Frequently Asked Questions Q: Sounds great! Can I travel back and forth between Hamburg and Munich for one month? A: No, of course not. The ticket is valid for a trip in one direction only.. Q: But you made it sound like I could tour all of Germany… A: Correct. If you choose your stopovers wisely you can travel a long sickle-shaped line though Germany. Or sometimes even loops. Q: Is that really legal? A: It was confirmed to us by a top press guy of the German Railways. They also confirmed the legality to a major broadcasting station. Q: Won’t the railways now try to fix this loophole? A: Probably not. And for three reasons: They would have to reprogram their booking system. It is also part of a European agreement that can’t be declared void by a national railway company. They still make money with it, even more than with one of their discount tickets. Q: Why do I risk getting into arguments with train conductors? A: Not all railway staff know the ticket and the rules that go with it. They then may declare it void or ask for extra payment for part of the trip but this is rare. The general rule is: no travelling back and forth and no round trips. But this is exactly what some of the bookable tickets give you. If you are travellig on the straight line, you shouldnt have any problems. Q: The mysterious abbreviations on my ticket don’t really prescribe my route? A: No, they don’t, although some railway people think so. They describe the wider area in which you can travel. What lines you can actually travel is up to interpretation. But there are several ways of travelling between Munich and Hamburg even with a regular ticket Q: How can I avoid getting into arguments wit a train conductor? A: If you book online, your travel itinerary will be listed on your ticket. If you stay on that route, nothing can happen. Q: And if I book at the counter? A: Then ask them to print out the route and perhaps confirm on that sheet of paper that it corresponds to your ticket. (Every ticket has a separate number.) Q: And then I have to follow that route strictly? A: No, not really. You are not tied to one train and you can more or less meander along the way. But interpreting those cryptic signs on your ticket correctly is too much for even some of the railway staff. . Q: So? A: The less precise your ticket, the greater the chance of getting into discussions with a train conductor. Q: What do I do in case of conflict? A: Do NOT pay extra. Give them your necessary ID data and ask them to bill you. Q: In the unlikely case that I will be thrown off the train, what do I do? A: Call the ombudsperson for public transport (030 / 6 44 99 33 0) , the service hotline of the Deutsche Bahn (0180 6 99 66 33) where charges apply or the federal police 0800 6888000. Q: The ticket is really only useful if I want to travel a lot., no? A: No. If you want to travel from Munich to Hamburg with a three day stopover in Cologne, and book your ticket starting in Bregenz (Austria) you save almost 60 euros on the regular price. Q: But isn’t there Interrail. Why then this ticket? A: Interrail cannot be used by Germans within Germany.. Q: So for foreigners you would recommend the Interrail ticket?? A: Only if they insist on crisscrossing Germany. But if say, a Japanese flies to Berlin and then travels to Munich via Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart (and many other places on the way. He or she can do this for about 140 euros and take 30 days for a relaxed tri. Interrail tickets are more expensive: for travelling on three days within one month you have to pay 188 euros. (different charges apply for different age groups) Q: Have you got further tips? A: If you really want to travel a lot consider buying a first class ticket. . Q: I have read the instructions carefully but still can’t get my favourite route. What’s wrong? A: Perhaps you have overdone it. It is not possible to travel from Basel in the southwest to Munich in the southeast via Hamburg in the north on one ticket. For other cases choose a later date or another stopover that is close to the one you want. Please note that on the first go the booking system only lists the places where you have to change trains and not the places where the train stops. You have to click an extra button for that. Q: Still no success… A: Maybe it works at a later time of the day. Just fiddle around wit the system a little. Q: When can I be sure that I have got a valid ticket? A: When a price is given and you can click on the red “Book now” button..
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 09:02:35 +0000
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