Berlin reporting: this is huge for anyone taking public transport.
Monthly ticket for the AB area alone was way above 80/€/month for the city only.
This is 49 for everything anywhere in Germany except for high speed long distance trains, flixbuses and flixtrains (the latter are private entities)
That's absolutely false. I don't even spent €9 most months on public transit in Berlin, but at €9, I'd get it and probably use public transit more often (which is the point). There's no way I'd buy a €49 ticket. I primarily bike and drive, though I drive so little that I only have to fill up my tank every 2-3 months.
In Berlin, the monthly ticket is 89 euros for the two main zones. It goes to 107 euros for all zones. Basically, halfs your monthly outgoings just for Berlin travel. Then add in the ability to travel it's looking really good. Can't wait for it to be available.
From an infrequent visitor, EUR49 a month for all public transportation is reasonable. Also I can just buy a digital ticket before coming to Germany and then use it in any cities sound fantastic.
As an American, I can only dream of having convenient train fares of about USD$80 to go between somewhat-distant cities. Berlin to Brussels for GPB63.50 (about $80 right now) sounds downright cheap to me.
With "usually" being an important proviso: In Germany, there are weekend tickets for up to 5 people. A student ticket (covering the entire state, included in the tuition fee of around 700 EUR/year) often allows the holder to take someone along after 7pm or on weekends.
Keep in mind that this is the website from Deutsche Bahn, which operates a lot of trains, regional trains and local trains. But not every public transport is from Deutsche Bahn. The 9-Euro-Ticket is valid for all public local transport, too - not just for the Deutsche Bahn.
The ticket is for local transport operators, too. One can also buy the ticket there. A subscription ticket will be automatically converted. One can for example buy it at the local Verkehrsverbund (transit district), which here serves in Hamburg several million people with all kinds of regional trains, city trains, underground trains, busses, ferries, ...
Thus one can use all (!!!) local and regional public transport for 9 Euro for a month, 24 hours a day, for all of Germany, for all public transport operators. The is done for three months, each month costs 9 Euro.
Except Hannover Berlin is more or less the same as Paris Lille. Paris Lille is under 1h and the price never exceeds 35 euros (which means you can sometimes find tickets under 20).
Now compare the prices with the price of everything else in France and Germany and you'll see why I say that trains in Germany are terribly overpriced.
bahn.de now, Paris to Berlin eight hours one change TGV then ICE around 120 euros. They used to do £50 tickets from London to Germany that were actually quite competitive time and price rise to flying. And of course there is always the night bus from Berlin to London....
Deutschland-Ticket covers fares on all public transportation options in Germany, regardless of the city, plus on slower longer-distance trains (RB, RE, etc).
I live in Berlin, and the rest of the costs mentioned in the article seem somewhat accurate.
Don't worry. The normal day ticket in Hamburg costs 8.2€. And the one-way ticket costs 3.5€ (with bus being slightly cheaper). So you are doing just fine. Public transport is crazy expensive here.
On a tangent, buying a ticket for a tourist is a real pain on the Berlin system. You have to know what a zone is, what specific station etc. would be great to have a standard fare like in NYC.
It is for trains as long as the train is not an IC (Inter City) or ICE (Inter City Express). That leaves you with only slower regional trains, trams, and subways.
If you were to use the €49 ticket for a train ride from Munich to Berlin (around 360 miles) it would take you 5 different trains and close to 9 hours to get there. With the ICE: No transfers and the journey is cut down to 4 hours. Price: €168 without discounts. If you book weeks in advance you can get a ticket for around €50.
Each metropolitan area has its own company running public transportation. This €49 ticket, like the €9 ticket that was tested for 3 months in the summer of 2022, is valid in almost every city and town in Germany. No matter who operates the trains or buses.
For comparison, a ticket that allows you to travel all of the fare zones in and around Nuremberg, Bavaria is €245 per month. That’s an area of about 6100 square miles.
All prices include the reduced sales tax, which is currently at 7%.
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