Tourists who plan to travel around Germany should definitely prepare thoroughly for the trip, think over the available options to save money. One of the best solutions for moving within the country looks like the Bayern ticket. What is such a travel document? How long is it valid for? In what cases can it be used? We will try to answer these and other questions in this article.
What is a travel document?
According to the legislative norms in force in Germany, only children who have not reached the age of 6 have the right to travel by public transport around the country free of charge. Other categories of citizens are required to purchase travel tickets. However, adults have a good opportunity to save money when organizing a trip in German public transport. We are talking about the so-called Bavarian ticket.
The German railway concern has been issuing travel documents known as laender-ticket for a long time. The presence of such tickets greatly facilitates and reduces the cost of traveling by public transport in the middle of the country. Each district in Germany has its own separate Bavarian ticket.
The purchase of such a travel document opens up the possibility of multiple travel on a wide range of vehicles without having to pay a fare. By purchasing a Bavarian ticket once, you can ride in various cities at no additional cost for a certain time. However, when buying such a tool, you should take into account several important points, which we will discuss later.
Bavaria ticket where valid?
Based on the very name of the travel document, it is easy to guess that its effect applies primarily to the territory of the lands of Bavaria. To estimate the extent of the territory over which you can move with the help of this tool, it is enough to use the map of the presented district.
In fact, not only Bavarian destinations are covered by the ticket. The travel document is also valid in some neighboring states. So, by purchasing a Bavarian ticket in Munich, you can go to the Austrian Salzburg. In the latter case, it is worth taking German public transport, as the Bavarian ticket will be useless in vehicles that belong to Austria.
To learn more about the scope of a travel document, just visit the official website of Deutsche Bahn. True, all the information is presented herein German and English.
Bavaria-Bohemian ticket
There is a special, extended version of this travel document. The ticket in question is intended for traveling through the territory of Czech Bohemia. It remains valid when visiting such famous spa places as Krumly and Karlovy Vary.
You will have to pay a little more for the Bavarian-Bohemian ticket. However, this decision looks rational, since with the help of one travel document it will be possible to travel to the Czech Republic and return back to Germany. The only drawback of the presented option is the lack of opportunity to visit Prague.
What kind of transport can I ride with the Bayern ticket?
As noted above, the travel document is a special offer of the German railway concern. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that it is most rational to use it for organizing travel by train.
Bavaria ticket is not valid on all trains. You can not use it for travel in high-speed trains. After all, higher tariffs are set here compared to the transport that provides local communication.
And yet, what types of transport is distributed by the presented tool:
- Urban public transport: trams, trolleybuses, buses. In addition to sightseeing vehicles.
- Metro lines with U-Bahn designation.
- Electric trains marked S-Bahn.
- On which trains does the Bavarian ticket work? First of all, these are not short and long distance high-speed trains, which bear the marking RE or RB.
Which public transport is not covered by the travel document?
Buying a Bavarian ticket in Munich is useless in cases where you plan to travel by trains marked D, IC, ICE, EC. Traveling with such a cost-effective means will not work on express buses, in particular on transport that goes to airports. The only exception is the bus that departs from the airport terminal located in Memmingham. In this case, the savings on travel will be 2.5 euros per passenger.
The Bavarian ticket is not valid on tourist routes, in transport that belongs to private companies. It is also useless on cable cars. When boarding any transport that is not the property of city municipalities, you will have to buy separate travel documents.
Action time
When planning a trip from Munich to Nuremberg on a Bavarian ticket or a trip to another popular tourist destination, you should first figure out how long such a document remains valid. It is quite natural that it does not operate on a 24-hour basis. You can ride with it for free only from 9am to 3 am on weekdays.
On holidays that are traditionally celebrated in Germany, the ticket becomes active from midnight. The exception is Peace Day, which is celebrated on August 8th. If the date falls on a weekday, the validity of the travel document starts at 9 am as usual.
