Travel in Germany is a joy. Trains are quick, reliable and comfortable. Public transport in towns and cities is integrated so that you can use the same ticket on train, tram, bus or underground. And if you get the right ticket you can travel long distances relatively cheaply. This makes Germany the perfect place for a football trip.
Local travel
Local travel arrangements are different depending on the city and region you are in. But they all offer day and group tickets and other money-saving deals. They all have helpful websites – often with an English section – which include journey planning tools as well as fare information.
Here are the local transport websites for each club in the top three divisions to help you plan your football trip.
Bundesliga
2 Bundesliga
3. Liga
Types of train in Germany
Long distance trains
InterCity Express (ICE) are Germany’s fastest trains. They can travel at up to 186 mph and are ideal for long-distance travel. They are very comfortable and have superb facilities.
With speeds of up to 125 mph InterCity (IC) trains also cover long distances quickly. Some intercity trains cross into neighbouring countries (Holland, France etc). They are called EuroCity (EC) trains. You will have a smooth and comfortable journey on these trains. Many of them have a restaurant car. Some of the newest IC trains are double deckers.
Regional trains
Interregio-Express (IRE) trains connect regions with each other.
Regional-Express (RE) and Regional Bahn (RB) trains are ideal for travelling across a particular region or between neighbouring towns. Some of these trains are double-deckers.
Local trains
You will find S-Bahn trains in most large cities. These trains cover short distances within cities or between neighbouring towns.
Many German cities have underground (U-Bahn) and tram (Straßenbahn) networks.
Saving money
Train travel in Germany needn’t cost the earth, but you do need to look out for special tickets and reductions.
The cheapest way to travel longer distances is to buy a saver ticket (Sparpreis).
If you plan to do a lot of travelling you can save even more money with a BahnCard. This costs 62 euros but entitles you to 25% reduction on all fares for a year. If you are under 27 it only costs 39 euros.
A “Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket” lets you travel anywhere in Germany for a day. You have to leave after 9 am on weekdays and you can’t use it on ICE, EC, or ICE trains. But you can travel on all regional trains. It’s ideal for group travel. The first person pays 44 euros, but up to four extra travellers can join the group ticket for 8 euros more each. So a group of 5 can travel right across the country for just n76 euros.
The “Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket” also lets you travel right across Germany on either a Saturday or a Sunday. You can’t use it on ICE, EC and IC trains, but you can travel on all regional trains. You can use it for groups of up to 5. The first person pays 40 euros and each additional traveller pays 4 euros.
Länder-Tickets allow you to travel anywhere within a particular state for a day. On Monday to Friday you have to leave after 9 am and you can’t use it on ICE, EC and IC trains. But you can travel on any regional train and in most states use local public transport as well. These tickets have different prices, depending on the state.
You can get more information on all these tickets here on the Deutsche Bahn website.
Long distance buses
Of course, if you are not in a hurry, bus travel is an even cheaper way to get around.
Deutsche Bahn offers intercity bus travel to and between many major German cities.
Flixbus also provides low-cost bus travel to and right across Germany.
Other websites to help you plan your football trip
(NOTE: Some of the websites in this section are affiliate links and will earn Bundesliga and Beyond a small commission if you book through them. This adds no cost to you but helps keep my website sustainable. It’s also worth noting that they are services I am happy to use myself.)
You can use Trainline EU or From A2B to buy tickets to and from anywhere in Europe. You simply provide departure, destination, date and time and they do the rest in seconds.
The English section of the Deutsche Bahn (German Railway) website is clear and helpful. You can plan trips and buy Print@Home and e-tickets here. They also give information and advice on the best deals.
And if you want to find out even more take a look at The Man in Seat 61. Its author, Mark Smith, knows everything there is to know about train travel in Europe and beyond. If you go to the Germany section you will find advice on buying tickets, interactive maps to help you plan routes, general information about travel in Germany and links to other helpful sites.
What have I missed or got wrong?
I have done my very best to check all my information, to include every club and to organise them conveniently. But am certain to have made mistakes. If you spot anything, I would really appreciate it if you could let me know.
Find out more about German football
This short guide will help you plan your trip and decide which clubs to visit. There is also key information on every club in the top three divisions as well as links to the best books, websites, blogs and podcasts.
