The German Consumer Association Federation (VZBV) has criticized the higher prices for train tickets during holiday periods and is demanding greater transparency regarding Deutsche Bahn’s pricing structure. Ramona Pop, a board member of the VZBV, told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” that travelers planning a train journey must be able to reliably estimate the costs, which requires more clarity in how prices are set. She added that as consumers rely on the train especially at the start of holidays, the VZBV’s investigation revealed that ticket prices regularly increase during these times.
According to the VZBV’s analysis, in 62 percent of the combinations studied, the ticket prices on the first Saturday of a holiday period were higher than those on the Saturday the week prior. Pop cautioned that these differences can be particularly significant when looking at savings offers, noting it is difficult for travelers to understand why the same journey costs substantially less just one week earlier. Across all holidays and routes examined, the price of the “Super-Sparpreis” (Super Saver Fare) at the start of a holiday was at least 21 percent higher than the previous week in half of the observed cases.
The consumers’ watchdog observed the largest price increases during the Christmas holidays of 2024. In half the cases analyzed, Super Saver Fares on the first Saturday of the holiday were at least 156 percent higher than the previous week. In one specific instance, the price multiplied dramatically: for the Berlin-Munich route, the examined Super Saver Fare rose from €17.99 to €99.99 at the beginning of the 2025 Berlin winter holidays-an increase of 456 percent.
In response to the report, a spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn stated that the accusation of a lack of transparency was rejected. They explained that if a user enters their age and any applicable discounts, such as the BahnCard or the Deutschland-Ticket, into the booking mask, they are guaranteed to receive the cheapest suitable offer. The company asserts that the level of ticket prices primarily depends on demand, as the goal is to “optimally utilize the trains for comfortable journeys.” They also noted that, similar to airlines and hotels, the cheapest offers around holiday times are often sold out quickly.
For this extensive study, the VZBV recorded the cheapest available direct connections daily between Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, and Frankfurt am Main between June 2024 and April 2026. For the holiday analysis, the federation compared the median price levels on the first Saturday of the holidays against those of the previous week, considering daytime connections in second class with a three-week advance booking window. The analysis is based on 2,479 connection queries.
