Korean Job Discussion Forums

[nukeday]

I plan to take two train trips. One from Munich to Prague, then from Prague to Berlin. Should I book these in advance? Or is it cheaper/easier to just go arrive the morning I want to travel and buy a ticket? Do these trains get fully booked some days?

[jomiro]

if you can book a ticket way in advance (say 2 - 3 months) the prices are cheaper. if you wait, the prices increase.
they also sometimes have pretty good deals. they have a weekend ticket, which allows you to travel throughout germany. but its only valid on certain trains. and i dont think that ticket would apply to you.
i also know that they offer special prices to international tourists.

in general you always have to buy a ticket. a reservation for a seat is up to you. however, with distances like that, i would recommend you to reserve a seat for all routes.

i dont know about the trains in prague. but i would expect the prices to be much lower than you will have to shell out for a ticket purchased in germany.

the deutsche bahn has a monopoly position, hence they charge crazy prices.

you can check out their train schedules on their page. just search for deutsche bahn (db) on google.

i think theres an english button for you to click on somewhere on the page.

just one idea tho... why do you wanna take the train? we have super cheap airlines in germany that will take you to either city for a fraction of the price the train company charges.
google for airberlin, germanwings or easyjet.

it can not only end up cheaper, but will definately also be faster.

good luck and have fun on your trip.

[nukeday]

hi, i am taking a flight from berlin to krakow, poland and then from krakow back to munich to get my return flight to korea.

these two trips are (relatively) short, and I figure since the train stations usually go to city centers I don't have to waste time going to the airport (early) and then getting from the airport to the city center. But I suppose I'll look into flights for these two legs as well.

i just checked. looks like it's about 30 euros from munich-prague and 40 euros prague-berlin. that seems reasonable to me...

i think my bigger concern is the possibility of trains "filling up." if i have to reserve, it takes away some of my trip's flexibility.

thanks for the advice.

[jomiro]

if you buy a ticket, you are forced to take the trains the ticket is assigned to.
that hasnt got anything to do with the seat reservation.

you arent flexible, if you take the train. you are fixed on the times youve choosen. if you cant make it, then its your loss. you may cancel the ticket and get a certain amount of money back. but only, if you do it a few weeks in advance. if you cancel a few days before your trip or even on the day of your trip, your money is lost.

30/40 euros is super cheap. id say fly.
cuz the train will be more. travelling by train in germany is one of the most expensive ways to travel and it takes time.

i would fly, even if that means that i would have to take a subway or bus from the airport to the city center. chances are, you will get to the city center much faster than if you had taken the train.

in addition. the trains do go from one station to another, but they stop inbetween.
im pretty sure that along the way there will be stations that will load a big amount of people. so, a seat reservation is necessary.
but it costs an additional 1.50 euro per seat/leg. if you have to switch trains inbetween, itll be 1.50 euro per seat/train.

[nukeday]

those were train prices, actually (sorry, my post was confusing. i checked the DB site and also the czech train site). so i should definitely reserve a seat then. i'll look into flight prices as well but i feel like it will be hard to beat those train prices considering my krakow-munich flight is like 90 euros

[JBomb]

You might want to look into a two country or three country rail pass through the Euro Rail people. Most travel agents here sell them as well.

[nukeday]

Yeah, I looked into that. Didn't seem like a good idea unless I was going really long distances / all day train trips. In munich I plan to use the Bayern trip (20 euro, unlimited use) each day. trains in czech and poland dont seem expensive and i'll probably stay put in berlin. so i've really only got two big train trips.