Since this May, the German Government has introduced the Deutschland ticket which offers unlimited traveling on all Regional trains across Germany and also a few border cities.
This Deutschland ticket isn't really something new. But in June 2022, the German government introduced 9-euro summer tickets for each month from June to August. With this 9-euro ticket, all public transport, including Regional trains, Trams, U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and buses (excluding high-speed trains) can be used.
We had a very thrilling summer in 2022. As we are working full-time, we made a plan for each weekend at the end of May and listed all the places we wanted to explore in these three months.
In this blog, we would love to share our traveling experience with a 9-euro ticket in 2022 to inspire you about the must-visit cities and places in Germany with a 49 Euro Ticket.
If you're planning a trip to Germany and want to discover the best travel deals, simply click below.
Overall, we traveled 7,967 KM in 33 days and explored 11 cities, 15 towns, 7 natural landscapes and 1 amusement park in three countries in just 27 Euro travelling cost.
Big hats off to Deutsche Bahn for introducing this ticket and managing all the routes effectively. Sometimes, we face few delays due to late arrival or departure of the trains or some technical issues, but we always manage to get to our destinations as planned. In total, 1.8 m tons of CO2 emissions have been saved this summer due to Germany's 9-euro ticket. We are so proud of ourselves that we are also a part of it and travel without harming the environment.
Weekend 1: Heidelberg & Frankfurt:
We started our summer adventure with our trip to Heidelberg from Munich. It was around 6 hours journey on a Regional train with 3 stops. As we already knew it would get crowded around 8 AM, we got the earliest connection at 5:30 AM.
Luckily, the trains weren't crowded, and we managed to reach Stuttgart as we had planned, but Stuttgart central train station was so crowded. Our train to Heidelberg was already full when we reached there that they had closed the train doors and didn't let anybody in.
We had to wait for another hour for the next train. No complaints :D What else do you expect in a 9-Euro ticket? We took the next train and reached Heidelberg around 12 PM (7 hours from Munich).
We had already planned a night's stay at Heidelberg. We dropped off our bags at the hotel and headed towards Heidelberg Castle and Königstühl. We spent the whole day exploring the castle and the hilltop.
We took the Bergbahn to reach the top and climb down by foot. On the same day, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that city had organised a summer firework on the Castle. We enjoyed the magical firework near the river Neckar.
On the next day, we enjoyed the lovely cruise on the river Neckar, Heidelberg and walked along the river Neckar and explored Heidelberg Old town.
Our next stop was Frankfurt, we took the train from Heidelberg to Frankfurt. It was only 1 hour and 30 minutes train. We also had a night's stay in Frankfurt. We reached Frankfurt in the evening and enjoyed a beautiful sunset near River Main with the view of Skyscrapers.
We also enjoyed Frankfurt's nightlife in old Sachsenhausen. The next day, we enjoyed the Cruise on the river Main and explored Frankfurt's old town and financial district.
After enjoying 3 days in Heidelberg and Frankfurt, we took the train back to Munich and reached back in 6 hours.
Weekend 2: Ramsau, Berchtesgaden and Staffelsee, Murnau
We had planned a day trip to the region of Ramsau, Berchtesgaden. It's around 4 hours by train from Munich.
We have been to the Pristine lake in the mountain Hintersee and hiked toward the hanging bridge Klaisbachtal. We also explored the town of Ramsau, which is only 35 km away from Austria.
The weather was very warm the next day, so we decided to spend the perfect Sunday on the Staffelsee. The Staffelsee is located near the town Murnau in the Garmisch Partnerkirchen.
We started our trip by exploring the old town of Murnau, then we walked towards the lake from there, which is not more than 2 km. We enjoyed the cruise trip and visited Uffing as well.
Weekend 3: Trier, Saarburg & Luxembourg:
We had a public holiday in the 3rd week of June, so we planned 4 days of trips to the state of Rhineland Palatinate. We had stayed in Trier for three days and planned to explore Trier and its neighbouring cities.
Like always, we started our journey early in the morning. We took the first train from Munich at 4:25 AM, and we reached Trier at 14:30 after 10 hours long journey.
Trier is a must-visit city in Germany, but there are a lot of people who aren't aware of it. Romans founded the city, and it has several well-preserved Roman architects. We spent 2 days exploring the city, visited many museums and Roman architectural buildings, and took a boat cruise on the Mosel river.
We also visited a small town, Saarburg, around 30 minutes from Trier. The city is located on the River Saar, known for the River Leuk flows into the city's old town. The town is very small, we enjoyed breakfast along the river. There are many beautiful local restaurants located on the river.
Trier is located near the Luxembourg border, so we also visited Luxembourg with a 9-euro ticket. We have been to Luxembourg before in winter, but it was the perfect time to visit the city in the summers and enjoy the vibes. We wandered around Luxembourg's old quarter and returned to Trier late at night.
