DB London Spezial

[Oscar]

If there is 59 € availability between London and Köln, then there appears to always be 59 € availability to anywhere in Germany on any train. If London to Köln costs 69 € / 79 € / 89 € +, then travelling further into Germany almost always costs more and the additional cost depends in part on whether you use ICE (most expensive), IC or regional (least expensive) trains.
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I've tinkered with the idea of buying a London Spezial ticket, but no more than that.

Obviously the Euro 59 price is the most attractive, but whenever I've tried putting various dates and final destinations in to the DB website, the only journeys I've found at this price involve an overnight stay in Brussels. All other services seem to cost more.

Is this usual, or have I just not looked hard enough?

Yes, this is fairly typical.

 

[philjo]

Just booked Salzburg-St Pancras 1st class single for 109 euros for September (I think today was the first day of booking for that date) though it also added 2 x 4.5 euro reservation fees for the Salzburg-Munich (EC) and Frankfurt-Brussels (ICE) legs. (ICE Munich-Frankfurt had no reservation fee)
But the booking went through OK & have received the email confirmation. I opted to receive the tickets in the post (3.5 euros extra)
As a price comparison the eurostar site is currently showing £99.50 for just Brussels-London leg - standard premier on the same train from Brussels !

 

[Oscar]

Just booked Salzburg-St Pancras 1st class single for 109 euros for September (I think today was the first day of booking for that date) though it also added 2 x 4.5 euro reservation fees for the Salzburg-Munich (EC) and Frankfurt-Brussels (ICE) legs. (ICE Munich-Frankfurt had no reservation fee)
But the booking went through OK & have received the email confirmation. I opted to receive the tickets in the post (3.5 euros extra)
As a price comparison the eurostar site is currently showing £99.50 for just Brussels-London leg - standard premier on the same train from Brussels !

London-Spezial fares can of course be significantly lower than London - Brussels fares depending on quota allocations. This has been publicised before.

 

[philjo]

I booked a London spezial via db back in June for Salzburg to London on 8 September.
I got an email from Austrian railways last week informing me of engineering works near Salzburg (as I had booked another ticket via obb to ge to Salzburg).

Anyway checking the times I see the 08:00 ec390 I am booked on to leave Salzburg is not running on 8 sept.
There is another service at 08:12 to Munich ( I think it is a meridian service?) that will still leave plenty of connection time for the booked ice to Frankfurt.

Do I need to ask db to change my ticket as my booked train no longer exists? I sent an email last week but no reply yet.

 

[30907]

IME common sense rules in these cases in Germany. I would turn up for 0800 and leave OeBB customer services to sort you out and endorse your ticket accordingly!

 

[CdBrux]

Living in Brussels and traveling to London from time to time on Eurostar it seems that these London Spezial tickets would be a lot cheaper than the Eurostar Brussels to London tickets. Where's the snag?

 

[Oscar]

Living in Brussels and traveling to London from time to time on Eurostar it seems that these London Spezial tickets would be a lot cheaper than the Eurostar Brussels to London tickets. Where's the snag?

There isn't one. Quite often a London-Spezial is cheaper thana Brussels to London ticket. The Frankfurt/Köln/Aachen -Liège/Brussels section (and when the 59 € fare is not available, connections in Germany) determines the price rather than the Eurostar. 59 € London-Spezial tickets are also sometimes cheaper than tickets between Brussels and places further away in Germany.

 

[181]

The cheapest tickets don't seem to be available in large numbers and usually have to be booked well in advance, so I'd have thought (but perhaps people's experience suggests otherwise), that they'd tend to sell out at least as quickly as the cheapest tier of Eurostar tickets. And remember that if you use one of these tickets for a Brussels-London journey, you're making it unavailable to someone who wants to use it for its intended purpose (and may have less choice of trains, and a higher fare in the absence of a London-Spezial, than you do); if too many people use them in this way, they might be withdrawn or have their availability even further restricted.

Does anyone know what the rules are on starting/stopping short with these tickets? I'd expect that it would be prohibited, although this might be hard to enforce.

 

[30907]

Does anyone know what the rules are on starting/stopping short with these tickets? I'd expect that it would be prohibited, although this might be hard to enforce.

There's no prohibition on any of The DB saver/special tickets.

