German Public Transport

Travelling with dogs on public transport in Germany has a sort of interesting bureaucratic charm to it. In most European countries, there is a fairly simple system: dogs either travel for free or there is a low cost dog ticket. Not so the case in Germany, for that would be too easy - depending on the context they can be classified as dog, child, or adult ;-).

Local Trips in Berlin

While there are some German cities where dogs can travel free of charge, that is not the rule and definitely not the case in Berlin. Dedicated dog tickets do not exist in Berlin and a size-based rule applies: if they are travelling in a carrier, small dogs (and other pets) may travel free of charge. On the contrary, dogs not travelling in a carrier must be leashed, wear a muzzle, and need a reduced fare ticket. However, if you already have a time-based ticket (day, weekly, monthly, or yearly ticket) you may bring dogs with you at no extra cost.

While you may see people with unmuzzled dogs on the S-Bahn or U-Bahn, buses are much stricter and the driver can refuse to let you on unless your dog is wearing a muzzle!

Long Distance Travel

It should first of all be said that travelling nationally within Germany or across Europe is in principle only possible using trains, ferries, and planes. There are very few long distance coach or bus lines that allow dogs (or other pets), with the exception of replacement services for obstructed train lines. Minivans and minibuses in Eastern Europe are hit or miss and depend largely on the sentiments of the driver.

Europe by Train

If you have a small pet that can fit into a portable carrier, it can travel at no extra cost. For anything bigger (in most cases this is only applicable to dogs), you will need a separate ticket. As mentioned above, in many European countries the dog fare is quite cheap compared to human tickets and in some countries, particularly in Northern Europe, they can even travel for free. German railway operators in contrast (for intercity travel within or for international trips originating from Germany), charge 50% of adult fare.

Deutsche Bahn a.k.a the German National Railway

Until recently (February 2023), purchasing a dog ticket in Germany was both an expensive and frustrating experience. It is now possible to buy a ticket for your dog online This new system is also currently only available in German.

Dog Ticket Pricing

Dogs can be classified either as unaccompanied minors or adult passengers. How can that be? Well, they are never counted as accompanying children, because with many types of tickets this would mean that they could travel for free (and transport companies certainly don't want that). On the other hand, they can be included on tickets that are meant for groups of adults such as the Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket or other regional varieties.