Intercity hotels with free train travel

[LNW-GW Joint]

Is there one of these hotels that would allow me to get a train into Frankfurt and back, but is in one of the other nearby cities, e.g. Cologne?

Darmstadt or Mainz might work for Frankfurt.
There's one at the airport too.
They are all on the RMV network.
However the hotel site doesn't tell you how far the free ticket goes.
https://www.intercityhotel.com/en/hotels/all-hotels

 

[AnkleBoots]

In the VRR region I have found some more with the VRR ticket! Any recommendations welcome.

Bahn-Hotel, Karlstraße 74, Dusseldorf
Central Hotel Düsseldorf, Scheurenstraße 3, Dusseldorf
Concorde Hotel Ascot, Schönaustraße 15, Dusseldorf
City Loung Hotel Düsseldorf, Herzogstraße 93, Dusseldorf
Hotel Am Hofgarten, Arnoldstraße 5, Dusseldorf
Hotel Bismarck, Bismarckstraße 97, Dusseldorf
Hotel Beyer, Scheurenstraße 57, Dusseldorf
Hotel CVJM, Graf-Adolf-Straße 102, Dusseldorf
Hotel Haus am Zoo, Sybelstraße 21, Dusseldorf
Hotel Haus Hillesheim, Jahnstraße 19, Dusseldorf
Hotel Haus Litzbrück, Bahnhofstraße 33, Dusseldorf
Hotel Lessing, Volksgartenstraße 6, Dusseldorf
Hotel Garni, Witzelstraße 78, Dusseldorf
Hotel Petersburg, Jahnstraße 33a, Dusseldorf
Hotel Rheinischer Hof, Am Poth 2a, Dusseldorf
Hotel Rosenhof, Bahnhofstraße 2, Dusseldorf
Hotel Schumacher, Worringer Straße 55, Dusseldorf
Hotel Terminus, Am Wehrhahn 81-83, Dusseldorf
Hotel Waldesruh, Am Wald 6, Dusseldorf
InterCity Hotel Düsseldorf, Graf-Adolf-Straße 81-87, Dusseldorf
Karolinger Hotel, Karolingerstraße 104, Dusseldorf
Max Hotel Garni, Adersstraße 65, Dusseldorf
City Lounge Hotel DüsseldorfHerzogstraße 93, Dusseldorf
Waldhotel Unterbach, Rathelbeckstraße 319, Dusseldorf
Rheinischer Hof, Hedwigstr. 11, Essen
Mintrops Stadt Hotel, Margarethenhöhe Steile Str. 46, Essen
Hotel Alte Lohnhalle, Rotthauser Str. 40, Essen
Mintrops Landhotel Burgaltendorf, Schwarzensteinweg 81, Essen
Intercity Hotel, Hachestraße, Essen
City Hotel Essen Betriebs GmbH, Viehofer Platz, Essen
Parkhaus Hügel, Freiherr-vom-Stein-Str. 209, Essen

 

[DaiGog]

I can recommend the InterCity Hotels as being of a good standard. I also stayed in the CVJM at Düsseldorf a few years ago - decent enough, handy for the Hbf and quite cheap.

 

[Castle Cary]

I haven't been to the Isle of Wight for some time, but most hotels on the Island offered free Island travel cards when I was there.

 

[Martin S Heron]

In the VRR region I have found some more with the VRR ticket! Any recommendations welcome.

In 2014 I stayed at the Hotel Astor in Wuppertal for a couple of days (Schlossbleiche 4-6, Wuppertal) which had the VRR ticket. We used it to get to Köln, back to the airport at Düsseldorf when we left and of course on the Schwebebahn!

 

[sheff1]

I think the Dusseldorf IC Hotel is exceptional in offering a VRR ticket. I can't think of another that does:

IC Hotels in Essen & Gelsenkirchen both do.

 

[AnkleBoots]

Any thoughts on travelling beyond midnight after checking out (eg checkout 23 May 11am, still travelling on 24 May 2am)?

 

[Capybara]

Darmstadt or Mainz might work for Frankfurt.
There's one at the airport too.
They are all on the RMV network.
However the hotel site doesn't tell you how far the free ticket goes.
https://www.intercityhotel.com/en/hotels/all-hotels

I generally use InterCity hotels on my regular visits to Germany as they are decent hotels and, usually, within my price range. And, as it's a chain, you generally know what you are getting. But the local transport ticket is a major reason for using them as, apart from being free (though I'm sure it is factored into the room rate), you don't have to plan whether it's worth buying a day ticket or not while you are there. They generally leave a survey form in the room for you to complete about your stay and one of the questions that is asked is whether you've used the ticket. I always fill this in to show it is being used.

