German Rail Pass

• Q. Do you offer student, family and/or senior discounts?

  A. Yes. Rail Europe offers a wide range of train tickets and rail passes that provide discounts to children, youths, seniors or groups of people that travel together.

  Discounted rates vary depending on the type of train ticket or rail pass you are purchasing, and are not always offered.

  We do our best to provide you with the cheapest fares for your traveling party and get you the discounts you’re eligible for. This is why it’s important to accurately indicate the composition of your traveling party when requesting fares and schedules or rail pass prices from our website. You may also have to enter the age of certain travellers, so we can determine whether they’re eligible for certain age-related discounts.

• Q. What information do I need to provide when booking a rail pass? Do the names on the rail pass and the passports have to match?

  A. When you book your rail pass, you will need to provide us with your first and last name, exactly as they appear on your passport. The name you enter will appear on your rail pass and will be verified by a railway official when you activate the rail pass. In addition, some rail passes are pre-activated and require you to enter the first date of travel.

• Q. Can I get the address and phone number for the train station?

  A. We offer specific train station information and maps with approximate locations of many of the most popular train stations in Europe.

  In general, you’ll find that stations are centrally located and conveniently reached via public transportation and most airport-to-city links.

• Q. I recently saw a fare on your website that I can’t find anymore. Why?

  A. Just like airfares, train fares fluctuate over time. In most cases, the fare you’re quoted on our website is based on current availability at the time of your request. It’s possible that the fare quoted to you has sold out and become unavailable. However, know that the new fare you see on our website is always the cheapest fare offered, based on current availability.

• Q. How do I travel with a print at the station e-ticket?

  A. All you need to do is print your actual train ticket at the station using a self-service kiosk prior to boarding the train. You can do this on the day of your travel, or anytime prior – but you can only do this at a train station.

  The actual steps to print your e-ticket vary slightly from one country to another, but the general approach is the same: proceed to the self-service kiosk, enter your e-ticket confirmation code (also known as PNR) which is a letter code (or in the UK, 8 character alphanumeric code) that is unique to your trip, and follow the simple on-screen instructions.

• Q. Can I choose whether my tickets or rail passes are delivered as paper documents or electronically?

  A. All available delivery options for how your train tickets, rail passes, and/or reservations can be issued will be presented to you during checkout.

• Q. If there’s been a strike, how do I request reimbursement through the Rail Protection Plan™?

  A. Only some train tickets are eligible for reimbursement due to strikes. Please send your tickets back to our Rail Europe office at the address included in the Rail Protection Plan™ documentation that accompanied your train tickets or rail pass, and include the traveller’s Request Form.

  A European railway official at the station must have stamped the train ticket indicating it was not used due to a rail strike. Requests for refunds of printed e-tickets in relation to a rail strikes must follow the procedure mentioned above. If the e-ticket has not been printed, requests for reimbursement can be e-mailed to customerrelations@raileurope.com, prior to the train departure date.

  Notice of any refund request in relation to a strike must be given within thirty 30 days of your return from Europe. Rail passes are generally not eligible for a refund in cases of a strike under the Rail Protection Plan™.

• Q. Can I open the train windows?

  A. If you’re traveling on a slower train you may have the option to open a window, depending on the age and configuration of the car. However, most modern rail cars are air-conditioned and you won’t have the option of opening the windows.

  For safety reasons, high speed trains don’t offer the option of opening windows.

• Q. Do you offer e-tickets?

  A. Yes, on certain rail lines. There are two types of e-tickets:
  Print at home and Print at the Station

  Let’s begin with Print at Home e-tickets, of which there are 3 different types.

  The first type of e-tickets are those issued as a PDF’s which will be emailed to you and can be downloaded via a link contained in your Rail Europe email confirmation. You must print the PDF (using a printer) and bring your ticket with you to board the train.

  The second type of e-tickets are those that are individually emailed to you. You must print the email (using a printer) and bring it with you to board the train – this is your train ticket. Each ticket will be in a separate email, so if you booked more than one ticket, please be sure you print all tickets that were emailed to you.

  The last type of e-tickets are those which have a unique e-ticket confirmation code that is printed on your Rail Europe confirmation email. You must provide the e-ticket confirmation code along with your id to the conductor on board the train.

  Next, Print at the station e-tickets!
  You will receive a 6 or 8 alpha-numeric e-ticket confirmation code (also known as a PNR or Passenger Name Record) in your Rail Europe confirmation email, which you then enter into a self-service kiosk at the train station in Europe to print out your actual train ticket.

  Use this e-ticket confirmation code at a self-service kiosk at the train station to retrieve your ticket. Not all rail lines offer these e-ticket options. Once you have selected a ticket on our website, you’ll be able to choose from its available methods of issuance at checkout.

• Q. Can I use my rail pass on any train within its area of coverage?

  A. In general, yes, but there are some exceptions and a few rules to keep in mind.

  First, be mindful that some trains (such as high speed, scenic, and night trains) require rail pass holders to purchase reservations at an additional cost.

  For international train journeys, be sure that your rail pass covers the country of departure, country of arrival, and any countries through which your train will travel.

  Lastly, some private rail lines in certain countries don’t offer reservations for rail pass holders and don’t accept rail passes. In these cases, you can purchase a train ticket locally for the desired journey.

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