Getting around German cities on the S-Bahn

The most local level of Urban train service in Germany, the S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains get commuters to work, shoppers to stores, and tourists to garish monuments with long queueing times. Although these two train types are distinct and are often used interchangeably by riders, they are designed for two different purposes.

  • S-Bahn: The S-Bahn is commur rail. Its routes are designed to bring people from outlying communities into the urban core.
  • U-Bahn. This is the subway, designed to shuttle riders on short trips within the city itself.

The S-Bahn may be all you need

In many major cities, such as Munich and Berlin, most or all S-Bahn lines converge onto a central track run between major stations (see the map below). This creates an incredibly efficient transit corridor that can get travelers to most tourist sites super quick. At peak times in Munich, you might see an S-Bahn train every two minutes. And because all lines use the same track, you may not even need to worry about which train to board. Chances are it’s going in your direction.

The S-bahn stations within Munich’s Old City

DB (Deutcsche Bahn) does not run the S-bahn

The important thing to remember is the German long-distance train company, Deutsche Bahn, does not control these local trains. major municipalities with S-Bahn systems own and operate them independently. This means in addition to the DB app, you’ll probably need a separate ap or websitep for S-bahn info and ticket purchases;

Regional S-Bahn apps and websites

You can also avoid apps and online purchases altogether and just buy your tickets from a machine at your stop or train station. There’s always an English option on the touchscreen. Check out YouTube before you go for walkthroughs, and to get the skinny on the best tourist deals.

Train in Vain Part 2: Riding the ICE

ICE trains rock

Deutsche Bahn’s Inter City Express (ICE) trains are basically a subway for the nation of Germany. They’re super fast (sometimes over 200 mph), quiet, comfortable and clean. If all you’ve ever known is Amtrak, these slick machines will blow you away. And they’ll probably be your chosen means of conveyance to move around the country.

As convenient as the ICE trains are, navigating them can be a bit weird, confusing, and, well, German. Here are a few tips to make your ride on the ICE pleasant and hassle-free.

Buy your train tickets online

The DB Navigator app is the best way to buy German train tickets. Use it like an airline app to schedule one-way and round-trip dates, plan connections, and find special offers to save you a few Euros. You can also use the app to check in electronically, eliminating the need for a conductor to come to your seat and scowl at you suspiciously while you fumble for your ticket.

German trains run on time…sorta.

By US rail standards, these trains are pretty punctual. By German standards maybe not so much. On my recent ICE trips between Berlin, Nuremberg, and Munich, each train arrived 10-15 minutes late. That’s no big deal for point-to-point trips, but if you’re making a tight connection, it could be enough time to make you miss your next train. If possible, schedule your connecting train at least an hour after your expected arrival time.

Have Reservations

Unlike many rail services, ICE lets you reserve seats in advance for a moderate fee. Basically, you can select your seat on the DB Navigator app like you do an airplane seat. Do this or you’ll likely get displaced along the way by a miffed passenger who had the presence of mind to make a reservation.

At peak times, all seats may fill up, forcing you to stand in the vestibule like a naughty school child. Actually, this being a German train, I can guarantee there will be plenty of naughty schoolchildren around you as well. In my experience, German kids are loud and awful on public transportation and their parents do little to rein them in.

Food and drink? DB has you covered.

ICE trains have awesome cafe cars. The food isn’t bad, considering it’s being served on a train. They heat up the main dishes behind the counter, and the beer is cold and reasonably priced. If you order at the cafe register, you can take your comestibles back to your seat or stand at one of the little table-shelf thingies.

One big Nein-Nein, however: DON’T buy food at the counter and think you can take it over to those nice sit-down tables just behind. That is the Bord-Bistro, and it’s a full-service sit-down restaurant. If you bring your plebian cafe food in, they will scold you and make you leave. You are, however, perfectly welcome to go in and have a seat. The Kellnerin will be along shortly to take your order.

Download those movies

So ICE trains have internet the way airplanes have internet. It’s there, but it’s glacially slow, basically adequate for checking your email or posting cat memes. For multi-hour journeys, you’re best off downloading your media in advance. Also, the Deutsche Bahn web portal, which you’ll encounter upon connecting, has a bunch of cool German and English-language podcasts and shows to choose from. These always seem to work just fine.

