The European Consumer Centre in Spain (ECC-Spain) -in collaboration with ECC-Germany- offers a series of recommendations for fans planning to travel to Germany for the European Championship to be held between 14 June and 14 July. In addition, people planning to travel - either to attend one of the matches or simply to support the Spanish national team - should be aware that Spain has a Consular Section at the Embassy in Berlin, as well as Consulates General in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart, from which any situations that may arise in their area of demarcation can be dealt with.
Free travel for fans with tickets for competitions, but with a catch
The most environmentally friendly and comfortable way to travel around Germany is by train, but it should be noted that there are a multitude of tickets available depending on the areas in which the traveller will be travelling. For example, an interesting option could be the ‘Fan Pass’, a free ticket valid for 36 hours, which is linked to a ticket to watch a match of the competition and can be obtained via the UEFA EURO 2024 app. This ticket allows the use of the host city's public transport network from 6.00 a.m. on the day of the match until 6.00 p.m. the following day.
It should be noted that the area of validity corresponds to the sector of the local transport association and it should be taken into account that in Germany there are more than 60 transport associations (‘Verkehrsverbünde’), each with different operational areas ranging from a small number of cities to an entire federal state. Therefore, before travelling, users should check the area in which they will be able to travel with their ticket, as each ticket has specific areas of validity. In addition, it is important to know that in Germany, travelling with a public transport ticket that is not valid for the zone in which you are travelling is usually punishable by a fine of 60 euros. The different public transport zones can be found on the official UEFA website (under ‘Travel areas’).
Special fares in Germany
For travel in Germany, the ‘DB Ticket Euro 2024’ offers access to regional and high-speed trains between the tournament venues. First class costs 39.90 euros, while second class costs 29.90 euros. Travellers arriving by train from their home countries can also enjoy a 25% discount with the ‘Interrail Pass Euro 2024’ as long as the traveller is coming from any of the 33 European countries where it applies. These tickets can be booked via the Deutsche Bahn website and the DB Navigator app.
For those who want to travel as cheaply as possible, Deutsche Bahn's ‘Deutschland-Ticket’ is a great option. Unlike the Euro 2024 special offers, this ticket is available to everyone. It allows unlimited travel throughout Germany for only 49 euros per month, but only on regional and local trains, buses, trams and the underground. This means that a ticket bought in Freiburg can also be used on the Berlin underground, on Hamburg ferries or on a regional train in Munich. However, this ticket is not valid for long-distance trains such as ICE (Intercity Express), IC (Intercity) and EC (Eurocity). Connections operated by other companies such as Flixtrain are also excluded.
Special features of the ‘Deutschland-Ticket’ (German Ticket)
The ‘Deutschland-Ticket’ can only be purchased by subscription for full calendar months. Therefore, if the contract is not cancelled before the 10th of the month, the subscription will be automatically extended for the following month. For this reason, ECC-Germany recommends subscribing before the 10th of the month and cancelling the contract immediately after subscribing to avoid unexpected surprises. There are two ways to cancel the subscription: via the customer area or this online form.
Rail passengers' rights
In case something goes wrong with your train journey, the European Consumer Centre in Spain makes available to users its brochure ‘Advice and rights of rail passengers’, which provides information on the rights that protect passengers and how to claim them.
>> Source of information: ECC-Germany.
>> General recommendations for travelling to Germany from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.