[GERMANY] Step by Step Guide on How to Book DB Railway

The national railway in Germany is called Deutsche Bahn (DB). Its high speed trains are the best way to travel between major cities all over Germany. It is relatively easy to book the train on your own online as all international credit cards are accepted.

Step by step on how to book online:


1) Go to the DB official website: www.bahn.de Then, select the language you want. There are 8 language options available.



2) Select your destination to check the time and ticket price. Once you type the city name, you can select which station you want to depart/arrive. For example, Berlin has a list of train station. Make sure you select the right station. I made a mistake by selecting Frankfurt Sud station instead of Frankfurt Hbf and ended up having to take a connecting train to Frankfurt Hbf.



3) Click on the calendar icon and select your preferred date and time.

* The tickets are usually open for booking 6 months in advance for German domestic train.


4) Select the remaining options: number of traveller, first class or second class etc. First class is more expensive than second class ticket. Benefits of first class include: seat reservation, more legroom, access to DB lounge, free newspaper on ICE and service at seat on ICE.



5) Click "To offer selection" to select ticket type.



6) Select ticket type and click "Continue".

Type of tickets:

• There are 2 types of tickets: Saving fares (which include Super Sparpreis and Sparpreis) and Flexpreis.
• Super Sparpreis means it is train specific travel, cancellation excluded and no city ticket.
• Sparpreis means it is train specific travel, cancellation before 1st day of validity subject to a fee in exchange for voucher and city ticket included.
• Flexpreis means unrestricted choice of trains on day of travel, cancellation before 1st day of validity free and city ticket included. (If you're buying first class ticket, access to DB lounge is only available if you select Flexpreis option).

7) You have the options to buy Bahn Card or not. With the Bahn Card, you'll enjoy discount and collect points.


8) Register when prompted as first time user. Fill in all the necessary personal details and make payment.

9) After you successfully complete the booking, your e-ticket will be emailed to you. You can opt to print out your ticket or show it on your smartphone so that the bar-code can be scanned.


What is on the ticket:
The tickets are issued in German language. Here is an example of the tickets and what it means when translated into English.





If you have train transit, the ticket will show the track number of the arriving and departing train as long as the train station is within Germany. But make sure you check with the display board at the train station again before you board the connecting train.

Tips:
* Remember to always check your emails and train schedule before departure. DB train service is notorious for being delayed. Notification will be emailed to you if the train is rescheduled or cancelled.

* It is also recommended to download the DB Navigator App on your smartphone so that you can always check real-time information eg. your train timetable before departure to ensure the train is on schedule.

* The Saver fare ticket price fluctuates like air fare. It starts from EUR 19.90 onward, depending on how far ahead you make your booking.

* Tickets are not needed for children under 6 and they can travel for free. Children over 6 but under 15 can still travel for free as long as they are accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

* Seat reservation is not necessary for all trains but you can do so for a small fee. Take note that if you did not reserve a seat, you can only take the free seating (the ones without any sign showing that it is reserved on the digital board).

* If you are very sure of your departure date and time, book the DB individual train once it is open for booking as the individually booked Super Sparpreis ticket is still the cheapest. But if you want the flexibility to board any train, then it's worth to consider the German Rail Pass (price from EUR 139).

* Alternatively, you may also consider FlixTrain which is a budget train.

See FlixTrain train routes in Germany below:


I hope this post help you in planning your train travel in Germany.