Omio Reliable
Temika
While I'm moving toward getting a Eurail Global Pass based on feedback provided on this forum for an upcoming trip to Southern Germany and beyond, my son has been trying to convince me that he could get cheaper fares doing point-to-point using the website "omio". When I compared point-to-point prices on Omio v Bahn.com, there is a significant price difference. Does anyone know about the Omio site and is it reliable? Thanks.
I did a quick price comparison, choosing departure and arrival stations from my own itinerary and comparing the sites for several dates. (In each case, bahn.de and bahn.com pricing was identical, with prices showing in Euros.) Omio pricing was slightly higher, rounded up for example from 45.90 Euros (currently about $51.45) to $55 on Omio. The Omio prices seemed to be tracking with the available advanced purchase fares on Bahn.de.
For my itinerary, I am taking enough trains (more than $90 worth) that the Bahn 25% discount card ($22.52 charged to my credit card) turned out to be good value for my travel within Germany and (in some cases) across German borders. The Omio site also allows you to enter a Bahn discount card and gave prices for the equivalent 25% discount, which was those same few dollars more than the price of the Bahn site.
Yes, I am a newbie traveler when it comes to traveling overseas. So am I to interpret your reply that you are not familiar with Omio.com ? I have been on bahn.de and the prices are much higher than what I saw on Omio---and it seems like a Eurail pass may be more economical than point-to-point tickets---but it's hard to get a good handle on this.
I will also add that Bahn.de has a very nice phone app in which you can display train tickets purchased from their site, along with a BahnCard if you've bought one since you're required to have it available if you're traveling on tickets purchased with a BahnCard discount.
There is nothing wrong with using a Eurail pass for the trains mentioned on your last thread. But as you know, I also suggested that advance-discount tickets could be cheaper. Have you checked your actual travel dates? You haven't told us how soon this really is. DB will display both advance/savings fares and full/flexible fares on the same results screen.
I was not seeing prices being cheaper on Omio.com (in fact they were more expensive by a few dollars as described above for the travel that I researched) though perhaps there are some or even many trips where that is the case. I'd be happy to doublecheck what you are seeing if you provide me with origin/destination and dates of travel.
If you list the trips you plan to take, you will get more meaningful responses. Individual tickets bought well in advance are usually substantially less expensive than railpasses, but those tickets are likely to be non-refundable and non-changeable. If you plan to take long trips and want the freedom to buy a ticket on the day of travel, the railpass may be for you.
lkgensheimer, when you check bahn.com or bahn.de, you should see two columns of pricing. The rightmost is the full-fare price. The column to the left is the advance saver fare, cheaper and less flexible. It is those advance saver fares that are comparable to what you should be seeing on Omio.com.
Sorry, but then it's not the same type of ticket (probably the DB price is for a regular "flex" ticket, and Omio gives you the price of a saver fare ticket). No reseller must undercut the prices of the DB, on whose information system he depends; otherwise he will lose access tomorrow. The same applies to Trainline and loco2. However, it can still make sense to book tickets via such resellers, namely for international tickets, because they query the systems of both railway administrations and combine the results inton a single ticket, which national railways have surprisingly not been able to do so far.
If you will be in the Black Forest area in B-W (also in southern Germany) most towns participate in the KONUS program where you get a free card for for free regional bus and train services throughout B-W, and even into Basel. Not many other tickets or modes of transportation can compete with completely free....
Wow! Thank you all for your help! I didn't know how much detail I should provide, but here is some of the nitty-gritty. Any help would be greatly appreciated, since as I mentioned before, I am not an international traveler and the figuring out how to get from one location to the next is a headache despite all the sites I've visited. Some specifics:
My son is trying to convince me that it would be best to do point-to-point tickets for me and him, but I don't know. Again, given the last minute of this trip, I haven't been able to do all the research I normally do. But on the positive---I have lodging reservations taken care of ! :) Any additional insights and suggestions would be very much appreciated.
In your case of traveling around only in Southern Germany, I would not suggest getting a Global Pass. You're not traveling enough, distance-wise, ie not enough zig zag traveling. The Global Pass is good if you are a senior riding 2nd class if it's 15 days in 2 months.
