
Germany's Deutsche Bahn to offer raft of discount rail tickets for summer
The offers are aimed at different groups of customers, from short-distance travellers to young people and seniors.
Deutsche Bahn's Stefanie Berk said: "In the future, we want to score even more points with offers that are precisely tailored to individual customer groups. We focus on the needs of bargain hunters as well as those who appreciate comfort and want to travel flexibly. There's something for everyone."
The discounts include:
Short-distance travellers:
The lowest price for the super savings price for short distances will be reduced from the current 9.99 euros to 6.99 euros from June 15th.
Young people:
MyBahnCard 50 for under-27s reduced to €49.99 instead of €79.90 euros from June 15th to December 13th, which DB says could make ICE trips as cheap as €9.74.
Seniors:
A Seniors BahnCard Plus will, for an extra charge, offer passengers free drinks on board, eight day lounge passes and preferential care in DB travel centers.
Advertisement
Commuters:
Between June 15th and 28th, 25% discounts for commuters on personal monthly long-distance tickets.
Flexible travellers:
Flexpreis bookings made between June 15th and July 31st for travel over 28 days in advance will be cheaper. It will also be possible to cancel Flexpreis tickets up to one day before departure, rather than eight.
However, as well as enjoying discounts, travellers will face extensive disruption this summer, with works across the country causing delays and cancellations.
For more information in German
visit Deutsche Bahn's website
.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


DW
21 hours ago
- DW
Germany: Why are so many Turks applying for citizenship? – DW – 06/22/2025
The number of Turkish people becoming German citizens doubled in 2024. Why is that? Germany has become increasingly attractive for Turks — whether for life, work or study. Immigration statistics show that a total of 22,525 Turkish citizens received German passports in 2024 — a 110% increase over 2023. Turkey is now second only to Syria when it comes to the number of its citizens receiving German passports. Alaz Sumer is one of those who decided to apply. He came to Germany about eight years ago to pursue his master's degree. Now a lawyer, he works for a Berlin-based NGO and is completing his doctorate in constitutional law. He told DW that citizenship is the goal of every immigrant, saying it is much more practical. "Otherwise you are always stuck dealing with bureaucracy — and it is heavy here. Just getting a residency permit can be torturous." Burak Keceli, an IT specialist who graduated from Istanbul's respected Bogazici University, came to Germany in 2016. He says he came for career reasons and has spent several years working in the private sector. Today, he continues to live in Berlin. Looking back, he says: "I've lived in Germany for years and speak the language fluently. After all that time, I wanted to be able to have my say politically. The power of a German passport was also an important factor … with it, I can travel to many countries around the world without a visa." According to the 2025 Global Passport Index, which ranks passports by the number of countries a holder thereof can travel to visa-free, Germany ranked fifth in the world — behind the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Singapore and France. A German passport provides visa-free entry into 131 countries, whereas a Turkish passport only allows 75. Germany's June 2024 citizenship reforms no doubt gave the trend a major boost, with dual citizenship becoming a major incentive for migrants to seek a second passport. Alaz Sumer, for instance, says he had no desire to relinquish his Turkish citizenship. "I didn't want to give up my right to vote," he says. A Turkish passport he says, also has advantages in countries with which Turkey has better relations than Germany. Burak Keceli is also a dual citizen. He calls the possibility of having two passports "very positive" but says he would have sought German citizenship either way. Germany's previous government also shortened the residency requirement for citizenship from eight down to five years and down to three for those who could show special integration potential. The new government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz did away with the three-year rule in May, 2025. Still, the new government has let the dual-citizenship model stand, meaning migrants can keep their original passports. That's very important to many of those who have come to Germany from elsewhere. Until recently, Germany required all migrants — with the exception of Swiss and EU-member state passport holders — to renounce prior citizenship before granting them German passports. That forced many to hold off seeking German citizenship over the emotional, familial and business ties they maintained with their country of origin. That goes for an estimated 3 million Turks living in Germany. The political, social and economic situation in Turkey has also been a major driver for immigration. "I wanted to be an academic," says Alaz Sumer, "but I didn't have the impression that it was really possible to do so freely in Turkey. When the situation deteriorated, I left." As for Keceli, he says would wouldn't