Have you ever wondered how far you can travel with the Deutschlandticket without having to change trains? Here are the longest routes in Germany without changing trains.
The 49-euro ticket gives travellers and commuters unlimited use of local and regional public transport in Germany. This makes the Deutschlandticket worthwhile both for the journey to work, for a weekend trip and for an inexpensive holiday trip within Germany (or even to cities in neighbouring German countries close to the border).
Most passengers use the Deutschlandticket for everyday journeys, and it is particularly popular with employees as a job ticket. But ticket users don't have to limit themselves to their own city. In theory, they can visit any place in Germany that has a train station and connection. However, as the 49-euro ticket is not valid for long-distance travel, i.e. on ICE and IC trains (there are exceptions), travellers generally have to bring considerably more time with them for longer journeys and, above all, change trains more often. For example, anyone travelling from Hamburg to Cologne with the Deutschlandticket will need more than six hours and will have to change trains three times. From Hamburg to Munich, it even takes over 16 hours and at least five changes.
But there is an easier way: how far can you get with the Deutschlandticket without changing trains? These are the longest routes you can travel without changing trains with the €49 ticket.
330 kilometres, 4:20 h: RE1 (SÜWEX) from Koblenz to Mannheim
The RE1 (SÜWEX) is not the most direct way for rail travellers to get from Mannheim to Koblenz as this route makes a wide detour and runs via Saarbrücken and Saarland. At 330 kilometres, however, it makes the longest train connection that can be travelled with the Deutschlandticket without changing trains.
315 kilometres, 3:30 h: RE2 (Alex-Länderbahn) from Hof to Munich
Bavaria is the largest federal state in terms of area and has the second longest connection from Munich to Hof with the 315 kilometre route without changing trains.
300 kilometres, 3:40 h: RE1 from Göttingen to Glauchau
The RE1 connects the university city of Göttingen in Lower Saxony with the Saxon district town of Glauchau. Travellers with the Deutschlandticket need 3 hours and 40 minutes to cover the 300 kilometres. Result: third longest route without changing trains.
295 kilometres, 5:00 h: RE4 from Lübeck to Szczecin
The 295-kilometre journey from Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein to Szczecin in Poland is the only train connection in this list that takes travellers abroad with a 49-euro ticket.
290 kilometres, 3:20 h: RE11 from Düsseldorf to Kassel
From North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous federal state, users of the €49 ticket can also travel on one of the longest transfer-free local transport routes. The RE11 RRX connects the NRW state capital with the documenta city of Kassel over 290 kilometres.
290 kilometres, 4:10 h: RE42 from Leipzig to Nuremberg
Deutschlandtiket users can travel from Leipzig to Nuremberg in 4:10 hours on the RE42.
280 kilometres, 3:20 h: RE6 from Cologne to Minden
The list of the longest routes without changing trains is completed by the 280-kilometre Cologne-Minden train connection operated by National Express. The route is exclusively in North Rhine-Westphalia and runs from the Rhine metropolis via Düsseldorf to the border with Lower Saxony.
With the timetable change on 11 December 2022, three of the previously longest local transport routes have been split. Rail travellers now have to change trains once in Berlin.
390 kilometres, 5:00 h: RE5 from Rostock to Elsterwerda
Until the end of 2022, the 390-kilometre route from Rostock to Elsterwerda was the longest train route that travellers can cover with the Deutschlandticket without changing trains and is located in eastern Germany. It runs from Rostock on the Baltic Sea via Berlin to Elsterwerda in Lower Lusatia.
Today: RE5 from Rostock to Berlin - RE8 from Berlin to Elsterwerda
365 kilometres, 4:30 h: RE2 from Wismar to Cottbus
The second longest local transport connection without changing trains also ran from the Baltic Sea to the south of Brandenburg. Travellers could take the RE2 from Wismar via Berlin to Cottbus in 4 hours 30 minutes.
Today: RE8 from Wismar to Berlin - RE2 Berlin to Cottbus
360 kilometres, 5:00 h: RE3 from Stralsund to Falkenberg
The third longest route, which could previously be travelled without changing trains, is also in eastern Germany. At 360 kilometres, it was only slightly shorter than the journey from Wismar to Cottbus and also took train passengers from the Baltic Sea via Berlin to Brandenburg or vice versa.
For comparison: the longest railway line in Germany without changing trains is currently 1,297 kilometres. The ICE 699 runs on this route from Hamburg-Altona to Munich, although not by the most direct route, as the direct train route from Hamburg to Munich is actually only 612 kilometres long. The ICE 699 first travels from Hamburg-Altona to Berlin and then via Leipzig and Erfurt to Frankfurt Airport. From there, the ICE heads towards Munich via Mannheim and Stuttgart.
With a route length of 1,289 kilometres, the journey from Offenburg to Greifswald on the Baltic Sea is the longest IC connection and therefore only slightly shorter. The IC 2216 first heads towards Stuttgart with a stopover in Karlsruhe. From Stuttgart, it continues via Mannheim and Mainz through the Middle Rhine Valley to Koblenz and Cologne. From there, the IC travels via Hamburg to Greifswald on the Baltic Sea. The result: once across Germany.
