To Travel For Free This Summer, Follow These Steps

Be fast if you want one of the sixty thousand complimentary train tickets to use toward a trip around France or Germany.

 

The announcement is for people under the age of 27 who want to visit the two countries this summer, as 60,000 free rail tickets will be made accessible to young people.

Clément Beaune and Volker Wissing, the transport ministers of the two nations, unveiled the train program earlier this year and are currently accepting applications. As a way to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Elysée Treaty, the program's primary objective is to promote tourism and foster cultural contact between the countries.

Beaune further noted that the project is in accordance with France's climate targets and is meant to encourage more youngsters to ride the train. Deutsche Bahn and SNCF, two major national train companies, will provide financial backing for the plan.

Young people will be able to use the free passes similarly to an Interrail pass, taking the train to the other nation and then exploring it at their leisure. Those under the age of 27 who are residents of France or Germany may apply, and if they are selected, they will be allowed to choose a week in which to go.

First-come, first-served is how the tickets will be distributed. The pass may be used for trips between July 1 and December 31 of 2023.

You may use the ticket to go anywhere you choose inside the other nation. Moreover, there's no need to use the same port of entry and exit. Nevertheless, keep in mind that the tickets do not apply to domestic travel inside your own country.

The ticket may be used on any train in Germany, including the high-speed ICE trains. A seat reservation, however, may cost an additional €4. To guarantee a seat on a TGV train bound for France, you must do so in person at an SNCF station. You may also take a regional train over the border and save yourself the booking charge.

Several new railway lines connecting France and Germany are in the works. Wissing and Beaune also revealed that in 2024, a new TGV rail line would begin operating, connecting Paris and Berlin. At the moment, passengers wishing to travel between the two capitals must transfer at a third station, such as Cologne or Frankfurt. The new high-speed connection would cut travel time to around seven hours. In addition, later this year a night train will run between the cities.

The transportation ministers have said that the additional lines are only the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at uniting the two nations' train systems.

 

Source: euronews.com