00 am – 09.00 pm
Reisezentrum Berlin Zoologischer Garten
Mon-Fri: 06.00 am – 10.00 pm
Sat+Sun: 07.00 am – 09.00 pm
Reisezentrum Bonn Hbf
Mon-Fri: 06.30 am – 09.00 pm
Sat/Sun: 08.00 am – 08.00 pm
Reisezentrum Düsseldorf Hbf
Mon-Fri: 06.00 am - 10.00 pm
Sat+Sun: 07.00 am – 10.00 pm
Reisezentrum Düsseldorf Flughafen (Duesseldorf Airport)
Mon-Sun: 06.45 am – 10.15 pm
Reisezentrum Dresden Hbf
Mon-Fri: 06.30 am - 09.00 pm
Sat-Sun: 07.00 am – 09.00 pm
Reisezentrum Frankfurt am Main Hbf
(Frankfurt Central Station)
Mon-Fri: 06.00 am – 10.00 pm
Sat: 07.00 am – 08.00 pm
Sun: 08.00 am – 09.00 pm
Reisezentrum Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof AND Regiobahnhof
Mon-Sun: 06.00 am - 09.00 pm
(Frankfurt Airport)
Reisezentrum Hamburg Hbf
Mon-Fri: 06.00am – 09.30pm
Sat+Sun: 08.00am – 09.00pm
Reisezentrum Hannover Hbf
Mon-Fri: 06.00am – 09.30pm
Sat+Sun: 08.00am – 09.00pm
Reisezentrum Heidelberg Hbf
Mon-Fri: 08.00am - 07.00pm
Sat+Sun: 10.00am – 06.00pm
Reisezentrum Kaiserslautern Hbf
Mon-Fri: 07.00am – 07.00pm
Sat+Sun. 10.00am – 04.00pm
Reisezentrum Köln Hbf (Cologne)
Mon-Fri: 06.00am - 10.00pm
Sat+Sun: 07.00am – 09.00pm
Reisezentrum Köln/Bonn Flughafen (Cologne/Bonn Airport)
Terminal 2
Mon-Fri. 08.30am – 08.00pm
Sat/Sun: 10.00am – 06.00pm
Reisezentrum Lahr (Schwarzwald)
Mon-Fri: 07.30am – 05.30pm
Reisezentrum Leipzig Hbf
Mon-Sun: 07:00am – 10.00pm
Reisezentrum München Hbf (Munich)
Mon-Sun: 07.00am – 09.00pm
EurAide München Hbf (Munich)
Reisezentrum
Mon-Fri. 11.00 am – 08.00 pm
(in summer extended hours; closed
January and February)
Reisezentrum München Flughafen (Munich Airport)
Mon-Fri: 07.30am – 09.00pm
Sat+Sun: 08.30am – 06.00pm
Reisezentrum Nürnberg Hbf (Nuremberg)
Mon-Fri: 06.00am – 09.00pm
Sat: 08:00am – 06.00pm
Sun: 10:00am – 09.00pm
Reisezentrum Stuttgart Hbf
Mon-Sun: 06.00am – 10.00pm
Reisezentrum Wiesbaden Hbf
Mon-Fri: 06.00am – 07.30pm
Sat+Sun: 09.00am – 06.00pm
GREAT BRITAIN
UK Booking Centre
Surbiton KT6 6UB
Phone : 08702 43 53 63
Mon-Fri: 09.00am – 08.00pm
Sat+Sun: 09.00am – 01.00pm
German Rail UK Booking Centre
c/o STA Travel
52 Grosvenor Gardens
London SW1W 0AG
Tel: 0207 881 1290
Mon–Thu: 09.00am – 07.00pm
Fri+ Sat: 10.00am – 06.00pm
Sun: 11.00am – 05.00pm
FRANCE
Deutsche Bahn France
Voyages & Tourisme, S.a.s.
20 rue Laffitte, 5th floor
75009 Paris
Mon-Fri: 09.30am – 05.30pm
Phone : 0033 1 44 58 95 40
train@dbfrance.fr
SWITZERLAND
Reisezentrum Basel Bad Bf
Mon-Fri: 06.50am – 08.00pm
Sat+Sun: 07.50am – 07.00pm
ITALY
DB Vertrieb GmbH
Via Napo Torriani, 29
20124 Milano
Mon-Fri: 09.00am – 07.00pm
Sat: 09.00am - -05.00pm
Stazione di Verona Porta Nuova
Piazza XXV Aprile
37138 Verona
Mon-Sat: 08.00am – 06.00pm
Opening hours and contact addresses may change without prior notice.
