In the UK, train travel might be a convenient — and often the quickest option — but it’s expensive, with long journeys like London to Edinburgh costing more than £100, even when booked in advance.
But one country in Europe is offering rail tickets at a much cheaper price.
Head to Germany, and tourists can purchase the Deutschlandticket (or the ‘Germany ticket’ for a price of just €58 (or £48) per month, which equates to about £1.60 per day.
You can travel anywhere in the entire country for this price, on all but its very fastest trains. Think clubbing in Berlin, drinking beer in Munich, or soaking up the culture in Cologne.
The ticket also covers unlimited local transport, which includes trams, buses and even ferries.
While the Deutschlandticket is actually meant for German residents, there’s nothing stopping tourists from purchasing one. You’ll have to do a little planning ahead though.
Sign up to The Getaway newsletter
Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here.
How to buy the Deutschlandticket
The tickets are only available to buy in the first 10 days of the month you plan to use it, and its a subscription model, meaning once you sign up, you’ll automatically get charged for the ticket every month after that.
Obviously, if you’re just visiting the country for a few weeks, you don’t want to keep paying the £48 — but fear not.
After signing up, you’ll get an email warning you that you need to cancel to avoid being charged again. You can cancel the subscription by the 10th of each month. Meaning, if you buy the ticket and immediately cancel the subscription, you’ll still have paid to use the railways for the entire month.
The ticket will be displayed with the DB (Deutsche Bahn) app, which is the German national railway company.
It is worth noting though that not being able to use the faster trains means you’ll need to bed in for some lengthier journeys. For example, Cologne to Frankfurt can take around 1 hour and 15 minutes on a fast train, but with the Deutschlandticket it’s around 3 hours and 20 minutes.
It’s easy to work out which trains you can take with the Deutschlandticket though. When searching on the DB website, you can modify your search and select ‘Deutschland-Ticket connections only’.
And if you think £1.60 a day is cheap, head to Luxembourg, and you won’t have to pay a penny.
More Trending
Since February 2020, the wealthiest nation in the European Union has been offering public transport completely free.
And, while other countries can’t quite beat Luxembourg’s offering, some do give incentives to use their railways.
For example, if you arrive in France’s Normandy by train (or bus or bicycle) you’ll get a 10% discount on admission to 90 cultural sites and attractions, including museums, castles, parks and monuments, as well as activities such as canoeing, bike rental and escape rooms.
Or, if you stay at Mas Pelegri, a stylish eco-hotel in Girona, Spain, you’ll get £50 off your weekly stay if you come by rail.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: This European beach is enforcing mandatory nudity — here are the rules for tourists
MORE: Here’s what UK, US and France would look like if they surrendered 20% of land like Ukraine
MORE: 7 cheap places to travel when you’re young and on a budget
