German Ländertickets

The roam-at-will rail tickets available in each of Germany’s 16 states are called Ländertickets. They come in different variants, generally taking the name from the region where they are marketed and mainly sold. Thus the Bayern-Ticket covers Bavaria, while the Brandenburg-Berlin-Ticket covers the states of Berlin and Brandenburg. Each ticket is valid for one day. It is worth noting that on weekdays (ie. Mondays to Fridays) these tickets are not normally valid for use until after nine in the morning — but there are routes where this rule is relaxed.

The Ländertickets are an economic way of exploring different parts of Germany. All tickets can be used by up to five adults (and accompanying children). In some German states the applicable Länderticket comes at a fixed price (usually about €30). In other states, the price may depend on the number of adults travelling (in which case the price of the ticket ranges from €23 to €43). These ticket are designed for use on local and regional rail services (including regional express trains). Ländertickets are not normally valid on Deutsche Bahn long-distance trains, but there are routes where some use of EC and IC trains is permitted.

Hover over the map to reveal the names of the 16 German states.

Many of these tickets offer validity well beyond the boundaries of the region implied in the name of the ticket. This list summarises the ‘beyond the border’ validity associated with each ticket. It is important to note that the permitted list of out-of-state destinations and routes does change from time to time. Here we give the situation for summer 2015. Where we know of upcoming changes in the validity of these tickets, we include an appropriate comment in the table below.

Our lists are not exhaustive. We focus here on just the principal routes beyond state borders where these tickets are valid.

The information presented here was compiled and checked in mid-July 2015.