That means you can use it from France to Finland, including the EuroStar, on day or night trains, assuming you don't pay extra for a sleeper or couchette. Those two additional luxuries aren't covered by the Global Pass, plus the discount up to 30% on ferries, where applicable.
When comparing Deutsche Bahn and Omio take care that you compare the same conditions (times of travel and tariffs). Deutsche Bahn has three base tariffs plus a group tariff, rail passes and regional tariffs - overview of offers. In some tourist cases a Bavaria ticket can be an alternative to explore parts of Southern Germany (regional trains only).
Omio is just the new name for renowned and trustworthy start-up GoEuro which is nearly the best search engine for domestic and continental travels in Europe. But change of name is obviously needed if you address global markets :-)
@OP: in your concrete case I suggest to trust your son. Let him do all the rail booking stuff- and even one thing ends up wrong, it will be the best learning curve money you will ever have invested - because it is your child's future.
There is no need to stay in Baden-Baden if you want to visit Sasbachwalden (unless you have a special interest in BB). Sasbachwalden is situated in a beautiful region of the central Black Forest and has a large selection of accommodation. By train you first go to Karlsruhe or Offenburg, from there with a regional train to Achern, and then it's a few minutes bus ride up to Sasbachwalden (it's at a altitude >1000m, which may be be more pleasant than the depressing heat in the Rhine plain). Look up details at bahn.com.
Thanks everyone for your advice on train ticket options; it has been very helpful.
sla019, thanks for your specific suggestion on getting to Sasbachwalden since that is one of our destinations not Baden-Baden, I just figured I had to get there through B-B. It also sounds quite reachable through public transportation. I was afraid we'd have to rent a car, which I am not fond of doing. Question: once in Sasbachwalden will it be easy to get around to sites through local trains/buses?
Again, many thanks everyone!
Your principal point of transfer to train and other bus lines appears to be Achern. Unlike Baden-Baden, Sasbachwalden is in the Konus Card area, so you would have free public transport in the entire area (map downloadable from the first link above, goto "Konus-Gebiet").
Great information! Thanks again sla019!
In Sasbachwalden I will be staying at the Hotel Der Engel, which apparently is owned by a distant relative (i.e., relative of my late grandfather). My family actually made a trip to this part of Germany 60 years ago, when I was 2 so clearly don't have any memory of the trip. I always wanted to visit again, so this is a very long-awaited trip. Again thanks for you help.
Founded in 2013 in Berlin, Omio (formerly GoEuro) saw the need for multi-mode travel in Europe and sought to fill the gap. They are now one of the largest aggregators of transportation tickets, and work with over 1,000 travel providers in Europe, Canada, and the US.
Why is this important? Well, you might think the whole of Europe has the same train and bus system (like we have Amtrak and Greyhound in the US). But, each country has its own systems in place.
Omio is a third-party booking site that uses advanced mapping technology to locate all the forms of transport near your search location. It then determines what routes are available, the cost of each option, and total travel time.
To explain, if you search for transport between Barcelona to Paris, Omio will show you all of your options including air, bus, ferry, rail, and car. It will show how much each route costs, the travel time, number of transport, etc.
However, there are so many options for transport, it would be practically impossible to piece it all together yourself. To emphasize, Omio pulls information from over 1,000 trusted travel providers! You can rest assured that Omio technology has scoured every last option so that you can make an informed choice.
Booking through a site like Omio also offers peace of mind when it comes to Customer Service, which is offered 24/7 in English, credit card safety, and keeping all your tickets in one place.
All payments are secure when using the Omio website or Omio travel app. They accept a variety of payment methods including all the major credit card companies, digital wallets, and even some direct bank transfers.
If your plans change, your ability to change or cancel your ticket depends on what type of ticket you booked. Similar to airline tickets, the cheapest option is usually non-refundable. When you buy tickets, your options for getting a more flexible ticket are displayed. Consider choosing a modifiable/refundable ticket when you book to avoid any issues.
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