Have a pleasant journey

Once you’re nestled in your comfy seat, you can relax and stare out the window at Germany wooshing by. ICE is so much more convenient and comfortable than fighting your way through airports and low-cost airline misery. You’ll arrive at the main train station, and be right in the thick of the action when you pull up to the platform. After experiencing ICE, you might have a new perspective on how awesome high-speed rail could be if you had it back home.

Next up: S-tacular!: Navigating city transport

Train in Vain: Using rail transportation in Germany, part 1

German train and service types

Trains in Germany are generally fantastic. They’re clean, efficient, fast, and much more comfortable than a stint in some low-cost airline’s Economy Minus cabin. Still, a rail transportation network as dense and heavily utilized as Germany’s does not come without its stresses, shaky moments, and occasional epic fails. This post is meant to arm you with the knowledge to avoid sticky situations and get the most out of riding the German rails.

Depending on your journey type, you could wind up on several varieties of train, each with its own speed, frequency, and level of service:

Inter City Express (ICE) and Inter City (IC) trains

ICE trains are Germany’s high-speed rail machines. Beyond Germany, they handle most connections to major European cities. Within Germany, they’re basically a subway for the country, whipping along at speeds of up to 300 kph (190 mph). In July of 2024, an ICE train got us from Berlin to Munich in around five hours. These trains are whisper quiet, comfy, and genrally great to ride in. There’s food on board, and it isn’t as bad as you think. It’s a nice trip.

Regional trains

These trains run from the larger cities to smaller towns throughout their region, and may provide secondary service between large cities at times with lower demand. Like the ICE, they’re comfy and spacious, but much slower, although journey distances are much shorter. They also lack the dining car and food service. So bring a snack and a beer.

The Deutschland-Ticket from Deutsche Bahn lets you trafel on all regional trains, or local trains (see S-bahn, below) for a fixred monthly price, but it is not valide on the ICE or IC trains above.

S-Bahn (S-train)

The Stadschnellbahn or S-Bahn is basically commuter rail. It often forms the bulk of intra-city train travel and serves the main train stations and town centers from German suburbs. Often, the S-bahn service is difficult to differentiate from that of the U-bahn (subway), and that includes the car interiors, which are comfortable but relentelssly utilitarian.

S -Bahns are not administered by Deutsche Bahn. They are run on a municipal level by each city’s transportation company, so don’t go complaining to Deutsche Bahn if the S-Bahn is late.

If you are thy type of fearless traveler who takes advantage of German cities’ awesome public transportation, you’ll find yourself on lots of S-Bahns, and these will let you spend far less time getting yourself from place to place, and much more time enjoying yourself in Germany.

Up next: Getting around Germany on the ICE/IC

Munich: Too much of a good thing?

Germany has the best beer in the world, and I will die on that hill.

In Munich that beer is Helles, the slightly sweet, golden flow of perfectly balanced hops and German malts. Munich’s breweries have been making it for centuries. It’s dialed in. It’s perfect.

This Helles is the foundation of many a visitor’s night. Start at the Hofbrauhaus. Have a Helles. On to Augustiner Am Dom. Have THEIR Helles. If you’re adventurous, you may head over to Lowenbraukeller where, guess what, another Helles awaits. Prost!

Day two: It’s dinner time. Go have your Schweinehaxen and with it, another Helles. Wander through the Altstadt and maybe stop for…sigh. A Helles. Let’s try the next place. More freakin’ Helles. At this point, you might murder a Smurf for a pint of IPA.

The same goes for the food. Munich is ground zero for traditional Bavarian dishes, like the aforementinoned Schweinehaxen. As you traverse the streets, you’ll notice the same rotation of dishes in every Wirtshaus. Weisswurst. Halver Hahn. Kartiffelpuffer. All of it delicious, but not exactly light dining. Munich’s traditional german food possesses a universal excellence that seems to follow you from Wirtshaus to Wirtshaus. And yet, after a couple of days, you’d give your right arm for a chicken caesar salad.

The good news

When eating in Munich, the only thing limiting you is your own perception. We have this idea about what belongs on the German table and it takes a certian willingness to stretch oneself. There’s a salad on the menu? How can a traditional Bavarien Bierkeller be any good at making a salad? Well they are. Order the salad and thank me later.

