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on earth. Socially and economically, the people are friendly, nature is beautiful, and public transportation is more reliable than anywhere else.</p><p id="6150"><a href="https://travelbytrain.co/switzerland/ultimate-guide-to-the-swiss-travel-pass-2023-types-of-passes-how-to-purchase-bernese-oberland-pass/">When we traveled through Switzerland</a> in May by train we didn’t miss a single train, even with only a few minutes of transfer time we made it all. Something to dream of in countries like Germany and Austria where everything is chaotic.</p><p id="a9cc">The Swiss know how logistics work.</p><p id="7563">So considering that we will spend another week in Switzerland, provided we survived the German trains, does me good. I know that we will travel comfortably and always arrive at our destination.</p><h1 id="9ab0">Keeping the costs low</h1><p id="214f">Although it sometimes seems impossible to keep costs down in Switzerland you can at least save on train travel. Because that too is incredibly expensive. You pay your way to regular train tickets.</p><p id="634f">But we as young people without much money have found a way to cheaply travel by train across Europe: The Interrail Pass.</p><p id="602d">A phenomenon that has been known for years for its cheap but quality service. I didn’t know it yet but it is fantastic.</p><p id="ab7f">You pay a fixed amount for a ticket that allows you unlimited travel throughout Europe. So also Switzerland is thus affordable. A one-way trip from Zurich to Lugano can easily cost you more than 200 euros per person. Our entire Interrail Pass was only 226 euros.</p><p id="91b4">Excellent choice.</p><h1 id="d674">Don’t drink coffee in Switzerland</h1><p id="98ec">Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Now they also have one of the highest standards of living on the planet and of course that comes at a cost.</p><p id="2001">Food is also incredibly expensive, especially if you are a tourist and want to do a cup of coffee for the road. For example, at the train station.</p><p id="6fdc">In the supermarkets at the stations, it is still affordable but as soon as you visit a barista it becomes unaffordable. My coffee was as expensive as the complete breakfast of me and my sister together (excluding the coffee of course)</p><p id="b982">But it was delicious.</p><p id="c3ac">So keep that in mind.</p><h1 id="d893">Final thoughts: don’t travel through Germany unless you can’t do differently</h1><p id="2365">Since it is almost impossible for us to travel to Switzerland in 1 day without passing through Germany we have no other option.</p><p id="69d4">But it is definitely not recommended.</p><p id="97c9">Don’t do it if you like comfortable and fast travel. Take the Thalys or TGV through France and travel via Geneva. You’ll pay your way in mandatory reservation fees but you won’t be late and the comfort is fabu

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lous.</p><blockquote id="abab"><p>If you like my articles, you can signup for my <a href="https://bryandijkh.substack.com/"><b>free </b>e-mail-list here.</a> But if you’re not a medium member <b>yet</b>, you can sign up with my referral link down below and I’ll receive a small portion of your fee.</p></blockquote><div id="a902" class="link-block"> <a href="https://bryandijkh.medium.com/membership"> <div> <div> <h2>Join Medium with my referral link — Bryan Dijkhuizen</h2> <div><h3>As a Medium member, a portion of your membership fee goes to writers you read, and you get full access to every story…</h3></div> <div><p>bryandijkh.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*xS3UR7txa4bAKraG)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h1 id="4f12">More Travel Stories</h1><div id="31bc" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/this-is-what-happened-when-all-german-trains-were-100-minutes-late-151320f4ccf3"> <div> <div> <h2>This Is What Happened When All Our German Trains Were 100+ Minutes Late</h2> <div><h3>It’s something that I want to forget very soon</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*yI_f7JliC0fKP5vjwgZHyg.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="e4a1" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/swimming-in-a-cold-lake-surrounded-by-nature-is-a-blessing-de7dbbe3092c"> <div> <div> <h2>Swimming In a Cold Lake Surrounded By Nature Is a Blessing</h2> <div><h3>This is where I came from here</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*zi9vXDKyLNcb19BLCJm68g.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="ddb0" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/would-you-look-at-that-waterfall-fce244261e59"> <div> <div> <h2>Would You Look At That Waterfall</h2> <div><h3>Photo Challenge: Freestyle</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*AniGYL3JCdHsvSCQq1EuAw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

We’re Reliving The German Train Ride Nightmare This Summer

I promised myself to stay away from these things

Did you remember my story about getting 2 hours delayed by the German trains this May? I promised myself never to take a regional train in Germany again. At least not this year.

