Tourists who plan to travel in Germany should definitely prepare thoroughly for the trip, think over the available options for saving money. One of the best solutions for moving within the country is the Bavarian ticket. What is such a travel document? How long does it stay valid? When can you use it? We will try to answer these and other questions in the presented article.
What is a travel document?
According to German legislation, only children who have not reached the age of 6 have the right to travel by public transport around the country for free. The remaining categories of citizens are required to purchase
tickets. However, adults have a good opportunity to save money when organizing trips in German public transport. We are talking about the so-called Bavarian ticket.
The German railway concern has been issuing travel documents known as laender-tickets for a long time. The availability of such tickets greatly facilitates and reduces the cost of travel by public transport in the middle of the country. Each county in Germany has its own separate Bavarian ticket.
The purchase of such a travel document opens up the possibility of multiple travel on a wide range of vehicles without the need to pay for travel. Once buying a Bavarian ticket, you can ride in different cities at no additional cost for a certain time. However, when buying such a tool, several important points should be taken into account, which we will discuss later.
Bavarian ticket where valid?
Based on the name of the travel document itself, it is easy to guess that its effect extends, first of all, to the territory of the
lands of Bavaria. To assess the extent of the territory on which you can move using the indicated means, it is enough to use the map of the presented district.
In fact, not only the Bavarian destinations are included in the scope of the ticket. The travel document is valid in some neighboring lands. So, buying a Bavarian ticket in Munich, you can go to the Austrian Salzburg. In the latter case, it is worth taking German public transport, since the Bavarian ticket will be useless in vehicles that belong to Austria.
To learn more about the scope of the travel document, just visit the official website of the Deutche Bahn organization. True, all the information here is presented in German and English.
Bavarian Bohemian ticket
There is a special, expanded version of such a travel document. The ticket in question is intended for traveling through the territory of Czech Bohemia. It remains valid when visiting such well-known spa destinations as Krumly and Karlovy Vary.
You will have to give a little more for a Bavarian-Bohemian ticket. However, this decision seems rational, because with one travel document it will be possible to travel to the Czech Republic and return back to German territory. The only drawback of the presented option is the inability to visit Prague.
What transport can I use with the Bavarian ticket?
As noted above, the travel document is a special offer from the German railway concern. Therefore, it is not surprising that it is most rational to use it to organize travel by train.
The Bavarian ticket is not valid on all trains. It can not be used for travel in high-speed trains. Indeed, higher tariffs are set here, in comparison with the transport that provides local communication.
And all the same types of transport the means presented are distributed:
- City public transport: trams, trolleybuses, buses. In addition to sightseeing vehicles.
- U-Bahn metro lines.
- Electric trains marked S-Bahn.
- Which trains does the Bavarian ticket operate on? First of all, these are not high-speed short-distance and long-distance trains, which are marked with RE or RB.
Which public transport is not covered by a travel document?
It is useless to buy a Bavarian ticket in Munich in cases when it is planned to travel by electric trains marked D, IC, ICE, EC. Moving with such a cost-effective means will not work on express buses, in particular on transport that goes to airports. The one exception is the bus that leaves from the airport located in Memmingham. In this case, the savings on travel will be 2.5 euros per passenger.
The Bavarian ticket does not apply on tourist routes, in transport, which is owned by private companies. It is also useless on cable cars. When boarding any transport that is not the property of city municipalities, you will have to buy separate travel documents.
Time of action
When planning a trip from Munich to Nuremberg on a Bavarian ticket or a trip to another popular tourist destination, you should first figure out for how long such a document remains valid. It is only natural that he does not act on a round-the-clock basis. You can ride with it for free only from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on weekdays.
On holidays, which are traditionally celebrated in Germany, the ticket becomes active from midnight. The exception is Peace Day, which is celebrated on August 8th. If the number falls on a weekday, the validity of the travel document begins, as usual, from 9 a.m.
