Train travel in Germany can be completely overwhelming if you’re planning a trip there for the first time. Especially for those of us coming from small towns in the US, where public transportation is basically non-existent.

But no worries, because I’ve got everything you need to know right here! My husband and I spent 2 weeks traveling around Germany by train, and let me tell you, I spent hours researching tickets. I emailed bloggers who had lived in Germany, AND the train company itself. I wrote everything out by time and date, all in my effort to find the very best train tickets and avoid any unforeseen issues.

So I’ve got you, fellow traveler. Here is the complete guide to German train travel!

• Good to Know: If you’re traveling to Europe and are new to public transportation, you might like my guide to public transportation in London!

Year visited: 2025

Time of Year: December

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What’s in this Article:

• Types of Trains
• Types of Tickets
• Types of Train Cars
• Train Stations
• Onboard the Trains
• Replacement Transportation

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Types of Trains in Germany

Intercity Trains

There are two main types of trains to be aware of when you’re traveling between cities in Germany:

• Regional Trains
• ICE (high speed) Trains

Regional trains are smaller, slower, and less fancy. ICE trains are fancier, faster, and more expensive.

When you’re looking for a train journey to book on the Deutschbahn website, regional trains will have an “RE” or “RB” in front of the train number. For example, you can take the “RE1” train from Munich to Nuremberg.

A high speed train will have “ICE” and the train number.

• Pro Tip: You can modify the details to choose the “mode of transport” you want in your search. This is the best way to make sure you find the regional train journeys, if you’re looking for that. When I was searching for trains to Nuremberg, only the high speed options came up until I changed my search parameters to only include regional trains.

If you want to get somewhere quickly, and are ok having to catch a specific train at a specific time, go with the ICE trains. You can also pay extra to reserve your seat, if you want to.

If you’re doing a day trip and want more flexibility, or to save money, book the regional train. We used regional trains almost exclusively on our 2-week trip to Germany and France. The only time we were not on a regional train was our ICE train from Munich to Stuttgart, and our train to Paris.

S-Bahn/U-Bahns

To just travel around a city for the day (as opposed to trains between cities), you will use the city’s metro trains:

• S-Bahn: Overground train around the city
• U-Bahn: Underground train (subway) in the city

This is pretty typical for any large city around the world, with both above ground and below ground public transportation around the city limits.

You do not scan a credit card or ticket to get on any of these trains. You can buy your ticket at the station kiosks, and have it in case a staff member comes by to check it. If you booked a regional day ticket (we’ll go over that in the next section) for your inter-city train, these are also valid on the U and S-Bahn trains.

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Types of Train Tickets in Germany

Where to Book Tickets

The best place to search for train tickets in Germany is the Deutschbahn website. You can search for tickets between cities on their website, and modify your search results to only show the type of train you want, as well as different times available.

I bought all our tickets directly from their website, which was also nice because all our train tickets were stored in one place on my account. I was also able to see alternative journeys available for our tickets.

• Pro Tip: I would highly suggest downloading the DB app on your phone so you can easily access your tickets and see train times while you’re traveling.

Individual Journey Tickets

You can book train tickets for a specific train at a specific time. This would be like a high speed train between cities, especially if you are moving from one city to another for overnight (not just the day).

If you are booking an ICE train, say for example from Berlin to Munich, you will want to book this as an individual ticket for that journey. You will still have a couple of options to choose when booking your ticket, whether it is first or second class, or if you want to reserve a seat.

These tickets are the most expensive, and cannot be changed to a different train time (unless there is an issue on the train company’s side). You will want to book them as far ahead as possible in order to get the best price.

Regional Day Tickets

Regional day tickets are (mostly) the best things ever. Almost all of the tickets I booked were regional tickets.

So what is a regional ticket? Well, a regional day ticket will allow you to get on ANY regional train on the day your ticket is good for, as well as other public transportation.

It is only good for a certain region, though. For example, the Bayern ticket is a regional day ticket for Bavaria. It is good on the regional trains, S-Bahns and U-Bahns, and buses in Bavaria. It would not work in Berlin, though, which would need a Brandenburg-Berlin ticket.

You do not need to purchase a regional ticket ahead of time, as the price does not change from day to day, and you don’t have to reserve a specific train.

You can just purchase a regional ticket for the day, or it will also come up as an option when you search a specific journey. For example, if you search for a journey from Munich to Fussen (where you would go for Neuschwanstein Castle), and select a regional train, one of your purchase options will be for a Bayern ticket.

Even though your ticket is associated with a specific train, if you purchase it that way, it is still good on any of the regional transportation during that day.

