Need help for train

Thank to everyone who has helped me with the information before,

to plan our family%26#39;s trip (final route) to :

Frankfurt : arrive on June 21 (early morning)

Bremen : June 21 - 23 (has to visit someone)

Berlin : June 24 - 25

Praque : June 26 - 27

Vienna : June 28 - 30

Salzburg : July 1

Frankfurt : July 2

Frankfurt - Toronto : July 3 (afternoon flight)

I realized this schedule is very tight but this is the best one that

I can plan for now. I try my best to make it works well for me and

my family.

As per people%26#39;s suggestion, we have decided to travel by train instead of driving. The cheapest way (IC / ICE) that I find :

Frankfurt - Bremen

Bremen - Vienna (via Praque - stop over for 2 days)

Vienna - Frankfurt (via Salzburg - stop over 1 day)

for 3 adult (couple + 15 years old daughter) and 1 children (for

my 12 years old daughter).

Can anyone see a better way to do it ? If I book it on-line, does it

mean that the seats have been reserved (that%26#39;s what I understand

from the web) or do I still need to do something else to reseve it ?

What%26#39;s else I need to know before I order these train tickets ?

Thanks and appreciate your help.

|||

%26gt; If I book it on-line, does it mean that the seats have been reserved

No.

%26gt; or do I still need to do something else to reseve it ?

Yes. You have the choice to reserve seats while buying your ticket. Or you can do this seperately (more expensive; online only for domestic trips in Germany).

There are %26quot;family reservations%26quot;:

1. together with the ticket online: EUR 3,00

2. seperately or at the counter: EUR 7,00

This is the price for the complete family - size of the family plays no role.

Reservations are however not compulsory - but they will guarantee (at least as far this is possible) that you can sit together. A good idea for peak times and longer trips. Otherwise you don%26#39;t need them.

|||

Abalada, thanks for the info. To be safe, I will reserve the seat while booking on-line, and hope I will find the %26quot;family reservation%26quot;

that you mentioned. Am I right to buy the train ticket :

Bremen - Vienna (via Praque) ? Because it%26#39;s much cheaper that by one by one ticket. But someone told me that train in German and Praque are owned by different company. Will it be a problem ?

|||

%26gt;But someone told me that train in German and Praque are owned by different company.

Yes, most trains are owned by national railway companies. Like VIA Rail in Canada.

%26gt;Will it be a problem ?

No.

Btw. if your 12 year old daughter is mentioned on the ticket she is travelling for free.

As to reservations: they are separate from tickets. If you miss a train for which you have reserved, what you lose is a GUARANTEE to a seat. It means you can take the next one but you MIGHT not find the seats together (or in worst case, you might have to sit on your luggage part of the way; but this is rare).

|||

%26gt; To be safe, I will reserve the seat while booking on-line, and hope I will find the %26quot;family reservation%26quot; that you mentioned.

If you buy a (one) ticket for all 4 persons, the system will make automatically a family reservation if you opt for buying a seat reservation.

%26gt; Bremen - Vienna (via Praque) ? Because it%26#39;s much cheaper that by one by one ticket. But someone told me that train in German and Praque are owned by different company. Will it be a problem ?

No. There is a special tariff for such international tickets, the Standard International Passenger Tariff (TCV). And a nice feature of TCV tickets is that also single tickets are valid 2 months and allow stopovers en route.

You have to give however %26quot;Prague%26quot; as a Via-station in this case, because there are other routes, e.g. via Nuremberg - Passau.

|||

Many thanks to Abalada and Altamiro for the info.

This forum and each of you are very helpful... thank you!

Where can I find the difference between RE / IC / ICE ?

The price difference is quite significant and I want to make sure

buying the very suitable one for us, our schedule and our budget.

Is there any other benefit that you know from the IC/ICE ticket - for example : discounted ticket for transportation in the city or anything

else ? Just in case ..

|||

%26gt;Where can I find the difference between RE / IC / ICE ?

The speed and comfort.

RE = RegionalExpress

IC = InterCity

ICE = InterCityExpress

bahn.de/p/…our_trains.shtml

%26gt;The price difference is quite significant and I want to make sure

buying the very suitable one for us, our schedule and our budget.

What you pay for is mainly the speed.

You have to decide which train suits YOUR schedule. Not the other way round.

%26gt;Is there any other benefit that you know from the IC/ICE ticket - for example : discounted ticket for transportation in the city or anything

No significant benefits, except that you can buy (overpriced) food in the long-distance trains.

|||

Btw. you cannot reserve seats on local trains (RE, RB, etc.)

|||

%26gt; No significant benefits, except that you can buy (overpriced) food in the long-distance trains.

Does it mean it%26#39;s better to buy food in the train station and bring it

to the train ?

|||

%26gt;Does it mean it%26#39;s better to buy food in the train station and bring it

to the train ?

In the stations the prices almost always also higher than in a normal supermarket, etc. Just make some sandwiches or buy them somewhere in the city. Of course if you want a warm meal and you are on a train with a restaurant car, you can get it too.

|||

With your travel dates you could use for Bremen to Berlin and Salzburg to Frankfurt the Happy-Weekend-Ticket (EUR 33,00). A mini group (up to 5 persons) day ticket covering all local trains (S-Bahn, RB, RE, IRE) in Germany (plus Salzburg Hbf). Validity

Sa midnight till 3am next day

or

So midnight till 3am next day

Covers also all other local public transport (e.g. buses and trams) in Bremen and Berlin. But not in Salzburg or Frankfurt.

DB timetable

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e

and select as means of transport %26quot;only local transport%26quot;. Than this (price) option will be shown automatically. Will however take considerably longer than with the faster far distance trains.

The Happy-Weekend-Ticket is best bought from ticket machines. At the counter it is EUR 2,00 more expensive.