Most high-speed trains require reservation fees. Often, it is possible to avoid paying these fees when you research alternative routes. Your journey may take longer or require a few transfers, but you won't pay extra reservation fees.

To find trains which require no reservations, you can follow these steps:

  1. Go to http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
  2. Enter your starting point  and your destination
  3. In the field 'means of transport' change 'standard search' to 'All without ICE'
  4. Click 'go'
  5. In the screen with the train connections click on 'details for all' in the bottom left corner

You will now see all local train connections, which generally require no reservation. If a train still would require a reservation, it will be listed as 'compulsory reservation’.

TIP:  Repeat the steps above, but in Step 3, select ‘local trains only’.  Sometimes, this will show you alternatives that don’t require reservations, although the journey may take longer.