• Good to Know: The most popular regional ticket is the Bayern, for Bavaria. This is the main option on the Deutschbahn website, but if you scroll down there are other options as well. I booked the Baden-Wurttemberg ticket for our journeys from Stuttgart.

The only downside is that regional trains are slower, and can get crowded. Sometimes people would have to just stand and hold on to a rail for the journey.

Validating Tickets

I read a lot about validating train tickets before I visited Germany, and I was really nervous that I might get in trouble for not properly validating our tickets.

But not to fret! If you purchase tickets online, they are considered validated. And when we bought a ticket at the Munich Airport kiosk, it automatically selected the “pre-validated” option, so this isn’t something you really have to worry about anymore.

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Types of Train Cars

First & Second Class

On the train, there are first class cars and second class cars (though the majority are second class). This will be marked by the big 1 or 2 on the side of the train car (not to be confused with the carriage number).

There’s not much difference in the first class compartments, but make sure you sit in the right compartment for your ticket type. First class typically just has a little more room than second class cars, and a little bit cushier seats. On longer journeys (not on regional trains) they might serve food in first class.

Other Carriage Types

Sometimes you will find other distinctions in the train carriages. For example, a quiet car, which is designed for people doing work. You’ll find more tables in this car (for laptops), and people shouldn’t be having loud conversations (although it is ok to talk).

You might also see a “bike car,” which will have foldable seats to make room for people with bikes. Anyone can sit here, you just fold the seats down. But if you have a bike and the seats are open, you can fold them up and store your bike there.

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Train Stations in Germany

Train stations were honestly my favorite part of visiting London. They were like little malls, with stores, full-blown restaurants, services, places to sit and relax, and, most importantly, free bathrooms.

German train stations are not quite as intense. Honestly the only one we were in that felt at all like the ones in London was Nuremberg’s train station. That being said, note that every station is different, but here is a general overview of what to expect at the train stations in Germany.

• Good to Know: A city’s main station will be referred to as the “HBF.” For example, Munich HBF is the main central station in Munich.

Train Station Bathrooms

Ok, this is what I consider the most important thing to know. I always need to know where to find a bathroom! And especially… if I have to pay for said bathroom!

So, do the train stations in Germany have bathrooms? Yes.

Do you have to pay to use the bathroom? Also yes.

It usually costs about 1-3 euros to access the train station restrooms. You can pay this on a credit card or with coins. There will be kiosks before the bathroom entrances where you pay, and then you’ll be able to get through to the bathrooms.

• Pro Tip: Sometimes the kiosk will give you a coupon for certain stores in the train station, so go to the bathroom, and then get a snack. But it is only good at certain places.
• Pro Tip #2: There are free bathrooms on the actual trains. So if you don’t want to spend money, try to go while you’re on the train.

Restaurants & Relaxation

Most train stations will have at least some restaurants and shops. We were at a couple very small stations that didn’t have anything available, but these were in extremely small towns. All the big city stations will have lots of food options, and most of your average small town stations will still have a few shops for snacks and souvenirs, and even a florist. Because I know that I’m definitely always looking for a fresh bouquet when I travel to a small town in Germany for the day…

The bigger stations, like Munich did have lots of food options, including a full scale grocery store. However, the only train station we found with an area to just sit down and relax (and eat your snacks) was the Nuremberg station. The Munich station did not seem set up for people to just sit around and wait for a train. Munich’s vibe is more “never stop moving.”

Train Platforms

The interesting thing about train travel in Germany is that you do not need your ticket to access the train platform. There are no barriers to walk through or places to scan your ticket; you just walk right out to the train platform and hop on the train. Then you just never know if and when someone will come and check your ticket (so be sure to have it ready to be checked).

There will be signs on the train platforms to let you know which train is coming to which platform and what time it is coming. Be sure to double check this, especially if you don’t understand the announcements they’re making in German, so you don’t have to run across platforms at the last minute to catch your train that switched platforms…

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Onboard the Trains in Germany

So now that we’ve made it on the actual train, I still have lots of questions (small town girl with limited public transportation experience, remember?)! Where do I put my luggage? Where are the bathrooms? When will they come check my ticket??

How to Choose Your Seat

If you’re on a regional train, there are no assigned seats. You just sit wherever there is an opening (as long as you’re not in first class with a second class ticket). Sometimes regional trains were so crowded that people had to stand in the space in-between train cars and just hang on to something.

Regional trains are pretty casual (and popular!), and you typically won’t be on one for a super long time.

If you’re taking a longer train, like an ICE train between cities, some seats might be assigned. You will have an option to pay extra for an assigned seat when you book your ticket.

