If you want to make the most of your vacation, check out these day trip options from Bamberg you can go on with the train and claim regional special deals while you’re at it. I personally love seeing as many Christmas markets in Franconia as possible to get into the vibe and have a little adventure, or just check out the gorgeous historic market squares, castles and more sights of the region. The more, the better.
So I am sharing my own research and tips with you. Even as a local, I look them up occasionally myself. Enjoy!
Before we get started, if you have any questions remaining questions after reading this article or want to book me as your personal photographer to celebrate your time in Bamberg during the holiday season, get in touch here.
How to get special train deals for regional travel
First off, if you want to go on a day trip from Bamberg by train, you should know that there are cheaper options than booking a direct route.
For regional travel, there are different options, depending on where you are going. These can be booked as a group ticket for up to five people too!
Check out the visual map of the allowed routes here (in German but it’s a map and that’s the info you need!).
Regio-Ticket Bavaria
Option 1 is the Bayern Ticket, which is valid for the entirety of Bavaria. (For smaller sections in different regions, see here.)
You can travel to as many stops within the day of validity as you like. This even includes most city buses.
Overview:
- 23 EUR per person (29 EUR for all the way to Leipzig)
- Each additional person (up to 5) costs 8 EUR
- Three Kids (6-14 years) can be taken free of charge, kids younger than that travel free always
- Valid on local and regional DB trains (IRE, RE, RB)
- More info
Regio-Ticket Franconia-Thuringia
Overview:
- 26 EUR per person
- Each additional person (up to 4) costs 8 EUR
- Three Kids (6-14 years) can be taken free of charge, kids younger than that travel free always
- More info
With this ticket, you have the option to go to as many stops as you want within the regional network within the day of the validity.
The only rule is that you need to visit a city in another network, such as Saalfeld and Jena.
During purchase, you have to name each person that is travelling on the ticket. You cannot change the names or spellings later.
Here are the routes you can travel on:
- Nürnberg Hbf – Bamberg – Lichtenfels – Neustadt bei Coburg – Sonneberg
- Lichtenfels – Saalfeld (Saale)
- Würzburg – Schweinfurt – Bamberg
- Saalfeld (Saale) – Jena Saalbahnhof
- Forchheim – Bamberg – Lichtenfels – Coburg/ Hochstadt-Marktzeuln (operated by agilis trains)
- Schweinfurt Stadt – Schweinfurt Hbf (operated by Erfurter Bahn)
I have highlighted the destinations that you cannot get cheaper with the local network ticket by VGN. (More info further down)
There is also the option to extend the ticket to include the route all the way to Leipzig, which is a really good deal. The journey between Bamberg and Leipzig takes about three and a half up to five hours, depending on what connections you get.
VGN Ticket
If you just want to go on a short train trip into the Bamberger Land or close towns, especially if you don’t want to include multiple stops, then you can also buy a local network ticket.
The network is called VGN. And the ticket includes both bus and train, depending on where you are going. And if you want to travel on the weekend, your ticket is valid for both Saturday AND Sunday (unlike the Deutsche Bahn regio tickets).
Check the valid price level on the booking page as it can get confusing with the different fares and zones. And some connections are listed as not being included in the VGN ticket. So always double check on the website or in the app.
You can buy your ticket via the VGN app or the website.
Note that the Deutsche Bahn website also offers a selection of VGN tickets but it won’t show the city travel ones.
For up-to-date prices and rules, see the fares here. (Prices stated in this post were valid as of Dec 2022).
Within Bamberg
If you just want to travel around Bamberg by bus, choose the fare for zone D.
The ticket is valid for one day of the week or the entire weekend (if you buy it on Saturday).
If you travel solo, select the Solo Day ticket (TagesTicket Solo) for 4,70 EUR. If you travel in a group of up to 6 people in total, select the TagesTicket Plus for 7,60 EUR.
Two regions
In case you want to go to other cites from Bamberg, you need to select fare level 10, which requires a purchase of the All Day Plus ticket for 21,50 EUR (double check routes and book here). This includes travel to these zones:
- Zone A: Nürnberg-Fürth-Stein
- Zone B: Fürth
- Zone C: Erlangen
- Zone F: Dinkelsbühl, Feuchtwangen, Gunzenhausen, Hersbruck, Herzogenaurach, Hirschaid, Lauf, Lichtenfels, Rothenburg o.d.T., Treuchtlingen, Weißenburg
For example, the route from Bamberg to Rothenburg is the same price level as Bamberg to Bayreuth, or Bamberg to Ansbach. All of them are price level 10.
General rules
Note that the tickets are only valid for local and regional DB trains (IRE, RE, RB). You cannot get on an express train (IC, ICE) or you’ll get fined!
Also, you can only sit in second class.
The tickets can be purchased for any day of the week.
From Monday to Friday, you can use them only between 9am on the day and until 3am the next day.
On weekends as well as Bavarian and national public holidays, the ticket can be used at the start of the day until 3am the following day.
Where to get the tickets
You can book them online through the info pages I linked. You need to search for the regional train tickets for Deutsche Bahn (or google them).
If you buy your ticket at the info counter, it’s more expensive.
It’s even easier to book via the DB Navigator app, where you type out each passengers’ names, too. Sometimes it doesn’t work, so you can get it at the ticket machine at the train station.
The app will digitally store your ticket so you don’t need to print or download the PDF. And in it you can also search for train connections when connected to the internet.
