We see that this summer the German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) are offering rail passes that give unlimited rail travel anywhere within Germany. The passes are valid for use for either 175 hours or for a full month in the period from 13 June until 31 August. The 175 hour pass costs 175 EUR (with a 30 EUR discount for those aged 26 or less). The one month pass costs 299 EUR (or 246 EUR for those aged 26 or less). There is no residency requirement so visitors from Australia, North America, Japan and elsewhere can buy the passes just as much as Europeans. The pass is called the Deutsche Bahn Jubiläums-Pass. Details are available on the Deutsche Bahn website.
These are great deals. Compare the price for a rail pass for Germany sold in the USA, where the leading agents charge 441 dollars for a pass that gives 10 days travel within any one month period. By our reckoning 441 dollars is about 350 EUR, so it is far cheaper to buy the Deutsche Bahn Jubiläums-Pass which allows travel for an entire month rather than merely the ten days within a one month period that the product marketed in the United States allows.
Germany celebrates the 175th anniversary of the country's first railway this year, and it is this anniversary that suggested the name for this year's discount summer rail passes.
Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries
(hidden europe)