 

[Oscar]

The cheapest tickets don't seem to be available in large numbers and usually have to be booked well in advance, so I'd have thought (but perhaps people's experience suggests otherwise), that they'd tend to sell out at least as quickly as the cheapest tier of Eurostar tickets. And remember that if you use one of these tickets for a Brussels-London journey, you're making it unavailable to someone who wants to use it for its intended purpose (and may have less choice of trains, and a higher fare in the absence of a London-Spezial, than you do); if too many people use them in this way, they might be withdrawn or have their availability even further restricted.

Does anyone know what the rules are on starting/stopping short with these tickets? I'd expect that it would be prohibited, although this might be hard to enforce.

The cheapest tickets are generally only available in significant numbers on the first train from Brussels to Germany and the last train from Germany to Brussels. It is of course possible to use a stop-over to take any Eurostar on the preceding or following day.

I agree with you that using London-Spezial tickets in this way is problematic because it restricts those who use them for their intended purpose. People travelling between Brussels and London are also more likely to be willing to pay a higher or at least similar fare because the door-to-door journey by rail is generally shorter than by air whereas if travelling to/from Germany the opposite is usually the case. I think it would be justifiable to price London to Brussels and London to anywhere in Germany equally for this reason but I do think people do have a right to feel instinctively unfairly treated if the London to Brussels fare is actually higher than the fare to/from Germany.

 

[starrymarkb]

Is it possible to combine these with a Discounted CIV ticket (ie the Euro Hi Saver) for the UK part of a trip

(Is looking to try Exeter-Koln and return in July)

 

[Clip]

Quick question on these.

If you book a 1st class ticket - is that standard premier on the E*? and What is the 1st class provision like on the ICE to Berlin?

 

[Greenback]

I'm not an expert on the difference between First and Standard Premier on Eurostar by any means, but given the horrible snack we've been served at our seats, I'm guessing we were sat in the latter rather than the former!

Haven't been to Berlin (yet) so I can't help with the second question, sorry.

 

[Clip]

ha ha cheers.

I must say for my second question it would also apply to frankfurt and cologne - just not made up our mind which to visit yet - though I see Berlin requires 2 changes and cant be bothered with that

 

[starrymarkb]

Quick question on these.

If you book a 1st class ticket - is that standard premier on the E*? and What is the 1st class provision like on the ICE to Berlin?

Exact provision will depend on the type of ICE. I've only done first in an ICE-T (after an upgrade due to defective aircon in our booked standard coach)

Seating is Leather 2+1 with Large Tables. You can order drinks and food and it will be bought to your seat (but is not free), you may get complementary Kinder sweeties.

Other ICEs may Vary - IIRC it tends to be ICE1 or ICE2 on the West Germany to Berlin run.

 

[Clip]

Cheers for the info. Its not really the complimentry food/drink that sells first to me rather the seating and leg room. The wife is becoming increasingly difficult to travel with as she hates sitting next to/across from strangers the bloody loon.

 

[starrymarkb]

ICE Standard is comparable to most UK Intercity first class seats (ablit 2+2) - lots of legroom,seats recline and have adjustable headrests.

If you know your train numbers there is a site to find out what is running that service and in what formation. Google "online Wagenstandanzeiger"

 

[Clip]

Nice one thanks for the info... Illl pop down into trip planning for the rest of my questions.

 

[button_boxer]

Is it possible to combine these with a Discounted CIV ticket (ie the Euro Hi Saver) for the UK part of a trip

Yes, I have done so several times, buying the UK ticket over the phone from Eurostar domestic telesales.

 

[30907]

Cheers for the info. Its not really the complimentry food/drink that sells first to me rather the seating and leg room. The wife is becoming increasingly difficult to travel with as she hates sitting next to/across from strangers the bloody loon.

the advantage of first on DB is lounge access with sandwiches, cakes, coffee, beer, wine. Changing at Koeln to do the Rhine valley you could use the one there.

 

[maxiboy]

Formations can be found at http://www.grahnert.de/fernbahn/reihung/reih0040.html

The DB Lounges in major stations (Berlin Hbf, Hamburg Hbf, Köln Hbf, Frankfurt(Main)Hbf, München Hbf) are separated in two parts, one is for "genuine" first class ticket holders and one is for holders of any ticket with a Railteam frequent traveller card.

