Rail is enjoying increasing popularity as a means of transport for travel within Europe, not least due to the growing awareness of travel time and comfort. Deutsche Bahn (DB) alone recorded an impressive 2024 million passengers on its long-distance services in 133,4. But for anyone planning to take advantage of the upcoming Whitsun weekend for a cross-border rail journey, a recent, detailed study by multi-currency account provider Wise reveals a surprising picture of pricing.
The analysis meticulously compares Deutsche Bahn's ticket prices for selected international connections with the fares of the respective national railway companies in the destination countries – and the results suggest that travelers can sometimes save significant sums by not automatically choosing DB's offer, but also by considering the offers of foreign competitors. In some significant cases, the potential savings amount to a remarkable 34 percent.
The study, conducted by the experts at Wise, focused on a carefully selected selection of popular European rail routes. For each of these routes, the costs for a round-trip journey over the Whitsun weekend in 2025 were analyzed in detail, with the specific travel dates set as June 6 for the outbound journey and June 9 for the return journey. This methodological approach allowed for a direct price comparison between Deutsche Bahn's offers and the fares of the respective national railway companies in the countries visited. The results of this comparative analysis demonstrate significant financial savings potential on certain highly frequented routes.
Southern and Eastern Europe as a savings paradise for clever rail travelers: Italy and Poland as shining examples
A particularly striking and striking example of significant price differences is the popular connection from the Bavarian metropolis of Munich to the Eternal City of Rome. While Deutsche Bahn charges a whopping €328,89 for a round-trip ticket over the Whitsun weekend, the Italian state-owned railway company Trenitalia offers the exact same connection for a significantly lower price of €216,70. This results in a substantial saving of a whopping 34 percent for travelers willing to book directly with the Italian provider.
Even for travelers whose destination is the Polish capital Warsaw and who begin their journey in Berlin, it's worth taking a closer look across the eastern border. Instead of the €113,98 charged by Deutsche Bahn for a round-trip ticket, the equivalent ticket with the Polish state railway PKP Intercity costs just €76,20 after conversion. This represents an attractive price saving of around 33 percent.
The pattern of significant price advantages among foreign providers continues on the connection between the German capital Berlin and the Czech metropolis of Prague. Here, Deutsche Bahn charges €134,98 for a round-trip ticket, while the Czech railway company České dráhy offers the identical journey for the equivalent of just €94,79—a price difference of about 30 percent in favor of the Czech railway.
Austria and Denmark: Direct booking leads to noticeable cost reductions
Wise's detailed analysis further reveals that there is significant savings potential for rail travel to Austria and Denmark when travelers purchase their tickets directly from the national railway companies. For example, the train connection from Munich to the Croatian capital Zagreb via the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) costs the equivalent of €83,80, around 28 percent less than the Deutsche Bahn offer, which charges €115,98 for the same route. Rail travelers can also significantly reduce their travel budget on the route from Berlin to Vienna and back: booking directly with the ÖBB results in costs of €308,20, a saving of around 19 percent compared to the €382,14 charged by Deutsche Bahn. Those planning a relaxing short trip to Denmark can also benefit from purchasing tickets directly from the Danish State Railways (DSB). Here, round-trip tickets cost the equivalent of €132,44, a reduction of around 17 percent compared to the €159,98 charged by Deutsche Bahn. Even for a return trip from Munich to the Hungarian capital Budapest, booking through the Hungarian state railway MÁV still saves around 16 percent (the equivalent of €134 compared to €159,98 charged by DB).
The opposite direction: On certain routes, Deutsche Bahn is the cheaper option
It's important to note, however, that Wise's study doesn't just reveal savings potential with foreign providers. On some selected routes, Deutsche Bahn proves to be the more attractively priced choice. This applies, for example, to connections to Western Europe, such as the route from Berlin to Amsterdam, where the savings when booking through a foreign provider are marginal at just one percent, or the route from Cologne to Luxembourg, where no significant price difference was found at all.
A clear example of Deutsche Bahn's price leadership is the return connection from Munich to the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. Here, travelers pay just €149,98 with DB, while the Austrian Federal Railways charges the equivalent of €233,20 for the same route – a substantial saving of 55 percent for Deutsche Bahn. A similar picture emerges for train journeys to France. Those booking their ticket through Deutsche Bahn pay €311,98, while the French national railway company SNCF charges a whopping €468 for the comparable connection. This represents a significant saving of around 50 percent for DB. Travelers can also save around six percent for the return trip from Berlin to the Swiss metropolis of Zurich by purchasing their ticket through Deutsche Bahn (€167,98 compared to €177,42 for the Swiss Federal Railways SBB).
The expert's advice: Keep an eye on exchange rates and hidden fees
Thomas Adamski, a spokesperson for Wise, offers travelers some valuable advice: "Especially when traveling across national borders, it's worth carefully comparing ticket prices between different train companies. Our current analysis clearly shows that travelers who take a few minutes to check the various offers before actually booking can sometimes save more than 100 euros – for example, when traveling to Italy or Croatia. Fortunately, many international providers now offer easy ticket purchasing in English." However, Adamski strongly warns against underestimating the potential cost traps when paying in a foreign currency: "It's important to be aware that some banks use unfavorable exchange rates when converting money into another currency. In addition, additional fees are sometimes hidden in your bank's exchange rate, which can ultimately make the supposed bargain more expensive. With a transparent multi-currency account, travelers can effectively avoid such non-transparent surcharges and thus actually benefit from the cheaper ticket prices."
The detailed and insightful study by the financial services provider Wise clearly demonstrates that it can be worthwhile for rail travelers whose destination is outside of Europe to take a closer look at the ticket prices not only of Deutsche Bahn, but also of the respective national railway company in the destination country, in order to potentially save money and make optimal use of their travel budget.