As has been said, the validity varies considerably, and I always ask when checking in, just so I'm clear. For example, I stayed in Bonn which is in NRW, but the ticket was only valid in Bonn itself. I was in Mainz at the weekend and the ticket was valid only in Mainz and Wiesbaden so not valid to Frankfurt.

Perhaps it would be informative if people could post validities on this thread as, again as has been said, they are not available on their website. I'll try and dig out my old tickets if I can find the time and put details here.

 

[AnkleBoots]

Perhaps it would be informative if people could post validities on this thread as, again as has been said, they are not available on their website

Good idea, there are 40 IntercityHotels and this is what has been established so far:

Augsburg ---------------------
Berlin Hauptbahnhof ---------- zones ABC
Berlin Ostbahnhof ------------ zones ABC
Berlin Brandenburg Airport --- zones ABC
Bonn ------------------------- "Region Bonn" covering Bonn, Königswinter, St Augustin, Bad Honnef, Siegburg
Braunschweig ----------------- Tariff zone 40, which is basically within the area covered by the tram network
Bremen ----------------------- Tariff Zones 100 and 101 which is basically all of Bremen
Celle ------------------------
Darmstadt --------------------
Dresden ---------------------- VVO area, except "bergbahnen". Large area of Saxony up to the Czech border.
Duisburg --------------------- VRR
Düsseldorf ------------------- VRR
Enschede ---------------------
Erfurt -----------------------
Essen ------------------------ VRR
Frankfurt --------------------
Frankfurt Airport ------------
Freiburg ---------------------
Gelsenkirchen ---------------- VRR
Göttingen --------------------
Hamburg Dammtor -------------- throughout the HVV area
Hamburg Hauptbahnhof --------- throughout the HVV area
Hamburg Altona --------------- throughout the HVV area
Hannover ---------------------
Ingolstadt -------------------
Kassel -----------------------
Kiel -------------------------
Leipzig ---------------------- Zone 110 which is, essentially, the whole of Leipzig but it also includes a trip to Leipzig/Halle airport on the day of departure
Magdeburg --------------------
Mainz ------------------------ Mainz and Wiesbaden
Mannheim ---------------------
München ----------------------
Nürnberg --------------------- Price Level A, Zones 100 and 200 Nürnberg/Fürth/Stein
Rostock ---------------------- Rostock and Warnemünde
Schwerin ---------------------
Stralsund -------------------- whole of Rügen (regional trains and buses)
Stuttgart --------------------
Ulm -------------------------- Tariff zones 10 and 20 which as far as I can see includes the extremes of the tram routes
Wien ------------------------- Zone 100 (city zone)
Wuppertal -------------------- VRR

 

[sheff1]

Perhaps it would be informative if people could post validities on this thread

Dusseldorf, Essen & Gelsenkirchen provide a ticket for the whole VRR area (i.e Price Category D).

I assume Duisburg & Wuppertal would do the same but have not confirmed that.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

In Vienna, the free ticket covers Zone 100 (city zone). Located near Westbahnhof.
In Dresden, it's valid for local travel throughout the VVO area, except "bergbahnen". This covers a very large area of Saxony up to the Czech border.
At Hamburg Altona (and presumably at the other 2 Hamburg IC hotels) it's valid throughout the HVV area.

I have yet to come across a hotel ticket which is in other than German, which makes some of the limitation descriptions a bit iffy in my limited German.
The Hamburg ticket, for instance, appears to include (einschl.) Express Buses and also 1st class.

 

[30907]

Stralsund (some years ago) included the whole of Rügen (regional trains and buses)

 

[Capybara]

Here we are:

Ulm - Tariff zones 10 and 20 which as far as I can see includes the extremes of the tram routes

Bonn - "Region Bonn" covering Bonn, Königswinter, St Augustin, Bad Honnef, Siegburg

Leipzig - Zone 110 which is, essentially, the whole of Leipzig but it also includes a trip to Leipzig/Halle airport on the day of departure

Braunschweig - Tariff zone 40, which is basically within the area covered by the tram network

Nürnberg - I can't find it right now but it covers Nürnberg and Fürth

Rostock - I can't find it right now but it covers Rostock and Warnemünde

Hamburg - as above

I've only seldom had ticket checks but the inspectors in Rostock knew what it was and had no problem with it. I had two checks in Mainz at the weekend by DB staff who examined the ticket closely and one implied he hadn't seen it before. Still need to find Augsburg and will post when I do.