We took an ICE train from Munich to Stuttgart. We did not pay for assigned seats, so when we got on, we had to find a seat that was open. There were signs on each seat that said when the seat was reserved for (see above photo). For example, in the above photo, seat 124 (the window seat) was reserved, but only for the stops between Gottingen and Berlin. So if you were getting off the train before it reached Gottingen, you could sit there.

Seat 123 was not reserved at all, so anyone could sit there. The seats we sat in were reserved, but only for a stop that was after we got off the train, so we were able to sit in them.

Where to Store Your Luggage

For small bags, there are racks above the seats where you can store your luggage during your train journey. I was able to fit my plane carry-on up there. For larger bags, there is usually a luggage rack at the end of each carriage, and in the middle.

Or if it’s not crowded and there’s space, you can also just keep your luggage with you. For example, we were in a bike car on a regional train and just held onto our suitcases for the duration of the trip.

• Fun Fact: There are little hooks by the seat where you can hang your jacket!

Bathrooms on the Train

Every train has a bathroom, or water closet (WC). Bathrooms are located in the area between cars (by the door where you get on). If it’s in use, the “WC” sign will light up so you know it’s occupied.

The best part about train bathrooms is they are free! And it is very hard to find free bathrooms in Germany.

When Do They Check Tickets?

I can’t remember the exact number, but between our 12 separate train journeys, they checked our tickets about half of the time.

You never know when someone will come to check your ticket. Like I said earlier, you do not need to scan your ticket to get onto the trains in Germany. Sometimes they will come by to check your ticket, and sometimes they won’t, so you just never know.

Be sure to have your ticket readily available in case they do. I had all our tickets on my Deuschtbahn app, which I could access even without wifi (although, fun fact, most trains have free wifi!).

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Replacement Transportation

Sometimes… despite Germans being incredibly efficient and known for always being on time… the trains you need are going to be shut down. In fact, it happened to us 3 separate times during our 2 week trip!

One train line got shut down for construction on the lines literally the day after I bought the tickets. The app notified me that my selected journey was no longer available, and gave me options of the replacement bus routes.

One train line got shut down while we were in Germany, and when I doubled checked our train times on the app the night before, saw that it was no longer available! The replacement options they were giving wouldn’t get us to Neuschwanstein Castle in time for our tour… So we booked a $200 Uber to get there on time!

And the third train line shut down literally while we were in Nuremberg. We took a train there from Munich in the morning. And then when we went to go back, the line had been shut down!

Replacement Transportation

Sometimes, if a direct line is shut down, the transportation company will set up replacement buses. The train from Stuttgart to Tubingen was shut down for several weeks, so they charted a replacement bus that ran every 15 minutes between the two cities. This option was listed in the app when I searched the journey between Stuttgart and Tubingen.

• Good to Know: The replacement bus did not leave from the main train station. It actually left from a little plaza that (ironically) was right outside of our hotel (this is ironic, because we went to the main station and had to get directions back to our hotel to find it…)
• The name of the plaza was listed on the app, I just didn’t realize it was a different location.
• We also had a hard time finding the bus back. The replacement buses were picking up from the very far end of the parking lot at the Tubingen Station.

When the line from Munich to Fussen was shut down, there was not a bus that went directly between the two. We took the Uber to get there on time (because we were under a time restriction).

For the way back, they sent replacement buses to the Fussen Station that would take you to another train station. From there, you could catch a train back to Munich. Two buses came at the same time, each going to a different station, but both stations had trains back to Munich (there were a lot of us waiting).

For our trip to Nuremberg, the app suggested an alternative train to a station that still had trains running to Munich. So we just took two trains instead of one direct one.

The moral of the story is, if your train line gets shut down (and based on our experience, it will probably happen at least once), there will be other options to get where you need to go. But, it will take longer, so be sure to have patience and give yourself plenty of time.

Especially if it takes you an hour and a half to discover where the replacement bus is coming from…

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Further Reading

If you’re planning to visit Germany, be sure to check out my 1-week Munich itinerary for all the best sites to see without needing a car (since you are now a pro at public transportation)!

Or any of my other Germany guides, to give you lots of ideas of where to go, and details of how to get there.

Any more questions?

Hopefully this information helps you with planning your trip to Germany. If you have any more questions (or comments!) about navigating train travel in Germany, please feel free to email me or comment below.

Planning a trip to Germany?

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• The Perfect 1-Week Munich Itinerary (no car needed!)
• How to Visit Neuschwanstein Castle
• The Best Things to Do for Christmas in Germany
• How to Day Trip to Nuremberg
• The Complete Guide to Transportation in London

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