Well.

I’m doing it again.

This summer my girlfriend and I are going to Switzerland together by train and we have to go (obviously) through Germany by train.

But since we live in one of the Northernmost points of the Netherlands and leave on a Sunday, we have to cross the border with a very specific connection.

A regional train of almost 2 hours long through the boring German landscape to Duesseldorf.

Germany messed it all up now

Have you heard of the 9-euro ticket in Germany? It is an absolute tragedy and they have made it much worse than it was. Overcrowded platforms and crammed trains do not symbolize the misery enough.

It is practically free to travel on public transport in Germany.

With this 9-euro ticket, anyone, including tourists, can use regional public transport throughout Germany for an entire month for 9 euros. This is compensation for the higher energy and fuel prices.

Very nice in the summer, but of course, the German government did not anticipate that Deutsche Bahn could not handle this pressure.

So now stations like Cologne, Duesseldorf, and Dortmund are completely full of 9-euro ticket tourists crammed into the far too small trains. Those masks will really help them when you can almost taste someone else's sweat.

Thanks, Germany.

Fortunately, we take the high-speed trains and the intercity trains. The 9-euro ticket doesn’t allow you to travel in those. But we also reserved seats to be sure.

Germany has surprised us before.

Trains in Switzerland are just perfect

I keep saying it. Switzerland is just one of the most perfect countries on earth. Socially and economically, the people are friendly, nature is beautiful, and public transportation is more reliable than anywhere else.

When we traveled through Switzerland in May by train we didn’t miss a single train, even with only a few minutes of transfer time we made it all. Something to dream of in countries like Germany and Austria where everything is chaotic.

The Swiss know how logistics work.

So considering that we will spend another week in Switzerland, provided we survived the German trains, does me good. I know that we will travel comfortably and always arrive at our destination.

Keeping the costs low

Although it sometimes seems impossible to keep costs down in Switzerland you can at least save on train travel. Because that too is incredibly expensive. You pay your way to regular train tickets.

But we as young people without much money have found a way to cheaply travel by train across Europe: The Interrail Pass.

A phenomenon that has been known for years for its cheap but quality service. I didn’t know it yet but it is fantastic.

You pay a fixed amount for a ticket that allows you unlimited travel throughout Europe. So also Switzerland is thus affordable. A one-way trip from Zurich to Lugano can easily cost you more than 200 euros per person. Our entire Interrail Pass was only 226 euros.

Excellent choice.

Don’t drink coffee in Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Now they also have one of the highest standards of living on the planet and of course that comes at a cost.

Food is also incredibly expensive, especially if you are a tourist and want to do a cup of coffee for the road. For example, at the train station.

In the supermarkets at the stations, it is still affordable but as soon as you visit a barista it becomes unaffordable. My coffee was as expensive as the complete breakfast of me and my sister together (excluding the coffee of course)

But it was delicious.

So keep that in mind.

Final thoughts: don’t travel through Germany unless you can’t do differently

Since it is almost impossible for us to travel to Switzerland in 1 day without passing through Germany we have no other option.

But it is definitely not recommended.

Don’t do it if you like comfortable and fast travel. Take the Thalys or TGV through France and travel via Geneva. You’ll pay your way in mandatory reservation fees but you won’t be late and the comfort is fabulous.

If you like my articles, you can signup for my free e-mail-list here. But if you’re not a medium member yet, you can sign up with my referral link down below and I’ll receive a small portion of your fee.

Join Medium with my referral link — Bryan Dijkhuizen

As a Medium member, a portion of your membership fee goes to writers you read, and you get full access to every story…

bryandijkh.medium.com