Overview of Travel

 

For patients coming from outside of Germany, there is a common travel path that patients can follow. There are variations to this depending upon what suits individual needs and schedules.

1) Fly into Frankfurt Main Airport (airport code FRA).

2) Take Intercity Express Train (ICE) from airport train station to the city of Weimar. This is about a 3 hour trip.

3) From Weimar train station take a taxi to a hotel or to the Zentralklinik in Bad Berka. This is about a 25-30  minute trip depending upon traffic. It is possible to take a train from Weimar to Bad Berka. See Below.

You can also rent a car at the Frankfurt Airport that will combine steps 2 and 3.

 

Air Travel to and from United States

The following airlines have direct flights to Frankfort from an airport in the United States:

United/Continental

Delta

US Airways

American Airlines

Lufthansa

 

Train Travel in Germany

Train travel in Germany is done on the Deutsche Bahn system. Tickets can be purchased at train stations or ahead of time over the Internet. Click here for the English web site.

Since Frankfurt is the recommended starting point for travel to Bad Berka, this train information will be provided from that perspective.

If you fly into Frankfurt, getting to the train station is relatively easy. Once you have cleared passport control start to look for signs to the Airport Hauptbahnhof (train station). Depending upon what airline you arrived on, this could be a long walk. The Frankfurt Airport Rail station is located across the street from Terminal 1.

FRA

The fastest connection by train is to take an Intercity Express Train (ICE) from the airport station to Weimar (Thur) Hauptbahnhof. There are other trains from the airport to Weimar, but generally these are Regional Trains (RE) that take longer to make the trip.

When booking a ticket on an ICE train, you have two seating options; second class and first class. Second class seating is less expense, usually has less comfort space and storage space for pieces of luggage is more limited. The first class seats give several seating options, such as being seated at a table or in more airline-like seats. It is more expensive, but provides a little more comfort room and a little more space for luggage. Luggage space near a seat is generally limited, so traveling light is your best option.

If you select first class seating you can request a specific seat, if such is available. You can do this online as well as at a station ticket counter.

 

Train from Weimar to Bad Berka: It is possible to take a train all the way into Bad Berka from Weimar. Check the Deutsche Bahn schedule from Weimar to Bad Berka. When buying online you can get the additional ticket to Bad Berka for about 3 Euros. When you arrive from Frankfurt in Weimar you can usually go to the platform directly across from where you arrive and catch the small regional train to Bad Berka. You should check the train schedule board to make sure of your platform, track and time. These can change. This can save you 30 Euros each way – the price of a one-way taxi ride.

 

Getting Around In Country

If you rent a car while in Germany, then you will have no problem getting around from your hotel to the Zentralklinik. If you like driving in fast moving traffic then renting a car may work for you. Otherwise, the next best thing is to take a taxi cab to your destination. If you arrive in Weimar by train then you can easily get a taxi outside the railway station that will take you to Bad Berka. In general, taxi cabs are more easily found in the larger city of Weimar.

In Bad Berka you are better off to arrange for a cab well in advance of when you need to leave for a destination. If you need to leave your hotel for an early morning appointment at the Zentralklinik, then make the reservation the night before.

If you are at the Zentralklinik and need a taxi, go to the Reception Desk in the front lobby and ask someone at the desk to call a taxi. At that desk they have the numbers for several taxi services. Our experience has been that taxi cabs are sometimes more difficult to get in the early evening – say from 6pm to 8pm.

The best advice is to plan ahead. One tip to consider if you plan to use taxi cabs is to print the addresses of destinations on small pieces of paper to be handed to cab drivers. Addresses for your hotel, the Zentralklinik, and the Weimar train station will be helpful if you do not have an English-speaking cab driver.

Money

If at all possible the patient should try to purchase some Euros before making the trip to Germany. Most U.S. banks have a foreign currency office/department through which U.S. dollars can be exchanged for Euros. A suggested amount to carry with you to Germany is around 2-300 Euros. If you will be purchasing things like train tickets to Weimar, for example, then that amount would have to be substantially increased. You will also need some Euros to pay for small items like food, drink and taxi transportation as you travel to Bad Berka. Note that taxi fare from Weimar to Bad Berka is from 30-35 Euros.

If you are flying in to the Frankfurt airport there are currency exchange booths as well as ATM machines located at many places there. You will also find an ATM machine at the Zentralklinik.

Credit cards can also be used to purchase most anything, but if you are using an American credit card then there most likely will be a foreign currency transaction fee charged. This can be from 2 to 3% of the total value of charges over a $300 US value. Several credit cards offer no foreign transaction fees including Capital One Credit Card for a list of most issuers click here. You may also want to consider a credit card with a smart chip from Chase as smart chip are required for more and more credit card transactions.

The first thing that a patient must do when checking in to the Zentraklinik is to pay for the treatment ahead of time. Go to this section about treatment finances. Some patients prefer to do a wire transfer of money to the Zentralklinik prior to even going to Bad Berka while other patients make this payment at the time of check in. This payment can be made by credit card at the time of check-in. Since the cost of the treatment in U.S. dollars is substantial, it makes sense to use a credit card that does not charge the foreign transaction fee.