I am addicted to travel plannng (first admission) and am goofing off at work (second admission). I was playing around with some possible itineraries for a trip over Mardi Gras break (I live in New Orleans). AA offers good deals to Frankfurt, so I was thinking of flying into here, and then taking the train to Berlin. I wanted to get an idea of the approximate cost of the train ticket, and MAN, they%26#39;re pricey. The rates are upwards of about 90 euros, depending on the departure time. Is this because I%26#39;m seeing peak travel time rates (summer)? Are the prices cheaper during the off season (February)? I wanted to avoid plane-hopping, but it would be cheaper for me to take a flight to Berlin rather than a train. Any input? Thanks!
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%26gt;The rates are upwards of about 90 euros, depending on the departure time.
Not depending on the departure time. Depending on the route and type of the train.
%26gt;Is this because I%26#39;m seeing peak travel time rates (summer)?
It has nothing to do with travel times, and summer is NOT the peak travel time. The peak travel days are around the major holidays/long weekends. The prices will be the same whether summer or winter.
%26gt;Are the prices cheaper during the off season (February)?
No.
You can commit yourself to certain trains (i.e. lose the flexibility of a normal ticket) and, with a return, get a discount of up to 50% but you have to book early. It is easy to get such discounts mid-week but hard on Fridays or Sundays.
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Thanks. But will probably fly. Much cheaper.
On a side note, what would you consider peak travel time?
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Haha...nevermind. Looked back up at the rest of your post. lol.
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%26gt;Thanks. But will probably fly. Much cheaper.
Before you decide to fly or not, make sure you count the taxes and supplements that the airlines add to the ticket prices. I have often seen a 19 Euro Germanwings ticket which, in the end, would cost me about 80-85 Euro.
Overall travel time will be the same whether you take the train or fly.
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Btw. many airlines sell %26quot;rail%26amp;fly%26quot; tickets for varying rates, which are valid for a train trip to anywhere in Germany without any restriction, within 2 days of arrival. Same for the return trip. It is often about 20-40 Euro. Ask your airline.
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Rail%26amp;Fly is e.g. an option (AA takes part in this program)
bahn.de/p/…railfly_b_to_b_engl.shtml
You can also get discounts for prebooked return tickets of up to 50%.
bahn.de/p/…price_plan_in_advance.shtml
Travel time will be roughly the same (with check-in etc.) if you use plane or train. Travelling on the ICE highspeed trains is however an experience on its own. And 2nd class ICE train is more comfortable than tourist class on the planes.
Summer is only main season at places visited mainly by tourists. This is not the case with the far distance trains or hotels in bigger cities in Germany. Here business travellers, students, weekend commuters have the main share. Tourists play a rather small role: Result: summer is rather low season.
Peak time for the trains is Friday and Sunday afternoon and evening (less so in summer than in other times of the year).
Otherwise the %26quot;peak seasons%26quot; are rather regional around events, e.g. Oktoberfest in Munich, big trade fares like the IAA in Frankfurt. And around the %26quot;big holidays%26quot;: Christmas, New Year, Easter, ...
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