Whether it's 15 miles per hour on the city tram, 50 on the regional trains or up to 200 on the high speed intercity express trains, the rails will get you where you need to go.
Leipzig has the LVB, the company that runs their tram and bus system. Around the corner from both of our apartments were tram stops that would take us straight to the main station and downtown. You can get four stop, 1 hour, 4-trip, day, week, month, and year tickets for the LVB. Prices vary pretty widely from one city to another.
The regional trains and S-bahns are the ones that go everywhere. They're usually pretty slow and range in quality from "Oh, this is really nice!" to "My God, what's that smell?" The plus, though, is that they're generally really cheap. If you got the time to spare and don't mind changing trains half a dozen times, you can travel with up to five people on one ticket for a whole Saturday or Sunday for 39 euros or so. We've crossed the country in this fashion. It just took a while.
What you see below is an intercity express train, or ICE. To ride on this cheap you need to book well in advance. Also, if you're travelling in a group buy your tickets together. A Leipzig to Dresden ICE ticket may be 19 euros for an individual, but only 10 euros for each additional person. However, book last minute and you'll pay quite a bit. These trains are fast, but their speed and comfort aren't even the best parts. Ride high speed trains through tunnels in other countries and you'll immediately be able to tell. ICE trains are pressurized, sort of like airplanes, so your ears don't pop when you go through a tunnel.
The ICE trains are the fastest and most comfortable, but if you're travelling with friends and have the time, regional rail is the way to go. And, you just might be lucky enough to end up on a train car with compartments and have one all to yourselves.
Leipzig has the LVB, the company that runs their tram and bus system. Around the corner from both of our apartments were tram stops that would take us straight to the main station and downtown. You can get four stop, 1 hour, 4-trip, day, week, month, and year tickets for the LVB. Prices vary pretty widely from one city to another.
The regional trains and S-bahns are the ones that go everywhere. They're usually pretty slow and range in quality from "Oh, this is really nice!" to "My God, what's that smell?" The plus, though, is that they're generally really cheap. If you got the time to spare and don't mind changing trains half a dozen times, you can travel with up to five people on one ticket for a whole Saturday or Sunday for 39 euros or so. We've crossed the country in this fashion. It just took a while.
What you see below is an intercity express train, or ICE. To ride on this cheap you need to book well in advance. Also, if you're travelling in a group buy your tickets together. A Leipzig to Dresden ICE ticket may be 19 euros for an individual, but only 10 euros for each additional person. However, book last minute and you'll pay quite a bit. These trains are fast, but their speed and comfort aren't even the best parts. Ride high speed trains through tunnels in other countries and you'll immediately be able to tell. ICE trains are pressurized, sort of like airplanes, so your ears don't pop when you go through a tunnel.
The ICE trains are the fastest and most comfortable, but if you're travelling with friends and have the time, regional rail is the way to go. And, you just might be lucky enough to end up on a train car with compartments and have one all to yourselves.
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