Germany by train: which ticket should a visitor buy?

Germany has no single tourist pass that beats everything. The cheapest option depends on how many ICE journeys you take, whether your trip crosses a month boundary, and how much local transport you use. Our calculator and guides use DB's own prices and fares we read in DB's journey planner, each with a date.

Open the Germany calculator

Prices last checked: 27 October 2026

Prices at a glance (adult, 2nd class)

Sources: DB pages and DB's 2026 German Rail Pass price list, checked 2026-10-27. DB says Flexpreis and BahnCard prices stay the same at the 13 December 2026 timetable change.
Product	Price	What you get
Deutschland-Ticket	€63 a month €66.80 from 1 Jan 2027	All regional trains, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, trams and buses for a calendar month. A subscription; no ICE, IC or EC
Trial BahnCard 25	€19.90	3 months of 25% off Flexpreis and saver fares. Renews for a year unless cancelled 4 weeks before the end
Trial BahnCard 50	€76.90	3 months of 50% off Flexpreis, 25% off saver fares. Same renewal rule
German Rail Pass Flexi	€223–€507	3 to 15 travel days within one month on DB trains, ICE included. Only for people who live outside Germany
Saver fares (Super Sparpreis / Sparpreis)	from €6.99	One specific ICE/IC train. Prices rise as seats sell

Three things most visitors get wrong

The Deutschland-Ticket is a calendar-month subscription. You pay the full monthly price whatever day you buy it (it starts when DB activates it and ends with the calendar month), and if you cancel after the 10th you also pay for the next month. Buy it on 15 November for a five-day trip and you pay for November and December, unless you bought it by 10 November. Details and examples.
DB only takes SEPA direct debit for it. You need a bank account in the SEPA area, or you pay the first month at a DB Travel Centre and still give direct-debit details.
The trial BahnCard turns into a one-year contract unless you cancel at least four weeks before its three months end. Cancel the day you buy it. How it works.

Guides

Germany train ticket calculator

Enter your ICE journeys, regional trips and city days; compare the Deutschland-Ticket, trial BahnCards and the German Rail Pass.

Is the Deutschland-Ticket worth it for tourists?

The calendar-month and 10th-of-the-month rules, the €66.80 price from January 2027, the direct-debit catch, and three worked trips.

Deutschland-Ticket vs German Rail Pass

What each covers, 2026 pass prices, and a one-week Frankfurt–Heidelberg–Munich–Berlin trip priced for planners and for flexible travellers.

Trial BahnCard 25 for tourists: worth it?

The €19.90 three-month card, its break-even point, the auto-renewal trap, and when the trial BahnCard 50 wins.

Berlin to Munich by train: what it really costs

Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and Flexpreis on four dates, with BahnCard 25 and 50 prices, read in DB's planner.

Munich to Neuschwanstein by train: cheapest ticket

Normalpreis vs Bayern-Ticket vs Regio-Ticket vs Deutschland-Ticket, the castle bus, and group prices.

Frankfurt Airport to Heidelberg: ICE or regional train?

ICE saver fares vs regional trains that the Deutschland-Ticket covers, with times and changes.

Germany as part of a longer trip?

Crossing borders changes the maths. Interrail vs Deutschland-Ticket and German Rail Pass shows when a multi-country pass beats German tickets, and the Interrail pass calculator prices a whole route. Heading on to the Alps? See Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card.

How we got the fares

Card and pass prices were copied from DB's own pages and price lists. ICE fares change with demand, so we read them in DB's public journey planner on 2026-10-27 for specific dates and trains, and we show those dates next to every fare. Your fares will differ, which is why the calculator lets you type in your own. Read how we check prices.

Sources

Every price and rule above was checked against these official pages on 2026-10-27. If something has changed, the operator's page is right and we are wrong. Please tell us.