Traveling within Germany
Germany is large and has many beautiful cities and regions that are well worth a visit. Even without a car, you have many opportunities to travel within Germany and visit new places or old friends.
What options do I have?
By train
Deutsche Bahn trains connect almost all cities and towns in Germany. There are express trains (ICE and IC) that connect the major cities and regional trains that travel more slowly and also stop in smaller towns. In the various regions, there are also often additional regional trains from other operators that usually connect small towns and villages in Germany. You can find the timetables online at bahn.de and on large yellow posters at the stations. You can buy tickets at the ticket counter or ticket machine in the station or online on the Deutsche Bahn website. The earlier you book a train journey, the greater the chance of getting cheap Sparpreis tickets for the train. There are also group tickets, country tickets, weekend tickets and the"Deutschland-Ticket", which are often cheaper than a normal ticket. If you travel a lot by train, it may also be worth buying a BahnCard. With a BahnCard, you can get your ticket for less. Children under the age of six generally travel free of charge on the train.
Long-distance bus
Long-distance buses are a cheap alternative to trains or planes. They connect most major cities in Germany. The bus stops are often called "Busbahnhof" or "Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof (ZOB)". The best way to buy a ticket is online on the websites of the long-distance bus lines. You can find cheap connections and long-distance bus routes at busradar.com or fernbusse.de, for example.
Carpooling
Another cheaper alternative is so-called "carpooling". Here you can share a ride with drivers who are traveling the same route for little money. There are various internet portals and apps that arrange such rides. One of these is BlaBlaCar, for example. There are also many groups on Facebook where car drivers offer rides for certain routes.
Cycling excursions and trips
Germany has many cyclist-friendly accommodations ranging from farms to castle hotels. You can discover many German cities and regions on more than 70,000 kilometers of cycle routes. With so much choice, you simply can't stay at home! But please remember to make sure your bike is roadworthy before you set off. You can find out more about cycling in our "Cycling" chapter.
Important
If you are still in the asylum process or have a tolerated stay permit, you are generally not allowed to leave your city or municipality for the first three months. This is called "residence obligation". You can find out more about this in our chapter "Residencepermit".
Source: handbookgermany.de
