Budget travel

See Europe on a student budget.

Your semester ticket is free travel across Germany. Ride it to the borders, use FlixBus and BlaBlaCar for the rest, and spend your money on the trip, not the transport.

Train, bus or plane

From one region to another

Pick where you are and where you are going. See the free route on regional trains, the fastest train, the bus and, for long trips, the plane, with what each one costs.

FromTo

Schmalkalden (Thuringia) → Berlin (Berlin) · 284 km in a straight line

Book an ICE Sparpreis early (from €17.99): 3 h 40 instead of 6 h 35 and 5 changes on regional trains.

Regional trains & local transport

€0

6 h 35

5 changes · free with your Deutschlandsemesterticket

RBSchmalkalden → Zella-Mehlis30 min
Change in Zella-Mehlis
REZella-Mehlis → Erfurt55 min
Change in Erfurt
REErfurt → Naumburg50 min
Change in Naumburg
RENaumburg → Leipzig50 min
Change in Leipzig
RELeipzig → Lutherstadt Wittenberg50 min
Change in Lutherstadt Wittenberg
RELutherstadt Wittenberg → Berlin1 h 25

No semester ticket? The €63 Deutschlandticket covers this trip too, buses and trams included.

Fastest: ICE

from €17.99

3 h 40

2 changes · saves 2 h 55

RBSchmalkalden → Zella-Mehlis30 min
Change in Zella-Mehlis
REZella-Mehlis → Erfurt55 min
Change in Erfurt
ICEErfurt → Berlin1 h 45

Booked weeks ahead (Super Sparpreis)from €17.99
On the day (Flexpreis)*about €105
My BahnCard 25 (€39.90 a year, under 27) takes 25% off both. Regional legs are free with your ticket.

Live connections Book on bahn.de Compare everything

*Estimate*Estimated cost. Prices are subject to change. Everyday prices are estimated ranges; fixed official fees are shown at their exact 2026 rate.

Times are typical timetable values, not live data, and construction can add hours. Before you go, check the DB Navigator app; tick “Nur Nahverkehr” (local transport only) to see the trains your ticket covers. Every host university’s town is in the list; for any other town, pick the nearest one, since the local train or bus there is free with your ticket.

Deutschlandticket to the border

Neighbouring countries for (almost) free

Ride regional trains (RB, RE, S-Bahn) to a border town, then walk or take a short local connection into the next country.

Baden-Württemberg → Switzerland

Walk across: €0

Konstanz → Kreuzlingen

Ride regional trains to Konstanz, then walk across the border into Kreuzlingen.

Baden-Württemberg → Switzerland

Swiss tram ticket if you ride

Basel Badischer Bahnhof

German regional trains run to Basel Bad Bf, a German-operated station inside Basel. From there, walk or take the tram into the old town.

Baden-Württemberg → France

Strasbourg tram ticket, a few euros

Kehl → Strasbourg

Ride to Kehl, then take tram D across the Rhine into Strasbourg.

Bavaria → Austria

Short Austrian ticket

Lindau → Bregenz

Ride to Lindau on Lake Constance; Bregenz is a short local train or bus away.

Bavaria → Austria

Check validity

Freilassing → Salzburg

Regional trains from Munich via Rosenheim reach Freilassing on the border, minutes from Salzburg. Some trains continue into Salzburg; check ticket validity in DB Navigator.

North Rhine-Westphalia → Netherlands

Local bus

Aachen → Vaals

Ride to Aachen, then take a local bus to Vaals and the three-country point (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium).

North Rhine-Westphalia → Netherlands

Check validity

Gronau → Enschede

Regional trains from Münster reach Gronau on the border; Enschede is the next stop.

Saxony → Poland

Walk across: €0

Görlitz → Zgorzelec

Ride to Görlitz and walk across the bridge over the Neisse to Zgorzelec.

Brandenburg → Poland

Walk across: €0

Frankfurt (Oder) → Słubice

Ride from Berlin to Frankfurt (Oder) and walk across the bridge to Słubice. Lunch in Poland is cheap.

Saxony → Czechia

Czech ticket

Bad Schandau → Děčín

Regional trains through Saxon Switzerland reach Bad Schandau; Czech trains continue along the Elbe to Děčín.

The Deutschlandticket is valid in Germany. A few cross-border regional routes accept it; on all others you need a small local ticket from the border. Always carry your passport and residence permit.

Ready-made plans

Weekend trips under €50

*Estimate*Estimated cost. Prices are subject to change. Everyday prices are estimated ranges; fixed official fees are shown at their exact 2026 rate.

Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria

Lake Constance & Switzerland

€25

Walk the Konstanz harbour, cross into Switzerland on foot, and end with sunset on the lake.

Regional trainsfree
Lunch picnic from Lidl€8
Swiss chocolate in Kreuzlingen€5
Ice cream on the lake€3
Spare€9

Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse

Rhine castles by train

€30

Sit on the Rhine side of the train, stop at the Loreley, and climb to a castle above St. Goar.

Regional train Bingen–Koblenzfree
Castle entry (student)€8
Lunch€12
Snacks€5
Spare€5

Saxony, Brandenburg

Görlitz & Poland

€25

A perfect old town (the film set of The Grand Budapest Hotel), then lunch across the river in Poland.

Regional trainsfree
Polish lunch in Zgorzelec€10
Coffee and cake€6
Spare€9

Saxony

Saxon Switzerland hike

€15

Hike to the Bastei bridge and sandstone cliffs, all on your semester ticket.

S-Bahn from Dresdenfree
Picnic€8
Ferry across the Elbe€2
Spare€5

North Germany

Hamburg harbour weekend

€48

Free harbour tour on ferry line 62, Elbphilharmonie Plaza for free, and the Speicherstadt at night.

Regional trainsfree
Hostel bed, 1 night€28
Fischbrötchen and food€15
Ferry 62 harbour tourfree
Spare€5

East Germany

Berlin on a budget

€48

Brandenburg Gate, East Side Gallery, Tempelhofer Feld and the best Arabic food in Germany.

Regional trainsfree
Hostel bed, 1 night€28
Food on Sonnenallee€15
Reichstag dome (free)free
Spare€5

North Rhine-Westphalia

Aachen three-country point

€20

Stand in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium at once, then visit Charlemagne's cathedral.

Regional trainsfree
Local bus to Vaals€3
Aachener Printen and lunch€12
Spare€5

Anywhere, late Nov–Dec

Christmas market tour

€30

Nuremberg, Erfurt, Dresden or Cologne. Go on a weekday evening to avoid crowds.

Regional trainsfree
Food at the stalls€15
Roasted almonds and crêpes€8
Mug deposit (returned)free
Spare€7

Travel apps

FlixBus, BlaBlaCar & co.

All essential apps

FlixBus

Long-distance buses across Europe that are much cheaper when you book early. Overnight buses save a hotel night.

Book 2–4 weeks ahead; prices rise as seats sell.
Seat reservations and extra bags cost extra.
Check the exact bus stop: in some cities it is far from the main station.

BlaBlaCar

Shared car rides with drivers going your way. Often cheaper and faster than the bus.

Choose drivers with many good reviews and a verified profile.
Message the driver before you book. A short hello in German helps.
Women-only rides are available on some routes.

DB Navigator

Every train in Germany. Use "Nur Nahverkehr" (local transport only) to see trips that are free with your ticket.

Sparpreis tickets for ICE are much cheaper when booked early.
A BahnCard 25 for under-27s pays off after a few trips.

Google Flights & Skyscanner

Compare budget airlines from all nearby airports at once.

Search "whole month" for the cheapest days.
Ryanair and Wizz Air prices are lowest with a small cabin bag only.

Flying further? See the budget airports near each region.

Discount seasons

When and where to buy for less

Every evening

Too Good To Go

Rescue bakery, supermarket and restaurant food for a small price per "magic bag". Great for bread and pastries.

Every evening

"Reduziert" stickers

Supermarkets mark down fresh food that expires soon, often by 30–50%, late in the day.

Every week

Supermarket flyers

Aldi, Lidl, Penny and Netto change their offers every week. The Marktguru and kaufDA apps collect them all.

After the holidays

Winter sales

Clothes, shoes and winter jackets at their cheapest. Buy next year's winter gear now.

Midsummer

Summer sales

Summer clothes and sports gear are heavily reduced.

Before the holidays

Black Friday & Cyber Week

Electronics, laptops and headphones. Compare prices first on Idealo or Check24.

Semester start & end

Leftovers from other students

Outgoing students sell furniture, bikes and kitchen kits cheaply on Kleinanzeigen at the end of every semester.

Weekends

Flea markets (Flohmarkt)

Cheap furniture, kitchenware and winter clothes. Look for "Flohmarkt" plus your city.

Anytime

Second-hand apps

Vinted for clothes, Kleinanzeigen for everything else. Meet in public places and pay on collection.

Anytime

Student discounts

Show your student card at museums, cinemas, theatres and swimming pools. Many software companies (Microsoft, Apple, Spotify) have student prices.