Germany might not be the most expensive country for smokers – but Poland is definitely cheaper. You can save roughly 50% on buying there instead buying in Berlin. And from Berlin, Poland is close: Here I will tell you how to get there in a 3-hours-round-trip!
The ticket
We will go by train to Frankfurt/Oder and then by bus to Słubice, Poland. Which ticket to buy highly depends on what ticket you already you have and how many people of you are going. The best price per person you will get with a group of 5, using the Brandenburg-Berlin-Ticket*.
| Ticket to buy | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person, having no other ticket | Day ticket 5555 Berlin – 6073 Slubice | 19,20 EUR |
| 1 person, having already Berlin ABC (students!) | Day ticket 5762 Fangschleuse – 6073 Slubice | 16,40 EUR |
| 2-5 people, having no other ticket | Brandenburg-Berlin-Ticket | 29 EUR (=5,80 EUR per person) |
Get any of these tickets at a ticket machine – or the Brandenburg-Berlin-Ticket* online.
The trip
The following connection works every hour – even on weekends! (Some minutes may vary though, better check the online timetable before your trip.)
Getting there
| RE 1 to Frankfurt/Oder, get on at any stop | |
| Berlin Zoologischer Garten | 18:15 |
| Berlin Hauptbahnhof | 18:21 |
| Berlin Friedrichstraße | 18:25 |
| Berlin Alexanderplatz | 18:28 |
| Berlin Ostbahnhof | 18:33 |
| Frankfurt/Oder | 19:26 |
| Bus 983 to Słubice, Poland | |
| Frankfurt/Oder Bahnhof | 19:40 |
| Słubice, Collegium Polonicum (first stop after the bridge) | 19:48 |
Returning to Berlin
| Bus 983 to Frankfurt/Oder Bahnhof (station) | |
| Słubice, Plac Frankfurcki (different stop than the one we arrived!) | 20:09 |
| Frankfurt/Oder Bahnhof | 20:18 |
| RE 1 to Brandenburg | |
| Frankfurt/Oder | 20:33 |
| Berlin Ostbahnhof | 20:26 |
| Berlin Alexanderplatz | 21:32 |
| Berlin Friedrichstraße | 21:35 |
| Berlin Hauptbahnhof | 21:39 |
| Berlin Zoologischer Garten | 21:45 |
The cigarette stores
Right after the border, you will find a massive number of shops selling cigarettes. Choose any you like, the shops differ less by prices but more by variety.
- The bus stop where you arrive
- Some bigger cigarette stores (opened 24h)
- The bus stop where you depart
At the shops, you can also pay in Euro (the Polish currency is still złoty). The shops calculate their prices daily based on the exchange rate and show them on LED panels outside, like gas stations the fuel price.
The math
Let’s see how much we can save. By law, one person is allowed to carry 800 cigarettes when passing an inner EU border. That is 4 cartons of cigarettes (each carton having 10 packages).
| 1 carton | 4 cartons (1 person) | 20 cartons (5 people) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galouises, bought in Germany | 53 EUR | 212 EUR | 1060 EUR |
| Galouises, bought in Poland | 28 EUR | 112 EUR | 560 EUR |
| Ticket | 19,20 EUR | 29 EUR | |
| Saved: | 80,80 EUR | 471 EUR |
As you see, going with many people not only saves some of the fare but does also make the trip much more profitable.
Bring your ID / passport
Although Poland is part of the Schengen Area where no regular border control occurs anymore, some sporadic checks still happen – so better carry your identity card or passport to avoid any hassle.
That’s it! If you know anything better than I wrote in this article, feel free to comment below. 🙂
Links marked with a star (*) are affiliate links. If you click on such a link and then shop or order something, we will receive a commission for your purchase with which we can cover our expenses and keep the site free of ads. This does not change the price for you.
And a little catch: The Brandenburg-Berlin-Ticket is only valid after 9 am – but I guess that’s not a big problem.