Other lounges in secondary locations such as Mannheim, Stuttgart, Hannover or Essen only have an area for both types of customers, with free hot and cold drinks (self service), newspapers, wifi and bathrooms.

In first class areas the selection of food depends on the time of the day. In the morning it's butter croissants with Nutella, jam or honey. At noon soup will be available (generally the current soup on the ICE menus, or chilli con carne). In the afternoon, fruit salad or cakes. Only sandwiches and "Vollkornschnitte" (sort of a grainy bread sandwich, with salami, ham or cheese) are available at any time. The drink selection is larger, including not only the usual hot and cold (soft) drinks but also wine and beer. DB Lounge personnel will serve food and drinks at your seat in the first class area but this does take some time.

The DB Lounge is quite nice if one has time to kill, but not necessarily a large attraction.

 

[SephenWorceste]

> If you book a 1st class ticket - is that standard premier on the E*? and What is the 1st class provision like on the ICE to Berlin?

First class DB Specials include Standard Premier on the Eurostar. First class seating, lovely Eurostar staff, awful food (except Breakfast) and limited wine. Very pleasant for the priced charged. Standard Premier can be very quiet on Brussels services. I was offered a table for four and extra wine. My DB tickets caused momentary concern at Eurostar checkin. Outward I was told I had a ticket but no reservation. Return I was told I had a reservation but no ticket. A stern look from me and it was all sorted out very quickly.

My ICE train from Brussels was an ICE3. Very nice and spacious in first class. Similar to first on a FGW HST. The toilets can have that Pendalino odour. On my trip the station staff, ticket inspectors and first class stewards all spoke English. Announcements were in English too. That really helped me. Drinks and food are served at your seat. Proper coffees, nice cakes, champagne and hot meals. Much better than most of the catering on UK trains. Of course you do pay for it.

The whole trip was a real joy.

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[Clip]

Am I missi g something here as everytime Ive gone to book the tickets its switched to the german version of the site ?

Im about to use a translator add-on but is this normal?
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Am I missi g something here as everytime Ive gone to book the tickets its switched to the german version of the site ?

Im about to use a translator add-on but is this normal?

D'Oh. When I registered it went back to English

 

[lj9090]

Throwing this out there incase anyone knows...

I've got 2 and a bit hours as my connection in Brussels. I know on a eurostar ticket a ticket to Brussels also gets free travel between Midi & Nord on the day, but can I do the same on a Spezial ticket? I plan to head to Central and have a wander around, I imagine this isn't included on the ticket as it's not terminating there but I can't find anything to answer this one way or the other.

(And, yes, I'm aware that ticket checks are non-existant. I'd rather not have the worry)

 

[30907]

Can't see any problem. Your ticket as issued is valid on any non Thalys service in BE though the t&cs on the db site suggest otherwise. The ICE stops at Noord. Only disadvantage is you've lost the chance to bag good seats.
Sorry out of date info. See later in thread.

 

[Oscar]

Can't see any problem. Your ticket as issued is valid on any non Thalys service in BE though the t&cs on the db site suggest otherwise. The ICE stops at Noord. Only disadvantage is you've lost the chance to bag good seats.

I know that London-Spezial tickets have been accepted on these trains and you can build an IC to Liège into the itinerary, but what leads you to suggest that a ticket with an ICE connection from Midi/Zuid to Köln Hbf is valid on Belgian trains?

 

[30907]

Can't find an old ticket to check, but isn't the routing through Belgium something like:
Brussels - <108x> - Aachen Sued Gr - ICE xx ? Meaning that the "booked train only" applies only from the last stop in BE , Liege.
Or has that changed since I last used one, in which case apologies?

 

[reb0118]

The ICE stops at Noord. Only disadvantage is you've lost the chance to bag good seats.

Yes, but it does give you a chance to do some window shopping outside the station. Brüssel Nord is in one of the more salubrious areas of Brüssel and some of the shops cater for the high end market. Or have I got that wrong.......?

 

[Oscar]

Can't find an old ticket to check, but isn't the routing through Belgium something like:
Brussels - <108x> - Aachen Sued Gr - ICE xx ? Meaning that the "booked train only" applies only from the last stop in BE , Liege.
Or has that changed since I last used one, in which case apologies?

I'm sure that was the case in the past, but currently the tickets say: "Brux-Mi 10:25 ICE15".

 

[30907]

Shows it's a while since I last went that way. I stand corrected.