These traditional menus increasingly include vegetarian and vegan fare too, so don’t let that worry cause you to cross Munich off your travel list.

And it doesn’t hurt to venture further afield than the traditional places. Take the Italian food, for example. With its proximity to Itally, and thus a ready supply of Italian cooks and chefs, you can find some of the best in Germany. Like the lovely Pizzeria L’Incontro over by the Deutches Museum, for example. Even the smallest, most unassuming places serve pizza that’ll practicly put you in Napoli.

Being a big city, you will also of course find cuisines from around the world, from Turkiye to Thailand.

The same goes with beer. There’s always Hefeweizen if you’re sick of Helles, or Dunkel (dark) beer. And the beer halls are increasingly widening their style portfolios, not to mention actual craft breweries, like True Brew Brewing Co, which take an almost American approach to making beer,

So, while you can pig out on Bavarian specialties untill you never want to see another damn Brezel in your life, You can have the time of your life eating and drinking in munich if you approach it with an open mind and an empty stomach.

In search of the Kneipe

When you think of European pub culture, chances are you’re picturing a rustic Irish pub, or Greek Taverna, or whatever you see in those romantic travel books whose narratives never seem to reach across the German border. But Germany has a vibrant, varied pub culture with its own traditions and regional distinctions.

While plenty of places in Germany serve fancy cocktails or gastronomic delights, those are usually specialty bars. The german pub (called a “Kneipe” or “Lokal” in some areas), denotes a rustic, frill-free experience in which Beer and conversation is the focus. If there is food, it’s probably simple and wurst-based (though this seems to be changing to suit the tastes or our time). A good Kneipe is more about quenching your thirst for beer, and for conversation among the usually reserved Germans.

It would be a mistake to suggest that all Kneipen share the same characteristics, apart from bar and draft lines. A Western Berlin student pub like Dicke Wirtin in Charlottenburg, will carry a completely different vibe than the dumplings and Mass glasses of Munich’s Wirtshaus In Der Au. However, all true Kneipen share a sense of warmth and good cheer- the famous Gemuetlichkeit- that makes you glad you walked in the door and saddens you when it’s time to leave.

Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be trekking across Central Germany to try and capture the essence of the Kneipe, and hopefully provide a few good recommendations of my own. You already know about the Hofbrauhaus, so let’s see what else we can find. Prost!

Are you travelling in Germany all wrong?

Sometimes, you see more by looking at less.

I’m an American with a full time job, so I get it. When I spend my limited free time going to Germany, I want to get the most out of my travel experience.

For many people, maximizing their trip to Europe means trying to see eight countries in seven days, pausing in each long enough to stand in front of a landmark and maybe grab an overpriced ice cream before rushing off to the next spot. Travelling this way can add desperation and the stress of tight connections and travel deadlines to a supposedly relaxing vacation.

I’m here to suggest that, sometimes, less is more, and you can have a more enjoyable, more authentic travel experience just by slowing it down.

The benefits of slowing down

I know, I know. There is so much to see, so many possible destinations. And you never know when you’ll have the chance to go back. But consider whether, in the pursuit of another phot in front of ANOTHER old church, you really feel a sense of connection to the place or the people.

By chopping off a destination or two, and adding those days to a stay in one place, you can develop that connection to a far greater degree. You can visit a small cafe multiple times and maybe get a smile of recognition and some conversation with the staff (yes, even the Germans will do this, despite stereotypes to the contrary). You can discover a city away from its tourist zones, and feel the essence of a region. You can go shopping like the residents, and bring home Broetchen for breakfast or a bottle of wine for a leisurely dinner. To a degree, you can be a temporary local.

I’m not saying slower travel is always the superior way, or that everyone has the luxury of doing things this way. But I am suggesting spending more nights in fewer destinations is an extremely rewarding way to go.

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Guten Tag! I’m Mark

I was born to an American father and a German mother. Over the years, I’ve spent more time in Germany than any country other than the USA.; I’ve spoken German since childhood, developed great friendships, and criscrossed the country repeatedly.

I want this blog to be a tribute to my love of Germany and I want to help you as you explore This rich, diverse country.