Weekend 4: Füseen and Forggensee & Schwandorf:
What would be better than cycling in Füssen, Ostallgäu? We have visited Füssen, Neuschwanstein castle, and Hohenschwangau castle several times. This time, we only want to enjoy cycling in Schwangau. We have been to Tegelberg and enjoyed the sommerbahn and cycled to Forggensee.
We rented a boat and enjoyed boating on the lake. The Forggensee is the fifth-largest lake in Germany and is also famous for kite surfing.
On the next day, we visited the small Schwandorf located near Regensburg. We roam around the old town of Schwandorf and enjoyed the local Parade in town.
Weekend 5: Dresden
Dresden on around 6 hours away from Munich on a Regional train. So, we started our journey at 4:30 am and reached Dresden at 11 AM. We had planned a 1-night stay at Dresden. The city was entirely destroyed during the second world war, and it was rebuilt from scratch.
We enjoyed the River Elbe cruise in Dresden and explored the unique Baroque and Rococo architecture. We have been to the top of the famous Dresden Frauenkirchen and enjoyed the 360-degree view of the city.
Weekend 6: Inglostadt Village & Schillersee
Weekend 7 Ingolstadt Village is around 1.5 hours from Munich. It’s a design outlet village with local and international luxury brands from Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Ralph Lauren etc.
Most of the things are available at discounted prices. It’s the best place to shop around Munich at a discounted price. The village is very beautiful and has some nice restaurants to enjoy the food if you get hungry after shopping.
We also visited Ingolstadt city, which is around 30 minutes by bus from Ingolstadt village. When we visited the city, they had a summer festival, and the city turned into a party place.
The music was on, and the streets were packed with people. Many food stalls were in the city centre, and people enjoyed the live food and music.
To enjoy the view of the city from the top, they introduced the hanging cage, which was lifted up in the air by a crane. We rode on the cage and enjoyed the city 360 degrees from the top.
On the second day, we went to Schliersee, located around 1 hour from Munich. The lake has a perfect view of the mountains. We rented a boat and enjoyed boating around the lake.
There are many restaurants and cafes on the shore of the lake, and it's highly recommended to spend a night near the lake during summer.
We also took the seilbahn (cable car) to the top of the Schlierberg Alm. From the top of the mountain, you can enjoy the breathtaking view of the lake. We took the Sommerrodelbahn from the top to the bottom of the hill and enjoy the beautiful view.
Weekend 7: Burghausen
Burghausen is the longest Castle in the world, located in Upper Bavaria near the Austrian Border. The castle was founded in 1025, served as a military castle, and survived many wars and attacks. The Castle is on the hilltop, with Wöhrsee lake on one side and Salzach River on the other. The castle has many complexes, and it took us almost a day to explore the castle tour from the inside and outside.
Weekend 8: Donauwörth, Harburg & Altmühlsee, Gunzenhausen
We had planned a day trip to Donauwörth and Harburg Castle. Dauwörth is a small town located on the famous romantic road in Germany. The River Danube and Wörnitz merge in Donauwörth.
The town is decorated with a lovely colourful hanging globe. When we visited the town, the town was celebrating a medieval festival on one of the main grounds of the city. There were many food stalls and presented nativity scene.
We took the bus from Donauwörth to Harburg and visited Harburg's old town and Castle. Harburg Castle was a military castle back in 1150, and it's one of the largest and best-preserved castles. The castle has survived many battles and wars.
On the next day, we planned a trip to Altmühlsee and Gunzenhausen. Altmühlsee is located near the town of Guzenhausen (around 2 KM). The lake is mainly for relaxing and chilling. There aren’t many spots for swimming due to Algae in the water. We enjoyed a lake boat cruise which is one hour round trip.
We also explored the little pretty town of Gunzenhausen. The town is a part of Romantic road, so it has many visitors who stop by for lunch and coffee. The town is decorated with colourful hanging umbrellas on the streets.
Weekend 9: Basel, Switzerland
Basel is located near the German border, and it’s possible to travel to Basel-bad with a 9-euro ticket, but of course, you need to buy a ticket to travel within Basel city. Basel is the third largest city in Switzerland, and it has a lot to do in 2 days.
We started our journey to Basel early in the morning and reach there around 11 AM. We stayed there for one night and enjoyed the summer in the lovely city. We took a river cruise in the Hawaii party boat and visited the Dreläandereck, where France, Germany and Switzerland meet.
Many restaurants and cafes are along the Rhine river, and some beaches where people soak in the sun.
Weekend 10: Rothenburg & Kempten
We had planned a day trip to Rothenburg. It is one of the best-preserved towns in Germany, which takes you back to Medieval times. The town is located in Franconia's Heart of Bavaria. The town has intact medieval walls, which used to be for feeding farm animals in old times.
