Kassel lies in the middle of Europe
Germany lies right in the middle of Europe; Kassel is practically in the middle of Germany. Could there be a more perfect location for travelling?!?! There are many cheap options when it comes to travelling around Kassel, throughout Germany, or to other countries in Europe.
The German Train System (Deutsche Bahn) has some really great deals for getting around Germany and Europe. For these and general information, including timetables, check out their website at www.dbahn.de. Click on the link "International Guests" for English.
Special Tip: To see what Germany has to offer tourists - from scenic routes to theme parks - check out the German National Tourist Board website at: www.germany-tourism.de
Semester Ticket
Thanks to the Student Government, AStA, every matriculated student at the University of Kassel receives a semester-ticket. The semester-ticket allows you to ride on all the trams and busses in Kassel for free (well, almost…. You actually pay for the semester-ticket when you pay your university social fees).
You also get to go anywhere in the NVV (North Hessen Transportation Association) Zone by RE and RB and S-bahn trains for free!!!! This is perfect if you want to go to Göttingen or explore the little towns and villages near Kassel.
If you are going further than the NVV zone, show your semester-ticket anyway! That way you only have to pay from the end of the NVV zone to your destination.
For a map of the NVV zone, go to the NVV office in the KurfürstenGalerie or look online, under www.nvv.de, click on Fahrplan & Netz.
Hessen Ticket and Schönes Wochenende Ticket
The Hessen Ticket allows you and 4 other people to travel anywhere in Hessen on the RB or RE trains for only 29 Euro. Included in that price is use of street cars, trams, and busses anywhere in Hessen.
The Hessen Ticket is good for one whole day and can be used as many times as you want! During the week, the ticket can be used from 9 am until 3 am the following day and on weekends or holidays, from midnight until 3am the following day.
The Schönes Wochenende Ticket, or Weekend Ticket, is even better. For 33 Euro, you and 4 of your closest friends can travel anywhere in Germany on the slow trains. Anywhere in Germany !
Weekend tickets can only be used on Saturday and Sunday, from midnight until 3 am the next morning and are only good on the day of purchase.
Special Price: Bahncard
If you plan on doing a lot of train travelling, the Bahncard 50 might not be a bad idea. With the Bahncard 50, you get 50% off all train fare even with the fast ICE trains. No matter where you want to go in Germany, you get 50% off.
If you buy RailPlus, you also get a rebate on trips outside of Germany.
The Bahncard 50 costs about 106 Euro for students.
There is also a Bahncard 25 which gives you 25% off all train fares in Germany. It costs about 53 Euro. Applications can be picked up at the train station.
Flights within Europe
Sick of travelling by train? Rather be travelling high in the clouds? You're in luck then. There are a lot of airports in the area and a number of cheap airlines. Most of the small airports are located further outside the city but are by no means impossible to reach.You will be amazed at the number of places you can fly to for relatively cheap: Dublin, London, Budapest, Prague, Paris, Instanbul, just to name a few!!! Here are some links to cheap airlines and the closest airports to Kassel.
Easy Jet
www.easyjet.com (Dortmund, Köln/Bonn, Hamburg)
Wizzair
wizzair.com (Dortmund, Frankfurt-Hahn)
German Wings
www.germanwings.com (Düsseldorf, Köln-Bonn, Hamburg)
Ryan Air
www.ryanair.com (Berlin Schönefeld, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt-Hahn, Hamburg)