Flexible international travel with the flexible fare Europe

Flexpreis Europa

You can reserve a seat on any long-distance train. This costs EUR 4.90 in second class and EUR 5.90 in first class.

A free reservation is included when booking a first class ticket on the following trains:

• All long-distance trains within Germany.
• Long-distance cross-border trains, up to the station where you get off or change trains abroad.

If you change trains abroad, you will pay EUR 4.90 for second class and EUR 5.90 for first class seat reservations on subsequent trains.
 

Trains requiring seat reservations:
For trains requiring reservations, you will receive your seat reservation free of charge when you book your ticket. If you buy the reservation later, you will pay EUR 4.90 for the seat in second class and EUR 5.90 in first class.

Reservations are compulsory on some international services. If so, the reservation will already be included free of charge in the ticket price. Reservations are required in the following trains:

• France: high-speed trains (ICE and TGV) to Paris and Marseille (including all stopovers)
• Italy: Trains to Milan via Basel Bad Bf
• Poland: All long distance trains to Poland

Please note that you cannot travel on trains requiring reservations without a reservation, even if you have already purchased a flexible fare ticket including a reservation for another train.

Most trains can be booked up to 6 months before the day of travel and until shortly before the train's departure. This period may be shorter in the time before timetable changes or when booking foreign trains.

Children up to 3 years of age always travel free of charge and do not need to be indicated when booking.

Children under the age of 6 always travel free of charge on the German section of the journey and do not have to be specified when booking. Children under the age of 6 travel free of charge on the foreign section of the journey to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland. 

Children aged 6-14 travel free of charge on the German and foreign sections of the journey when accompanied by someone aged 15 or over. However, they must be indicated in the booking. The ticket holder can bring up to four children per ticket. The age on the day of departure applies.

For journeys to France and Switzerland, children receive a 50% discount on the price paid by adults on the French and Swiss sections of the journey.

Note: If you would like to reserve a seat for your child, please indicate the number of children and their corresponding ages when booking. The age on the day of departure applies.

Yes.

Children travelling on their own or accompanied:
Children pay a reduced fare for the trip from the age of either 4 or 6, depending on the country. Therefore, please indicate their age when booking. The age on the day of departure applies. In some countries, children travelling alone and persons accompanying them must be above a certain age. The next two questions provide more information.

In Germany, children and young people aged 15 and over pay the full fare. Abroad, children and young people pay the full price from the age of 12, 14, 15, 16 or 17, depending on the country:

• In Finland from the age of 17
• In Denmark, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland from the age of 16
• In Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic from the age of 15
• In Montenegro, Serbia and Hungary from 14 years of age
• In all other countries from 12 years of age

The price is calculated automatically when booking.

Yes. The following minimum ages apply:

• Belgium: 6 years
• Bosnia-Herzegovina: 4 years
• Bulgaria: 10 years
• Denmark: 6 years
• Finland: 6 years
• France: 12 years
• Greece: 12 years
• Croatia: 6 years
• Lithuania: 4 years
• Luxembourg: 6 years
• North Macedonia: 4 years
• Montenegro: 6 years
• Netherlands: 12 years
• Norway: 4 years
• Austria: 6 years
• Poland: 13 years
• Republic of Ireland: 4 years
• Romania: 18 years
• Sweden: 7 years
• Switzerland: 6 years
• Serbia: 6 years
• Slovakia: 6 years
• Slovenia: 6 years
• Spain: 4 years
• Srpska: 4 years
• Czechia: 6 years
• Turkey: 4 years
• Hungary: 10 years

Yes. The following minimum ages apply to accompanying persons:

• Belgium: 12 years
• France: 12 years
• Italy: 18 years
• Netherlands: 18 years
• Poland: 18 years
• Romania: 18 years
• Slovakia: 15 years
• Czechia: 10 years
• Hungary: 18 years

• Tickets for international routes of up to 100 kilometres are valid for one day. This applies to both one-way and return tickets.
• Tickets for international routes of over 100 kilometres are valid for two days. The journey must start on the first day of validity.
  If the outward and return journeys are booked as a single ticket, this ticket is valid for a total of two days. This means you must start the return journey on the same day of the outward journey. We recommend booking one ticket per direction if necessary.
  If the outward and return journeys are booked as two separate tickets, each ticket is valid for two days.

Please note:
If your outward and return journeys are no more than two days apart, you will get one ticket for both journeys.
If your outward and return journeys are more than two days apart, you will receive one ticket for each journey.

The flexible fare Europe allows you to interrupt your journey and continue it later under the following conditions:

• The outward and return journeys must be made within the validity period of two days stated on the ticket.
• The validity period of your ticket must not be exceeded.
• The departure and destination stations must not change.

For bookings up to and including December 14, 2024:

You can cancel your ticket free of charge up to one day before the day of validity. From the first day of validity, you will pay EUR 19 for the cancellation. You can cancel a flexible fare ticket up to 1 month after the period of validity.

For bookings from December 15, 2024:

Up to 8 days before the 1st day of validity of the outward journey:

• You can exchange or cancel Flexpreis tickets free of charge.

7 to 1 day before the 1st day of validity of the outward journey:

• We charge a fee of 10 euros per ticket for exchanges or refunds.

From the 1st day of validity of the outward journey:

• We charge a fee of 30 euros per ticket for exchange or refund. You can cancel a Flexpreis ticket up to 1 month after the end of the period of validity.

Irrespective of the collective labour agreement conditions:
You can cancel your digital ticket free of charge within a period of 3 hours (180 minutes) after purchase, regardless of the specific offer's terms and conditions. Payment will be refunded in full.