We had been to the top of the Rathhause and enjoyed the beautiful view of the town from the top. It’s highly recommended to have a tour of the city wall.
The next day, we visited Kempten, a small town in the Allgäu region. The town is surrounded by small mountains, which are ideal for hiking. We visited the old town famous for its Cathedral with two domed towers.
The town has many good options for shopping as well. We suggest visiting it on Saturday as you can enjoy the hustle and bustle of the people in the street. It has both upper and lower towns and pretty local cafes.
Weekend 11: Cochem, Eltz Castle, Koblenz & Phantasialand
We had a public holiday in the mid of august, and we took 2 days off along and planned a five days vacation in Mosel valley. We started our vacation reaching the beautiful town of Cochem in Rhineland-Palatinate. Cochem is famous for its Imperial Castle Reichsburg and River cruise on the Mosel river.
The town has a beautiful old town and a beautiful promenade with different restaurants and cafes. We also spent two beautiful days in the town and the surrounding Cochem.
The Eltz Castle is a medieval fairy-tale castle located in Wierschem, Germany, between Koblenz and Trier. The Eltz Castle stands in the middle of the Eltz forest.
The castle is owned by the same family who built it, and it was a living Castle for the Eltz Family until today. It was one of the few castles that had never faced any conflicts or been destroyed during the war since it was built.
Our vacations are incomplete without the thrill and adventure, so we planned a day trip to Phantasialand, a theme park located in Brühl (around 1 hour from Koblenz).
We highly recommend spending at least two days enjoying all the shows, themes and thrilling rides. It has 6 different themes based on the countries and cities and has award-winning roller coasters and 3D rides.
We had planned a two-night stay in Koblenz. The city of Koblenz is located on the bank of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers. The point where Mosel joins the Rhine in Koblenz is called Deutsches Eck or German Corner. The monument symbolised the unification of Germany.
The Koblenz has some beautiful castles and fortresses on the river bank.
If you don't have enough time to explore the castles, we recommend you take the cruise trip which covers the castles.
Weekend 12: Munich & Lenggries Brauneck:
At the weekends, we are out of Munich, but on the weekday, we explore different activities and neighbourhoods in Munich. The European championships 2022 also took place this year in Munich.
The Lenggries is around 70 km from Munich, and Brauneck Mountain is one of the famous Skiing spots in Bavaria, Germany. We took the train to Lenggries, and from there, we reached the top of Lenggries on Bergbahn.
The Bergbahn took around 20 minutes to reach the top of the mountain. It’s one of the longest Bergbahn in Germany.
The view of the lush green valley is mind-blowing. There are many paragliders paragliding from the mountain. There are also restaurants on the top to enjoy the view. There are also many hiking tracks in the mountain. The region also has the famous idyllic lakes Tegernsee and Schilersee.
Weekend 13: Ulm & Lake Konstanz
August last week, we planned a one-day trip to Ulm. Ulm is located in Baden Württemburg, around 2 hours direct train from Munich. The city's most significant landmark is its Old Fishermans and Tanners quarter.
It’s a medieval quarter of the Ulm where the small channels of the Blau river follow and enter the Danube river. The quarter has timber-framed houses, which used to be very popular among the travellers who went to Hungary through the Danube in the 15th century.
Now, it has many restaurants, shops and bars in the quarter. The city wall walk is also very distinctive as it has an old town and Danube.
Ulm is famous for its summer Festival Nebada where the city swims down the Danube. The river becomes full of people. This year, the event will be taking place in July, and we will be definately going there.
It was the last Sunday of the 9-euro ticket, and the weather was around 25 degrees, so we decided to visit Lake Konstanz. Lake Konstanz is the largest lake in Europe and borders Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
We have been to Berganz, Austria and Lindau, Germany. This time, we explored the town of Konstanz. It was a 4-hour journey from Munich to Konstanz by regional train and bus. So, we decided to reach Friedrichshafen and got the cruise boat to Konstanz town.
There are many beautiful towns along Lake Konstanz in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. We recommend spending a few days along the lake and exploring the different towns.
Ending Note:
Many people complained that they couldn't find seats during the season due to overcrowded trains, but we managed to get a seat on every journey except a short journey of 20 minutes from Hatzenport to Klotten. We always started travelling early, around 4 AM or 5 AM and took the first connection.
Most of the crowd starts building between 8 AM to 11 AM. Moreover, we always reach the train station around 25 to 20 minutes before the departure of the train, and we always try to stand near the places where the train door comes on the platform. In this way, we were always among the first ones who enter the train and get the seats,
We often try to enter from different doors and occupy the available seats in highly crowded stations or trains.