Night ticket
In cases where it is planned to travel by public transport exclusively in the evening, it is advantageous to resort to buying a special kind of travel document for the “night owls”. The action of the Bavarian ticket of the presented type starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m. the next day. Its cost per person is 23 euros. The maximum number of passengers covered by the travel document is five passengers. However, for each of them will have to pay an additional 5 euros.
In what cases is it profitable to resort to such a solution? For example, it becomes convenient when you need to organize a trip from Munich to Salzburg on a Bavarian ticket. Since such a move takes a lot of time, it is more rational to carry it out in the dark. A nightly Bavarian ticket in Nuremberg will come in handy if you plan to go here with a subsequent return to Munich.
Where to get a ticket?
There are several convenient options for acquiring such a travel document. The most affordable solution is to contact the ticket office of the railway station.
In addition, the purchase can be made in electronic machines marked Deutsche Bahn. The latter are located at almost all German stations. You can find them at airports. Using an automatic machine to purchase a ticket is extremely simple. On its board are buttons with inscriptions that indicate the type of passage. To purchase Bavarian tickets there is a separate key. As soon as the desired icon is selected, the device will ask you to indicate the desired date of the trip, as well as make the necessary amount. At the end of the procedure, the buyer will be issued a ticket and a change.
You can buy a Bavarian ticket for 3 days, longer or shorter, on the official website of Deutsche Bahn. In this case, you need to determine in advance the desired travel date, composition and number of passengers. The specified data will have to be filled in the appropriate lines of the standard travel document booking form on the website. When buying a ticket on the Internet it is not necessary to be in Germany. You can carry out the operation in advance, being in any other corner of the world. The only thing to take care of is its self-listing.
Issue price
How much does a Bavarian ticket cost? Paying for such a travel document when placing an order on the Deutsche Bahn website will cost about 29 euros. At the box office, a similar form will cost 31 euros. Sometimes he manages to buy it from the train conductor. In the latter case, you will have to pay about 32 euros.
Ultimately, you need to understand that the indicated value is variable. It may increase depending on changes in carrier policy.
Ticket purchase requirements
During the purchase of a travel document, it is necessary to enter your name or the details of the person who will travel in it. If such information is not included in the form, this will have to be done directly in the presence of a railway service employee when boarding a vehicle or exercising control. The difficulty lies in the fact that to understand what the controller requires, if you do not know the German language, can be quite difficult. Therefore, if this condition is not met, you can find yourself in an unpleasant and even conflict situation in advance.
When checking the Bavarian ticket, German controllers often require passengers to provide an identity card, the data from which must correspond to the information entered on the travel document form. A passport or driver’s license will have to be shown to the person who filled out the ticket.
If you are planning to travel using such a tool as a group, if your buyer leaves the transport, you will have to indicate on the form the name of the person who will continue the trip to the final destination. This point is extremely important, since control can occur at any stage of the transfer.
Discounts
The Bavarian ticket gives you the opportunity not only to ride an unlimited number of vehicles for a set time, but also to receive additional discounts. In particular, its presentation makes it possible to lower the price of visiting cultural and entertainment facilities. In some cases, the cost may be reduced by 50%. It is recommended to learn about this opportunity at the entrance to any museums, exhibition centers and entertainment venues in Germany.
How many passengers are entitled to travel by ticket?
The Bavarian ticket allows transfers by public transport for a maximum of five people. In addition, with its help, parents, grandparents, and guardians have the right to transport an unlimited number of children under the age of 14 years free of charge. The ticket also covers pets.
Finally
So we found out what the Bavarian ticket is, where such a travel document is valid, we found answers to other questions. In conclusion, it is worth noting that resorting to the acquisition of such a tool is recommended for travelers who plan to visit the maximum number of cities in Germany and see a whole host of attractions for a limited time. Buying a ticket will significantly reduce the cost of funds when organizing an independent trip, as well as transfers in the group.