VRR Tickets Advice

Hi,

I%26#39;m travelling to the World Cup next year with two friends and my son (he%26#39;ll be 13).

Can you tell me the cheapest way to get around on the trains in the VRR region? We%26#39;ll be based in Dusseldorf and attending games in Gelsenkirchen (x2), Dortmund and Cologne.

Would be it be best to buy a Schonertag ticket (zone C) each day or to purchase a 7tageticket (zone C)?

Also is the 7tageticket price per person or can a group travel on it?

Also as Cologne is just outside the VRR boundary will we have to pay any extra? Or will our match ticket entitle us to free travel around Cologne?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice you can give.

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The World cup tickets actually entitle you to free travel on matchdays within the boundry!

Since Dusseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund are within the VRR boundry, you can go between Dusseldorf and Dortmund and Dusseldorf and Gelsenkirchen and back for free on matchdays and even until 10 a.m. next morning ;-).

For the trip between Dusseldorf and Cologne you just need a ticket from Dusseldorf to Langenfeld and back which is the first station of the Cologne Fare Region called VRS. You don%26#39;t have to change trains. From and within Cologne main Station you can use yout matchticket.

Hope you%26#39;ll enjoy the WC, Dusseldorf (where I live) is a good choice for the nights, it won%26#39;t take you longer than 1 hour to either one of the three games and I guess there will be a lot of people in town during the cup.

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Düsseldorf to Gelsenkirche or Dortmund (or anywhere else inside the VRR area)

vrr.de/images/verbundgebiet-VRR_1200_6201.gif

GruppenTicket Zone C EUR 26,00

The 7TagesTicket is not listed anymore on the German pages of the VRR. Thus I guess it does not exist anymore.

Düsseldorf to Cologne

There is a special tariff covering the neighbouring zones of the VRR and VRS (VRR/VRS Übergangstarif).

vrr.de/Uploads/…VRR_VRS_broschuere-2005.pdf

See map on page 3, prices (column 5ü) on page 6)

TagesTicket 5 Personen RegioTicket 5ü EUR 19,60

(this ticket has the restriction that it is valid on weekdays (Mo-Fr) only past 9am)

SchönerTagTicket (HappyDayTicket) NRW

railroad map North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)

www.nahverkehr.nrw.de/oelcms/ocx2.exe?GF=5

Nice if you want to travel beyond the validity of the above tickets to other places in NRW. E.g. to Münster, Aachen, Bonn.

SchönerTagTicket 5 Personen NRW EUR 27,00

(this ticket has also the restriction that it is valid on weekdays (Mo-Fr) only past 9am)

Any of this ticket is good for all local public transport in the covered area:

- local trains: RegionalBahn RB and RegionalExpress RE

- S-Bahn

- U-Bahn/Stadtbahn

- trams

- buses

Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket (Happy-Weekend-Ticket) EUR 30,00

This ticket covers all local trains (S-Bahn, RB, RE, IRE) in Germany. Valid either on a Saturday or Sunday. Covers also all other local public transport in the VRR and VRS areas. But NOT generally everywhere.

Nice for a trip e.g. to the Middle Rhine Valley

http://www.talderloreley.de/index.en.php

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For planning use the DB timetable

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e

and select as means of transport %26quot;only local transport%26quot; if you want to use one of the above mini group day tickets.

The DB timetable can give you connections to any train/tram/bus stop in Germany.

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Düsseldorf to Gelsenkirchen or Dortmund stadiums.

The entrance tickets cover the trip to the stadiums and back from anywhere inside the VRR area.

No information for Düsseldorf to Cologne stadium. Mostlikely the ticket will cover only trips inside the VRS area - thus not from Düsseldorf.

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Thanks folks that%26#39;s just the ticket! Ouch!

Hope you enjoy the World Cup, I know I%26#39;m going to.

Amazing that a match ticket entitles you to free transport throughout the whole VRR region. I must admit I thought it would only be valid for transport within the boundaries of the host city.

Thanks once again.

Jimmy