VRS is the transport network covering the Rhein Sieg area, ie Leverkusen, Cologne, Bonn. The VRR is the transporf network covering the Rhein Ruhr area, ie Leverkusen, Duesseldorf, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Essen, Duisburg, Bochum, Wuppertal. Leverkusen is on the boundary of both networks. With the match tickets you'll be able to travel on both networks but only on local trains, ie not the ICE/IC trains. IF You go to int.bahn.de/en you can search for trains in the whole of Germany and if you select "local transport only" for the Mode of Transport you will only see trains that are covered by the Deutschland ticket. You can use the same search technique to see only trains covered by match day tickets but to check they are only in the NRW region you will need to check what ticket type the website recommends, ie VRS or VRR. Note the Deutschland ticket covers only one month ie 1st June to 30th June or 1st July to 31st July, so if you are staying both months you would need two of these. Also the €49 a month price tag is under review and looks likely to increase on 1st May 2024.
I read on the UEFA website that they advise ticket holders to go to the stadium 3 hours before kick-off. Is that really necessary? I have a ticket for a 9pm match but I also need to watch the 6pm match on the same day, preferably in a fan zone.
I think that's stuff they haven't got round to changing for the 20/21 Covid checks, and it wasn't even necessary then. Half an hour will be plenty, as it was then.
Just to ask two things: 1. From what you say about VRS & VRR - i stay in Cologne and i want to go to Gelsenkirchen and Dusseldorf are those train 36hrs tickets gonna get me there or since Cologne is VRS and other 2 cities are VRR i can't do it ? Do they connect and transfer or i cant combine cities from VRS and VRR ? 2. I will attend late game (9pm) in Gelsenkirchen and after the match i will need to go back to Cologne, so can i use those free 36hrs trains or they don't go late at night ? I saw somewhere they usually work to 1 am but i am not sure. Also because it will be a late night would it be better to book a 30-40 Euro ticket for the DB train ? What would you recommend.
The UEFA euro 2024 pages say you need to apply for a (free) travel pass for use with your match ticket and it covers both the VRR and VRS regions so you will be fine getting from Cologne to gelsenkirchen. You can travel from 9am on the match day til 6pm the next day. We also have a similar question regarding get back to our hotel after the 9pm games but I'm waiting to see if the new rail timetable for next year gives any details of extra trains on match days. This is due to be released in the next week or so. I will post an update once I get the new timetable.
The 36hrs pass will provide access to vrr and vrs, so no problem getting there. Not sure about late returns though...
One other thing to note before booking these €30 ICE train offers, some ICE train journeys may be cheaper than €30, especially for shorter distances. The earlier you book, the cheaper the tickets will probably be. Here's a great guide for train travel in Germany for those who might be interested. https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-germany.htm
Match tickets will be in our app around May, so does that mean i don't need or i can't book trains before that ? With that matchday ticket and 36hrs pass do i just go on the train station and the next train that pops up for my destination and i can go on it, doesn't matter what or who, because that 36hrs pass is in my hands ?
On the regional trains, yes. Your "Fan Pass" will be your ticket on all trains inside that 36h period. I dont think we need any prearranged bookings there. With ICE trains you will need a reservation, but I think your UEFA- ticketaccount will be set up for connection with DB before the Jan 17 when the sale starts. The only problem will be if the ticket is in other names, since the ICE tickets are personalized.
There are also some Flix train fares that might be cheaper, and the 25% discounted Interrail pass that could be better value for those like me needing multiple long distance journeys.
I had another read of the UEFA info about these cheap ICE tickets and clicked through to the Info on the Deutsche Bahn site here https://int.bahn.de/en/offers/special-offers/fan-ticket-football In the FAQs there is an entry about cheaper tickets than the EURO30 offer which means you shouldn't miss out on the cheaper prices.. see below. "Yes, there may also be long-distance tickets that are cheaper than the DB Ticket Euro 2024. If there is a cheaper offer, it will also be displayed for selection when you book."
Since the tickets will not come before may/june, how is it possible to buy DB-tickets early when you are not the primary ticket holder (or will have it transferred from family etc) ?
Reading the FAQs on both the UEFA and DB websites, it looks like anyone may be able to buy these "DB Ticket EURO 2024" tickets but when you get your tickets checked on a train you must have both the train ticket and a match tickdet (or Fan Pass). My reading of the two FAQ items below, is that if someone got say 4 tickets in the 1st ballot, then the 4 people who intend to travel will need to buy the DB rail Ticket as these are personalised (or perhaps one person can buy the 4 train tickets but needs to add the name of each traveller to it). I don't know for sure, I'm only guessing. I have registered on the DB site to receive information about this ICE train tickets as soon as it is available. FAQ answers below ------------------------------- Do I need to show my match ticket on the train? You will need to show your free EURO 2024 Fan Pass on the train. The Fan Pass will allow you to prove that you have a match ticket, even when match tickets have not been sent to your mobile phone. What if someone else bought my match ticket for me? You can either travel together, or they can transfer their match ticket to you. Once you have a match ticket in your UEFA Mobile Tickets app, you can access your EURO 2024 Fan Pass on the UEFA EURO 2024 app. On board the train, simply show your Fan Pass together with your train ticket.
Thanks Yep, it seemes logic that those who will have the match tickets in the end is who who should have the names on the DB tickets. We will just wait and see I guess
Majorly screwed up today. Thought I'd get an Interrail pass early so I could book the trains I want when they appear on the DB website later this month, instead of waiting till January for the 25% Euros 24 discount. DB were offering a 10% discount that runs out today so I bought it, not noticing in the small print that it has to be activated by 29th February at the latest. Also, I didn't notice that you can book seats on DB trains before buying a train ticket, meaning there's no advantage in not waiting till January 17th and getting the full discount. Grrr! I'm trying for a full refund but it looks like it's going to cost me up to 50 Euros to either cancel or exchange it.
Will the free 36h pass suffice to get to Düsseldorf, Kölln, Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund, or is this regional mode of transport to slow or not running until late enough at night to be able to return after a 9pm match?
Usually the trains from the big citys go until around 02, and to around midnight in the more small ones, but I dont know which City you will have as a base. I will have Dusseldorf as my base, and that will work just fine with the 36h pass i think.
Worked fine for me in 2006 with late games in other NRW locations and I can’t see it being any different this time round, particularly as Düsseldorf actually has games this time.
Great! My base will be in Düsseldorf as well. Already got a ticket for Austria-France, but would also love to get a ticket for a Gelsenkirchen and/or Kölln match.
The new NRW timetable is out now and there is no mention of a special timetable during the Euros. However with the standard timetable you should be fine with regional trains getting back to Cologne, gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Duesseldorf after the later games. We are staying near Wuppertal Hbf and our last train back from Duesseldorf Hbf is at 1.30am so we may have issues getting back from Gelsenkirchen after the 9pm games (the next train would be 4.30am). However, I do think that they will have to put on additional regional trains during the Euros, especially at night, to enable all those staying in the region a chance to get back to their hotels without having to resort to taxis or hanging around stations to get the first train out in the morning. Normally for Bundesliga evening games there are a lot of extra trains added to the schedule a few days or weeks before the games.
I am pretty certain I recall being put on to ‘special’ trains, trying to separate the football fans from normal passengers, that just went to Düsseldorf, (and maybe on to Cologne?) after games in 2006? I recall the one after the 2nd opening day game (Poland v Ecuador) in Gelsenkirchen was packed.
discount offer on DB Interrail too? can I travel from Geneva to Frankfurt on a DB train at a discount?