Public transport in Germany
Useful vocabulary
| Zug | train |
| ICE | Intercity - fast trains |
| Regionalzug | regional railway |
| S-Bahn | suburban trains |
| Straßenbahn | tram |
| U-Bahn | underground trains |
| Bus | bus |
Public transport within a city and the nearby regions is called "ÖPNV" or "Öffentlicher Personennahverkehr".
Tickets can be bought in different ways: from the driver, at a ticket machine or online (see our section Useful apps) for other forms of transport. Discounts are available for tickets with ten trips (Ger. "Zehnerkarten"), monthly or yearly tickets ("Monatskarten" or "Jahreskarten"), for students, etc. Travelling without a ticket is called "Schwarzfahren" and incurs a fine of at least €40.
"Die Bahn"
For longer journeys, travelling by rail is common. "Die Bahn" offers several regularly changing discounts, weekend discounts (Ger. "Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket"), federal state tickets (Ger. "Ländertickets"), cheaper fares for booking well in advance, booking of seats and rail cards (Ger. "Bahncard") for regular traveller discounts. Children under 15 travel free when accompanied by their parents or grandparents.
Taxis
These can be found at taxi stands in cities, hailed on the street as they drive by or ordered on the phone. Most taxis have set prices. Check the Yellow Pages or use booking services such as MyTaxi.