Night ticket
In cases where it is planned to travel by public transport only in the evening, it is beneficial to resort to buying a special type of travel document for "night owls". The validity of the Bavarian ticket of the presented type starts from 18 pm and ends at 6 am on the next day. Its cost per person is 23 euros. The maximum number of passengers covered by a travel document is five passengers. However, for each of them you will have to pay an additional 5 euros.
When is it beneficial to resort to such a solution? For example, it becomes convenient when you need to organize a trip from Munich to Salzburg on a Bavarian ticket. Since such a move takes a lot of time, it is more rational to carry it out at night. The night Bavarian ticket in Nuremberg will come in handy if you plan to go here with a subsequent return to Munich.
Where to buy a ticket?
There are several convenient options for purchasing this travel document. The most affordable solution is to contact the railway ticket officestation.
In addition, the purchase can be made in electronic machines marked Deutsche Bahn. The latter are located at almost all German railway stations. You can also find them at airports. The ticket machine is very easy to use. On its scoreboard there are buttons with inscriptions that indicate the type of passage. There is a separate button for buying Bavarian tickets. As soon as the desired icon is selected, the device will ask you to indicate the desired date of the trip, as well as enter the required amount. At the end of the procedure, the ticket and change will be issued to the buyer.
You can buy a Bavarian ticket for 3 days, longer or shorter validity, on the official website of the Deutsche Bahn organization. In this case, you need to decide in advance on the desired date of travel, the composition and number of the group of passengers. The specified data will have to be filled in the corresponding lines of the standard form for ordering a travel document on the website. When buying a ticket online, it is not necessary to be in Germany. You can carry out the operation in advance, being in any other corner of the world. The only thing you have to take care of is printing it yourself.
Issue price
How much does a Bayern ticket cost? You will have to pay about 29 euros for such a travel document when placing an order on the Deutsche Bahn website. At the box office of stations, a similar form will cost 31 euros. Sometimes it can be bought from the train conductor. In the latter case, you will need to pay about 32 euros.
Ultimately, you need to understand that the indicated cost is not constant. It may increase depending on the change in the policy of the carrier.
Ticket Purchase Requirements
When purchasing a travel document, you must enter your name or the details of the person who will travel. If such information is not entered into the form, this will have to be done directly in the presence of a railway officer when boarding a vehicle or exercising control. The difficulty lies in the fact that it can be quite difficult to understand what the controller requires, if you do not know the German language. Therefore, if this condition is not observed in advance, you can find yourself in an unpleasant and even conflict situation.
When checking the Bavarian ticket, German controllers often require passengers to provide an identity card, the data from which must correspond to the information entered in the travel document form. The person who filled out the ticket will have to show a passport or driver's license.
If you plan to travel using such a vehicle as a group, in case of exit from the transport of its buyer, the form will have to indicate the name of the person who will continue the trip to the final destination. This moment is extremely important, since control can occur at any stage of the transfer.
Discounts
The Bayern ticket gives you the opportunity not only to ride an unlimited number of vehicles, throughoutset time, but also receive additional discounts. In particular, its presentation makes it possible to reduce the price of visiting cultural and entertainment institutions. In some cases, the cost can be reduced by 50%. It is recommended to find out about this opportunity at the entrance to any museums, exhibition centers and entertainment venues in Germany.
How many passengers are eligible for the ticket?
The Bayern ticket allows transfers by public transport for a maximum of five people. In addition, with its help, parents, grandparents, as well as guardians, have the right to transport an unlimited number of children under the age of 14 for free. Pets are also eligible.
In closing
So we found out what the Bavarian ticket is, where such a travel document is valid, and found answers to other questions. Finally, it is worth noting that it is recommended to resort to purchasing such a tool for travelers who plan to visit the maximum number of cities in Germany and see a whole host of attractions for a limited period. Buying a ticket will significantly reduce the cost of funds both when organizing an independent trip and transfers in a group.
