Deutsche Bahn has offered its Familienticket permanently since 1 November: €99.99 for a return journey on long-distance trains for up to five people, seat reservations included. Booking opened on 26 October. What families should know before they click.
Who can travel – and how many?
According to bahn.de there are two combinations: one adult with up to four children, or two adults with up to three children. Children are anyone up to 14, adults anyone from 15. At least one child has to travel; the ticket cannot be used by adults alone. The group need not be related, so a grandparent, an aunt or a family friend can come along. When searching for a connection you must add at least one child, otherwise the offer does not show up.
What does it cost, and what is included?
On long-distance trains only (ICE, IC, EC, second class) a single journey costs €59.99 and a return €99.99. If a regional train is needed at either end, the prices rise to €81.99 and €143.99; a City-Ticket is not included. Seat reservations for up to five travellers are part of the price, and you can pick seats in the family or toddler area. The ticket is tied to specific trains. You can book on bahn.de, in the DB Navigator app or at a staffed counter, up to two days before travel.
Is it actually worth it?
Not automatically. Children up to 14 already travel free on long-distance trains when accompanied by someone aged 15 or over. Finanztip’s example: if two adults each pay €60 for a return, the Familienticket saves just over €20 – more on longer routes with high regular fares. Stiftung Warentest tested a family of four (children aged 8 and 11, out on Friday, back on Sunday) on routes such as Munich–Leipzig and Stuttgart–Frankfurt: the Familienticket was cheaper than Sparpreis fares at every booking point tested, and those fares ran from €117 to €429. Paying separately for five return reservations would cost €55 on its own.
It looks different on routes with regional trains. On Berlin–Chemnitz or Hannover–Kiel the regular price only matched it in one case, booked early. Anyone with a Deutschlandticket travels the regional part at no extra cost anyway, so the long-distance-only version is the better pick.
Where is the catch?
Quotas. The DB page says the offer is limited and may not be bookable on heavily used trains; DB told Stiftung Warentest there is no quota per train or route. The testers point to limited availability on popular connections, and one reader reported the ticket only appearing at unsuitable times on Mannheim–Berlin. For cancellations: up to the day before the first day of validity the ticket can be converted into a €10 voucher. DB names no end date, and according to Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla the prices are to stay unchanged.
Our assessment: for weekend trips and holidays on longer routes that run entirely by long-distance train, it is a good deal – especially for single parents with two or three children and for families who need reservations anyway. For short trips or regional journeys, compare with Sparpreis and the Deutschlandticket. This is an editorial judgement, not a price promise: fares in the booking system change daily.
Background: DB first offered the ticket only for the 2026 summer holidays. Palla told “Bild am Sonntag” that “100,000 more families than last year” had travelled with DB, so the ticket would be added to the range “permanently”.
Sources: bahn.de, DB-Newsblog, Stiftung Warentest, Finanztip, ZDFheute
