Metro, buses, trams, regional trains… It is possible to take all these types of public transport unlimited during the summer in Germany. Since June, a ticket for nine euros per month allows you to travel anywhere in the country. This ticket is accessible to foreign tourists and is easy to buy at any station.
“I think I saved 200 euros on my stay in July”, says Johanna, a doctoral student in art history. Having left for Germany for her university research, she was able to wander around during her weekends, and even extend her traveling stay by a week to make the most of her 9-euro ticket: “It happened, one weekend, that I allowed myself to go hiking in the surroundings, counting on the fact that I could go and come back by train or by bus. usual, for the sake of economy!”
“I did a Paris-Frankfurt, and then Paris-Stuttgart. On site, I went to Berlin, Munich, Augsburg, Dresden, Leipzig and Weimar…”
Johanna, French tourist in Germanyat franceinfo
In the case of regional trains, you have to agree to extend your journey time: “A Frankfurt-Berlin was very long. Four connections and it took nine hours.” ICEs, the equivalent of German TGVs, are not included in the nine-euro formula.
With 21 million copies sold in June, the German railway company, Deutsche Bahn, was a victim of its own success. “I think there was a lack of trains. It was a rush, you had to run to get a placerecalls Mathilde, a Frenchwoman on vacation across the Rhine last month. Me, I didn’t have a place once. I sat in the hallways, on my suitcase or my backpack. A lot of people had to do like me.” Germans even say they had to get out of their crowded train and wait for another on the platform. Too heavy, the convoy had to offload a few passengers to be able to leave.
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However, this mess does not slow Johanna down. The researcher announces that she will return to Germany in August, and she will buy a ticket for nine euros. The German government and Deutsche Bahn are considering renewing the operation, which nevertheless cost the railway company more than a billion euros.