Hop a train to your next European adventure
Published: August 2, 2011
In our never-ending quest for new travel horizons, it’s sometimes all too easy to just hop into the car and go. But there can be real advantages to leaving the auto at home – no search for a parking space or those hourly parking fees that add up fast, no miles-out-of-the-way drive to the nearest gas station that works with your fuel card and no worries if you want a glass of wine or a mug of beer at the fest. But, on the downside, oftentimes taking the train proves to be a pricey venture. Here are a few deals that might help ease the pain.
Italy: Through Sept. 24, Trenitalia has an offer known as “Sabato Italiano,” in which the price of one standard fare ticket buys you travel for two persons. The deal is available on Saturdays only, but it’s good for all types of trains, including AV, ES, City, Espressi, IC or ICN trains. You can go online and buy the ticket, obtain it through an authorized travel agent, or purchase it right at a train station, although this has to be done at least one day in advance of your travel. There are some restrictions --- the number of seats available for this deal is limited, tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable, and you can travel only on the exact train for which you made a seat reservation. When I tried to make a few sample bookings, I managed to find a few seats available on trains with early morning departures.
Germany: This deal has been around for years, but it’s worth mentioning again for any newcomers to the German travel scene. The “Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket,” or Happy Weekend Ticket, is valid for groups of up to 5 persons traveling together on either Saturdays or Sundays, is valid for a full day and up to 3 a.m. the following day for late nights out. There are some restrictions. It’s good only on regional trains, to include those of the class S-Bahn, RB, IRE, RE, and only for travel in second class. When purchased online, the ticket is just 39 euros.
If your group’s travel plans see you remaining within the borders of a single German state, you might find one of the “Länder” tickets an even better value. They are good for travel for up to 5 persons, and can be used midweek, from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. the following day. Conditions vary slightly among the different states, so read up on your ticket’s limitations before booking. Generally speaking, they can be used on the regional trains as noted above and the local transportation networks.
One new feature to the German Rail website is the “Sparpreise Finder.” This feature allows you to see the cheapest train tickets going on any given date, up to three months in advance of your travel. Even though it’s in German only, the page is pretty user-friendly. Here’s how it works. Suppose you wanted to go from Stuttgart to Munich for Oktoberfest, incorporating an overnight stay from Sunday to Monday. You plug in departure and arrival stations along with your proposed dates, and you can see what the cheapest fare available is for any given train, then book accordingly. In my sample booking for Sept. 25-26, I saw fares ranging from 19 to 47 euros. I bet most of us could be a little flexible in our departure and arrival times if that translated into a 28-euro savings on a one-way fare alone!
Switzerland: The country’s national rail system, SBB, offers Supersaver tickets on selected routes between cities. These tickets can only be purchased up to 14 days in advance, but they can save you a bundle --- up to 60 percent off standard fares. Departure times are binding, and exchanges or refunds are not allowed, so choose your route carefully and enjoy some of the most picture-perfect scenery in all of Europe.
