Even if some old tricks for securing cheap train tickets with Czechia’s railway company České Dráhy (CD) no longer work, train tickets between the Czech Republic and Germany are still available at significantly cheaper prices than with Germany’s Deutsche Bahn (DB). What’s more, these tickets even come with better conditions: for a fee of €3, tickets can be canceled, and nowadays, seat reservation is generally included as well.
You can travel for about CZK 398 (~€16) from Munich to Prague or vice versa. The same train with the DB would cost as much as €48.50.
Conditions
The cheapest tickets are mostly available for the (unfortunately few) direct trains to/from Germany. With a transfer in Germany, they usually increase to the same price or even more expensive compared to booking with Deutsche Bahn.
The tickets in question can be booked 3 months in advance and, compared to the saver tickets of Deutsche Bahn, České Dráhy offers the advantage of being cancelable for a fee of €3. For cross-border trains, seat reservations are usually included at no cost. These tickets are subject to fare regulations, such as mandatory seat reservations.
Unfortunately, a Deutsche Bahn Bahncard discount does not apply to Czech tickets. When booking via Deutsche Bahn, the discount is calculated based on the distance driven in Germany.
Example
Below, we have selected some sample connections on CD.cz – each with the comparative prices at the DB.
- Dresden – Prague from CZK 252 (~€10) (instead of €18.90)
- Regensburg – Prague from CZK 338 (~€13) (instead of €32)
- Berlin – Děčín from CZK 353 (~€14) (instead of €18.90)
- Berlin – Prague from CZK 378 (~€15) (instead of €18.90)
- Munich – Prague from CZK 398 (~€16) (instead of €48.50 for the direct train)¹
¹ – With 2 transfers, there are also tickets from Munich at Deutsche Bahn starting from €20.90
However, it is also possible that the tickets are the same price or even more expensive at the CD. This is especially true if you have to change trains in Germany and are traveling mainly with DB. In this case, the ticket at the CD will be more expensive.
Cover Picture: by Dmitry Goykolov on unsplash