Evading a Ticket in Germany: know what your eurail pass is good for

Although it was definitely not my first time using a Eurail pass to travel around last summer I made a costly mistake.  Knowing what your Eurail pass actually covers is very important and will not only potentially save you money but also time.  Here is an example of just how important this info can be.

Not really taking the time to thoroughly understand the rules, regulations and limits on particular inner-city train tickets in Berlin last year I ran into a bit of a problem.  Purchasing a ticket for what I thought was travel through 3 stops from my point of departure I soon found out that I was mistaken and had gone one stop too far.  After being approached and pulled aside by the "train police"(controller) I was asked to present my ticket and then "asked" to disembark at the next stop.  Doing so I was promptly written a costly ticket (about 40 Euros) and sent on my way. Being rather surprised and hoping the German man who was pulled off the train for the same reason could convince the officers that I was genuinely an idiot for not reading the signs, it never occurred to me to pull out my Eurail pass.  In fact at the time I thought that if I pretended not to speak German (which I can) they would magically understand that there was no way I could possibly understand the law and therefore send me on my way with a coupon for a free Bratwurst mit Senf.  I realized later that I was in actuality just responding to the questions they asked me in German with English answers...Its amazing what one does when surprised by foreign authority.

In the end I walked away with a ticket and confusion as how to pay it.  The front desk people at my hostel  saw no reason I should pay the ticket but rather suggested  I forget about it and move on to the next country on my trip. Its not like the German authorities were going to track me down and make me pay.  They didn't even get my passport number.  I gave them my US drivers license. But although the German kids at the hostel made sense on a completely irresponsible level, it did not sit well with me.  I did hope one day to return to Germany and however unlikely, I did not need to worry about being deported over a 40 Euro ticket.  Then it occurred to me; I was on a train, did my Eurail pass cover my fare?  Well, long story (and even longer wait at the S-Bahn ticket office) short, a Eurail pass valid in Germany will cover the fair on the S-Bahn in Berlin.  NOT THE U-BAHN!! (think about it in terms of "S" referring too Surface and "U" referring too Underground) [In reality the S stands for Stadtschnellbahn and the U stands for Untergrundbahn] Just show your rail pass to any official who asks for your Fahrschein or Ticket

  This meant that in order to clear up the situation I had to stay in Berlin an extra day (not all that bad) and do quite a bit of train switching so that I could go to a particular office that would overturn the ticket.  For anyone who has lived in Germany...the fact that only one office, not centrally located and difficult to find can perform this function is not surprising...it just adds to their charm.   Eventually I took care of the problem and presented the official with my Eurail pass and an explanation (this time I spoke German) and all turned out well.

Th moral of the story is check into and know what your Eurail pass covers.  There are many discounts or freebies for each country that your Pass is valid in.  You can find information on each country's discounts at the raileurope.com site.  Just locate the country your headed too under the rail pass section and click on the special travel bonuses link.  Knowing these things may just save you time, money and the embarrassment of not speaking German worse than you do speak German.

                         

                A Eurail Pass valid in Germany is also good towards:

Trains

• Travelers with a German Rail Pass do not pay supplement on ICE, IC, EC trains or City Night Line trains (only if the pass covers the entire route)** Reservations, however, are strongly recommended during peak travel times. ** Exception: supplements may be required for ICE Sprinter trains.
• The pass and German TCV tickets cover the S-Bahn service
• Berlin-Warsaw Express – special reduced fare for German Rail Pass holders.

Private Rail Road

• Bayerische Zugspitzbahn – 10% reduction on round-trip tickets to Germany’s highest mountain, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Ferries and Cruises

• Free transportation on boats of the Koln-Dusseldorf Rheinschiffahrt AG Line (KD Rhine Line) on:
  • The River Rhine between Cologne and Mainz
  • The Mosel River between Koblenz and Cochem am Mosel.
  • A supplement is needed for the hydrofoil. (Ships with cabins are not included).
• On the Lake of Constance a 50% reduction on all boats operated by Bodenseeschifffahrtsbetriebe

Buses

• A 60% discount on the following Europabus routes:
  • "Romantic Road" route,(Frankfurt am Main–Wurzburg–Augsburg–Munich–Fussen
  • "Castle Road" route (Mannheim–Heidelberg–Rothenburg o.d.T.) Seasonal traffic (from May to Sept). It is strongly recommended to reserve seats about two working days in advance by contacting: Deutsche Touring GmbH, Am Römerhof 17, 60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Phone: ++49-69-790-30; Fax: ++49-69-790-32-19 

Comments

[Chris]

travel blog carnival

[Italy Travel Guy]

Wow, great advice. I never thought of that. I'm planning to travel to Italy soon. Do you have a similar list of what the pass will cover while touring Italy? Good thing you spoke German, eh?

[Chris]

Thanks Italy Travel Guy, I think I thought my german was better than it was...otherwise I would have been able to understand all the signs better. You can find all of the bonuses each country offers for Eurail through raileurope.com . For Italy specifically follow this link,
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/bonuses/italy.htm
Have fun

[Ferries]

Yes.. thanks for the great advice. I never thought of that. I'm planning to travel to Italy soon. Do you have a similar list of what the pass will cover while touring Italy?