 

[Capybara]

I have yet to come across a hotel ticket which is in other than German, which makes some of the limitation descriptions a bit iffy in my limited German.

Leipzig also does it in English (or did when I was there last year).

 

[D6700]

Nürnberg - I can't find it right now but it covers Nürnberg and Fürth

I can put some flesh on the bones of this one, as I stayed in the Nürnberg Intercity hotel earlier this week.

This ticket comes in the form of a sticker "VGN Hotelfahrkarte", which is added to your key-card holder.

It is valid for Price Level A, Zones 100 and 200 Nürnberg/Fürth/Stein - which is printed on the ticket.

No map was provided, but a simple map of the rail routes included is here:
http://www.vgn.de/media/schienennetz-nuernberg-fuerth.pdf
and a fuller map with all public transport:
http://www.vgn.de/media/stadtverkehr_nuernberg.pdf

I had read that you have to ask for the ticket at this hotel - and confirm that I had to do just that! Even when I asked for it, they asked me if I just needed just one day or both days...

 

[Capybara]

The sticker-on-the-room-card thing explains why I couldn't find my Nürnberg ticket. I recall it now, and also that I had to specifically ask for it. It seems a bit odd given that the group advertises free travel quite clearly on its website. I've been back to Braunschweig and Leipzig recently and have nothing more to add, other than that their hotels were of a better standard than others I stayed in elsewhere at similar prices.

 

[Capybara]

If we are still doing this, I was in Bremen at the weekend. The ticket is valid for Tariff Zones 100 and 101 which is basically all of Bremen. I used it extensively on the trams and was only checked once, with no problem.

 

[rg177]

Can someone confirm that it's still the case that Basel does the free travel- even in my case where i'm staying at an easyHotel?

 

[Mag_seven]

In CH it is normally mandatory and paid via the tourist tax.

That's odd because in all my stays in Switzerland I have never been offered one (not that it would really matter as in most cases I am in possession of a "Swiss Travel Pass" anyway.)

 

[bspahh]

Can someone confirm that it's still the case that Basel does the free travel- even in my case where i'm staying at an easyHotel?

It is.

https://www.easyhotel.com/hotels/switzerland/basel/101907 says

A free Mobility Ticket, enabling use on all public transport, is included in the price of your room.

If you have a printout of your hotel booking, then you can travel on public transport for free from your point of entry to the hotel (that could be from the airport, railway station or boundary of the zone with free transport). When you check in, you get the mobility card, which will be valid for the rest of your stay.

It used to be called the Mobility Card. It looks like it is now called the Basel Card. There are a few other freebies like WiFi access and one river trip.
https://www.basel.com/en/BaselCard has more details on that.

 

[jumble]

Darmstadt or Mainz might work for Frankfurt.
There's one at the airport too.
They are all on the RMV network.
However the hotel site doesn't tell you how far the free ticket goes.
https://www.intercityhotel.com/en/hotels/all-hotels

We stayed in Darmstadt Intercity in September
There is a Mackie D across the road and an Aldi in the town center 2 or 3 stops on the bus

It is a lovely city and we partook of the delights of the Steam engine on the tram tracks that I think is pretty unique.
The free pass which you do need to ask for is quite local
It is zone 40 which goes as far as the trams go except south of the delightfully named Frankenstein where the tram is quite interurban
One thing to be aware is that the Germans dont much like Cards
You cannot buy a ticket for the airport bus in the Transport office at Darmstadt station with card. Cash only !
The Airport bus to Frankfurt Airport is pricey but very fast
Regards
Jumble

 

[Capybara]

I've just been booking some accommodation and they now tell you precisely which travel ticket they provide, to the extent that the Nürnberg hotel states that you have to request your ticket (quite why this is the only place where you have to do this is another matter) and the Wuppertal hotel tells you that the ticket is valid on the Schwebebahn (as well as the whole of the VRR area).

 

[Bristolpaul]

Stayed in the Hotel Bismarck in Dusseldorf and Had a free VRR ticket for the duration of my stay. https://www.hotel-bismarck.de/preise-fruehstuck

 

[Birkonian]

Most hotels in Switzerland do, because it's legally required - there is a tourist tax that pays for[1] such a ticket in order to discourage car use. It's a great idea, I'd love to see it here at least in cities and national parks.

[1] Not full price, as it recognises most people either won't use it or will only use it in a very local area.

Not just hotels. My campsite in Bellinzona gave me a free one day bus pass for the local area.