Post #2600625

2026-05-16 07:28 UTC

"DB will let you down. It will also, more often than the internet would have you believe, deliver you eight hours of clean uninterrupted thinking time at 250 km/h across a country, drop you within walking distance of your next meeting, and occasionally reroute you down the left bank of the Rhine at golden hour as an apology. The trick is to plan for the first and enjoy the second.' The most useful hints I've ever seen for our summer holiday planning... https://blog.hofstede.it/a-field-manual-for-three-years-on-deutsche-bahn/

Replies (9)

@vicgrinberg@mastodon.social 2026-05-16 08:10

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org great blog and 100% right as someone who uses DB a lot for long distances myself (and actually prefers it to goinf via Paris) ...

Open ##2960911
@lavergnetho@fediscience.org 2026-05-16 08:18

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org Some usefull tips in there indeed. We will travel through northern Germany this summer on our way to London. Only two connections in Germany so fingers crossed.

Open ##2960917
@michammel@mastodon.social 2026-05-16 09:09

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org det bliver ikke mere tysk end dette: “bahnvorhersage.de is the secret weapon. It is a community project that estimates the probability of you making a given connection on time, using historical delay data for that exact train at that exact station and time of day. Before I book anything with a tight Umstieg, I run the itinerary through Bahnvorhersage.”

Open ##2960918
@ditsch42@troet.cafe 2026-05-16 09:36

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org I think I have developed many similar strategies, and I always notice how confused and screwed people are if they don't travel by train regularly. Another good source of train statistics to find reliable connections is @chuuchuu@toot.community (https://chuuchuu.com/).

Open ##2960922
@mrkreuzer@mastodon.social 2026-05-16 09:52

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org another great DB tip: Actually use BahnBonus - once you reach Silver Level (just booking Deutschlandticket via DB gets you halfway there) you can use DB Call a Bike for free up to 30 minutes per drive. Which is an incredible way to get around cities!

Open ##2960923
@knud@mastodon.social 2026-05-16 09:56

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org Absolutely true. I want to throw bahn.expert into the mix of essential tools. It's a webpage, not an app, no tracking, and contains all the existing information about any train in Germany.

Open ##2960924
@johnrohde@helvede.net 2026-05-16 10:12

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org Seriously useful information. The wife and I have had one long disaster trip with DB and zero problems on the return trip. We consider trying again now armed with better information.

Open ##2960925
@zaphodb@twitter.resolvt.net 2026-05-16 15:08

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org @steely_glint@chaos.social there might even be a list of such hints: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1066/

Open ##2960926
@toooobeeee@social.linux.pizza 2026-05-18 04:53

@Ruth_Mottram@fediscience.org great read with lots of useful information, also in comment section! 🥰

Open ##2960927