Use cheap Länder-Tickets to save on local public transportation (bus, train, S-Bahn, U-bahn, metro, tram) of Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) and cities in Germany.
Cheap Länder-Tickets (State Tickets) are often the best savings deal when sightseeing in a specific area of rural Germany. These cheap tickets are valid on local buses and regional trains of Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) and only for limited geographical areas. Fast intercity and other long-distance trains and buses may not be used. Usually, travel is restricted to one Land (or federal state) but if that limitation is not a problem, the savings on standard German train fares and tickets can be enormous. The Deutschland-Ticket (Germany Ticket) is a bit like a Länder-Ticket but valid for all of Germany, however, it is a commuter subscription season ticket so study the fine print before signing up.
Länder-Tickets are much cheaper than standard German Railway fares so not surprisingly they do come with severe restrictions.
Länder-Tickets are usually available for single travelers or groups of up to five traveling together. The base price is for the solo traveler and then add a certain amount, e.g. €10 in Bavaria, for each additional traveler up to five. The prices differ slightly but are around €29 (€42) for a single traveler and €70 (€130) for a group of five in second class (first class).
Calculating children’s fares when using the Länder-Ticket was simplified in recent years but it is important to double check rules and regulations for each state. Study these well in advance as the ticket controller will know the rules and apply fines mercilessly.
In all states, children younger than six years old travel for free and need not be counted when specifying the number of people traveling on the ticket. (In Hessen only three children are allowed per adult.)
In most states, but with the noticeable exception of North Rhine Westphalia and Hessen, three children aged 6 to 14 travel for free per Länder Ticket and need not be included in calculating the number of persons on the ticket. The fourth child counts as a regular passenger and must be ticketed. No family relationships are required. For example, one adult with three children may travel on a Bayern-Ticket Single while one adult with four children will need a two-person Bayern Ticket.
Exceptions include for example:
Deutsche Bahn currently offers thirteen different Länder-Tickets – the links below go directly to the German language pages at Deutsche Bahn. To buy the tickets in English, select the appropriate state from the Regional Day Tickets page:
Bremen is included in the Niedersachsen-Ticket. For Hamburg, buy either a Niedersachsen Ticket or a Schleswig-Holstein ticket (including Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) — study the state borders before making a choice!
Travelers can save even more by buying the Länder-Tickets (or any German train ticket for that matter) from ticket machines or online from German Railways / Deutsche Bahn. Buying tickets from ticket counter windows at the station usually has a service fee of €2 to €5. Tickets must be bought before boarding trains.
An alternative to the Länder-Tickets when traveling in several states is the Quer-Durchs-Land day ticket the allows for travel throughout Germany. Many other savings options are available for traveling on German trains, especially for advance reservations and return journeys.
A fantastic savings deal is the Deutschland-Ticket (Germany Ticket) which costs only €49 per calendar month. However, this is a subscription season ticket with a year commitment when signing up but the option to cancel at any time, for example immediately after buying, and use it for only the first calendar month. See more details at Cheap Travel on the €49 Deutschland-Ticket Germany Train Pass and read the fine print before signing up.
The Schöne Wochenende Ticket (Happy Weekend Ticket) is no longer sold.