Germany's special public transport

For more than a year, the so-called Deutschlandticket has been revolutionizing the way people move around Germany. Complicated tariff zones and single ticket journeys are a thing of the past now. With an inexpensive all-inclusive offer for local and regional transport, ticket holders can travel across the country with a single monthly pass. And it can do even more: many unusual means of transport throughout the country recognize the ticket as well. Passengers can float over cities, try out historic steam trains or take a ferry across Germany's biggest lake - all at no extra cost. Here are ten trips, travellers can do with the Deutschlandticket.

Suspension railways in Wuppertal, Dortmund and Düsseldorf

While other cities dug tunnels for subway railroads, Wuppertal in North Rhine-Westphalia opted for the exact opposite. Since 1901, people there have been floating over the River Wupper and the city. The trains of the suspension railway are suspended from rails, with steel pillars to the right and left of the track. Traffic jams can be cleverly avoided with this construction. The suspension railroad has long since become a symbol of the city.

If you want to float with the Deutschlandticket, there are two more suspension monorails to choose from. The Dortmund H-Bahn whizzes across the campus of the Technical University. And since 2002, the Skytrain in Düsseldorf has been taking air passengers and other passengers from the airport train station or parking garages to the terminals. In both Dortmund and Düsseldorf, there is no driver on board. Those who board at the front can enjoy a perspective that is otherwise reserved for train drivers. The view is particularly popular with children.

Ferries on rivers, lakes and the sea

The Deutschlandticket is also valid on the water in many places. The Berlin ferry F24 even uses muscle power. With twelve oar strokes, ferrymen take passengers from the bank at Kruggasse to the Spreewiesen and back. The boats run every 60 minutes at weekends and on public holidays. According to the portal of the city of Berlin, an unscheduled crossing is also possible with a loud shout of “Ferryman, get over!”. In addition to the rowing ferry, there are five other ferry lines in Berlin operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe that are part of the local transport system, for example across Wannsee. Here, however, the work is done by a motor.

You can also board in Dresden, Potsdam, Rostock or Lübeck with the Deutschlandticket. In Kiel, partly whisper-quiet electric ferries sail across the Baltic Sea to sandy beaches. And container ships look particularly impressive when viewed from the Hamburg harbor ferries at sunset. On the Lake Constance car ferry between Meersburg and Constance, the Germany ticket is valid for passengers on the scheduled buses that use the ferry service. “Disembarking on the ferry during the crossing is permitted,” according to the website of the Lake Constance-Upper Swabia Transport Association.

Driverless metro in Nuremberg

While car manufacturers are still struggling with autonomous driving on the road, self-driving metro systems have long been a reality. The pioneer in Germany is Nuremberg.

The trains on the U2 and U3 lines there have been controlled by computers for 16 years. “They can run at 100-second intervals - twice as often as with manual control,” explains the city on its website. The punctuality rate is 98 percent.

Rack railway in Stuttgart

The people of Stuttgart call a special streetcar line in their city the “Zacke”. The journey from Marienplatz to Degerloch is a steep uphill ride, with the cogwheel streetcar climbing gradients of up to 17.8 percent. The cogwheels help to climb the meters of altitude and get the train moving. Passengers are rewarded with a panoramic view over Stuttgart. Zacke” also pushes a large yellow bicycle trailer in front of it. Taking it uphill is free of charge.

Funiculars in Stuttgart, Schwarzatal and Künzelsau

The Deutschlandticket takes you up one of Stuttgart's many hills. The ticket is valid for rides on a funicular. Two historic teak carriages from the 1920s are suspended from a steel cable and transport passengers to the breezy Waldfriedhof cemetery in just a few minutes. Germany's first Federal President, Theodor Heuss, is buried there.

The Deutschlandticket also takes you uphill into nature on the historic funicular of the Thüringer Bergbahn in Schwarzatal. In good summer weather, passengers can enjoy the fresh forest air in the “mountain railroad convertible” during the ride. The Künzelsau mountain railroad in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg is much younger. The funicular connects the town center in the valley with the Taläcker district. A nature adventure trail with interactive stations, classic hiking trails and mountain bike trails begin there.

National park streetcar in Saxon Switzerland

In Saxon Switzerland, you can take a streetcar through the middle of a German national park. The historic Kirnitzschtalbahn has been taking passengers from the spa gardens in Bad Schandau to the Lichtenhain waterfall and back since 1898. The route leads past the Kirnitzsch river and through the rocks of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Hiking trails depart from all stations. Streetcar enthusiasts also appreciate the line for its historic vehicles, such as streetcars built between 1925 and 1968.

Steam locomotives in the Harz Mountains and other regions

The Harz narrow-gauge railroads operate 25 steam locomotives across the highest mountain range in northern Germany. The Deutschlandticket is valid on the entire route network, except for the journey from Drei Annen Hohne to the Brocken, the highest mountain in the Harz, explains the company on its website. The excluded section of the route is ideal for a short hike.

Elsewhere, the nationwide season ticket also applies to steam locomotive routes. However, in contrast to those in the Harz Mountains, surcharges are usually payable. On the Döllnitzbahn in Lower Saxony, the “steam surcharge” costs up to 3.50 euros per direction. An additional ticket is also required for connections operated by the Saxon Steam Railway Company, the Mecklenburgische Bäderbahn Molli, the Zittauer Schmalspurbahn and the “Rasender Roland” on the island of Rügen. Here, the Deutschlandticket can be used as a kind of discount card.