Getting around Germany during the World Cup

For England fans planning on going to the football World Cup 2006 in Germany, getting around during the tournament will be a key consideration.

One option for moving between the cities of Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Cologne where England play their initial matches, is the train.

And to celebrate the World Cup coming to Germany, the German national train operator, Deutsche Bahn, has launched a range of special tickets.

For World Cup ticketholders, Deutsche Bahn is offering the World Champions Pass (Welmeister-Pass), which for a flat fee entitles you to travel on all rail connections throughout Germany for the duration of the tournament.

It costs 349 euros for a standard class ticket and 549 euros for a first-class ticket, both of which are valid between the World Cup opening match on June 7th 2006 and the World Cup final on July 11th 2006.

For those not lucky enough to have a ticket to a World Cup match, Deutsche Bahn is offering the World Champions Ticket (Weltmeister-Ticket).

Its pricing structure is based on Germany's previous World Cup wins, which to the chagrin of England fans, means there are three different options.

For 54 euros, (based on the 1954 victory in Switzerland), you can travel up to 200 km; for 74 euros (from the 1974 win in Munich) you can travel up to 350km; while a ticket for all distances over 350km will cost 90 euros (remembering, most painfully for England fans, Germany's 1990 victory in Italy).

For further information on Deutsche Bahn tickets see www.bahn.co.uk

An alternative to taking the train, is travelling around by road. But rather than hiring a car, a good option is hiring a motorhome.

A motorhome has the same flexibility that a car offers, but also takes care of your accommodation.

Motorhome Bookers is offering a five per cent discount on certain early bookings, so it is worth checking out its website at www.motorhomebookers.com or calling 020 7193 2873.

For further information on the World Cup 2006 see Travelbite’s Guide to England's World cup 2006 cities