have been able to have a "nice life" in Turkey. "If I had chosen to go to another country [other than Germany] I probably would have applied for citizenship there." The political climate in Turkey has been worsening for years. Human rights organizations regularly report freedom of speech and press violations by the government. In March, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had his most capable election challenger, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, arrested — a drastic measure even by Erdogan's standards. Moreover, the country has languished economically for years: In 2015, a euro cost about 2.3 Turkish lira, now it's nearly 46 ($1 is currently worth around 40 Turkish lira, 10 years ago it was around it cost around 2.7 Turkish lira). Despite integration and years of life spent in Germany, many Turks here still feel rooted in their old culture and continue to call Turkey home. "Germany never became home for me. I wouldn't describe myself as a German. But even if I did, Germans would laugh at me — and rightly so," says Sumer. Keceli sees things similarly: "All of my loved ones are in Turkey. I never lost the connection. I will continue to travel back and forth. And even if I don't always keep up on the latest news, I still listen to Turkish music. I will always call Turkey home. I don't really feel at home in Germany." Sumer says he "mostly enjoys" life in Germany but admits he doesn't feel like he really belongs. "I don't think that you're immediately accepted when you get a German passport — that certainly wasn't the case for me." He then describes experiences that mirror those of other migrants: "I feel closer to Turkey than I do to Germany. It's clear to me that I am only German on paper. Even if you assimilate and live by German standards — you're still always an immigrant." Sumer recounts moments of everyday discrimination. When he tried to find an apartment after receiving his citizenship, he says, he didn't get any replies whatsoever to his online queries using his real name. That changed when he a fake name. "If you don't have a German name, a German passport won't do you much good either," he says. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video


DW
2 days ago
- DW
East German cities offer free stays to fight depopulation – DW – 06/21/2025
Towns and cities in eastern German states are inviting people to come and stay in the hope of encouraging more people to move there long-term. "There's no problem finding affordable accommodation, there are no traffic jams, there's no rush hour, and I've never had trouble finding a parking space," beams Anika Franze from behind her desk in the center of the small city of Guben. The 38-year-old was born in East Berlin in the former German Democratic Republic and lived most of her life before and after the fall of the Wall in the same district of the capital. But she says the hustle and bustle, a sense of helplessness about growing inequality, not to mention the dire housing situation, long made her want to leave. Driving through Brandenburg with only local radio for company, she heard about a "trial living" ("Probewohnen") scheme offering people the chance to stay for up to four weeks free of charge in Guben on Germany's far eastern border with Poland. The idea was to encourage more people to come and settle in the city to help fight depopulation. Franze has lived here for eight months and now manages the project that first brought her to the city. Here she can afford to rent a 100-square-meter, split-level apartment with a walk-in wardrobe for less than she would pay for a room in one of Berlin's less desirable flat shares. "It's always quiet here, there's no noise pollution, there's less litter on the streets, and you always run into people you know, which I find quite nice," she explains on a whistlestop tour of the city that includes a quick trip across the river to eat fancy cake in a Polish café. Thirty people took part in the scheme in Guben last year and six of those moved here for the long-term. Franze says more followed as a result of the press coverage. Similar projects have also been launched in nearby towns in the Lusatia region, including Frankfurt (Oder), and most recently in Eisenhüttenstadt, originally called Stalinstadt, the first planned socialist model city built in the GDR. Guben is just one of hundreds of industrial towns and cities in the former East that underwent major demographic changes after German reunification in 1990. Declining birth rates, the emigration of predominately young people to western federal states and rising life expectancy have accelerated demographic aging here. There are currently 16,600 people living in the Guben, down by almost half from 29,100 in 1995. That number is expected to decline by a further 16% in the decade up to 2030, with an estimated 27% decrease in the working-age population. The median age is currently 58 and rising. "We're missing an entire generation," the city's mayor, Fred Mahro, told Berlin's TAZ newspaper when the scheme first launched. Last fall, the Bertelsmann Stiftung, an independent civil society foundation, published a study that found Germany would continue to be reliant on migration to cover its forecast labor market demand. Furthermore, due to the comparable demographic situation in other European states, migration would have to come from countries outside of the EU. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "From an economic perspective, we need to ensure that locations remain attractive, that incentives are created for businesses to settle there, but it's about much more than that, for example, a welcoming culture and social interaction," says Susanne Schultz, an expert on migration policy at the Bertelsmann Stiftung. Schultz points to research published by the Institute for Employment at the Federal Employment Agency last week showing that just over a quarter of people born abroad and who immigrated to Germany between the ages of 18 and 65 considered leaving the country last year. Two-thirds of those surveyed cited discrimination as a reason to leave; one third said they do not feel welcome or only slightly welcome. The rhetoric and policies on the issue of migration, for example the recent move to stop the families of certain groups of immigrants from moving to Germany, are sending out the wrong signals, according to Schultz. "Dissatisfaction with politics was one of the main reasons, and I think a lot of that has to do with developments over the last one and half years — the mood has really changed in Germany," she told DW, adding that a multi-pronged approach was needed to help people to integrate both socially and economically. In the struggle to attract new residents, Germany's eastern states also have an image problem as hotbeds for right-wing extremism to contend with. Guben made headlines in 1999 when an Algerian asylum seeker, Farid Guendoul, bled to death after being hounded by neo-Nazis. Just under 42% of local residents voted for the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) in the February 2025 federal elections. The AfD is known for its harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric. It has been classified as "right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, though the agency will refrain from using the term until a court ruling has been issued. Franze says the numbers do not reflect day-to-day life in the city and is frustrated by the focus on the AfD when almost 60% of people here voted for moderate or liberal parties. "People have their prejudices and clichés, but in my experience, you can still connect with people, they just maybe need a bit of time because they're not used to much diversity," the German woman explains. "I wouldn't imagine it being any different in any other small European town." Now in its second year, the scheme in Guben has received 40 applications from all over Germany, as well as Belgium, Algeria, Egypt and Brazil. Successful applicants will be housed in newly renovated apartments for a contribution of just €100 ($115). There is also the opportunity to take part in weekly social gatherings with the residents, make an artistic contribution to the city in cooperation with a local museum and do an internship at a local company. Guben was once famous for its textile industry and millinery: the first weatherproof wool felt hats were manufactured here, and a synthetic fiber factory, opened in 1960, was the largest employer in the district for a long time. Investment from the European Union and the German government is now being pumped into the Lusatia region as lignite, also known as brown coal, mining is phased out as part of the switch to a carbon-neutral economy. Franze says there are currently around 300 job vacancies waiting to be filled. The US-owned salami manufacturer BiFi opened a factory here in 2024, bakery chain Dreissig has a production site here, and Canadian lithium battery producer Rock Tech is opening a plant the size of 17 soccer pitches. Right now, Franze is enjoying a life that is somehow just a bit more manageable than in the sprawling German capital, and has fulfilled a childhood dream of learning to ride horses. "I don't know if I want to get old here, but I don't know if I'd want to do that in Berlin either," she you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.


Local Germany
2 days ago
- Local Germany
German military sees Russia as 'existential risk' to Germany and Europe: report
The Kremlin is "specifically aligning both its industry and leadership structures with the requirements of a large-scale conflict against NATO by the end of this decade," the news magazine wrote on Friday , quoting from the paper. Russia has strengthened forces in particular along NATO borders in western Russia and could have around 1.5 million soldiers on active duty by 2026, Spiegel reported, citing the paper. The report warns that Germany can only counter the threat by consistently developing its military and societal capabilities. The strategy paper was developed by military personnel and experts as a guideline for the future direction of Germnay's military, Spiegel said. In May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz surprised NATO allies by signalling plans to massively boost defence spending to five percent of GDP as demanded by US President Donald Trump. The spending hike is possible as Merz's coalition government secured major financial firepower – an easing of debt rules and approval for hundreds of billions in extra funding for defence and infrastructure.