Technical article

Where Being Over 60 Pays Less: Germany, Hungary and Malta

They have heard that older people pay less in Europe.

By Neil Solomon · 5 min read

Picture a couple named Ruth and Paul. Both are 67. They like to travel by train and bus, and they do not want to drive. They have heard that older people pay less in Europe. They want to know where that is true, and for what.

I looked at official pages for Germany, Hungary and Malta. The answer is different in each, and in one case it is that the pages show no older-person rate.

What the pages say

Hungary

The state railway (MÁV Group) lists its discounts for domestic travel. The page says it is valid from 15 April 2026. Under discounts by age, it lists a person over 65 as entitled to a free ticket ("díjmentes"). The proof is an identity document, and the page says this applies "regardless of citizenship" ("állampolgárságtól függetlenül"). Paraphrase: the right begins on the passenger's birthday.

For city transport, the Budapest transport centre (BKK) says in its pages that a person over 65 travels free regardless of citizenship and legal status, and that an identity document, passport, card-format driving licence or similar document is needed (BKK, read 11 October 2026, through a search extract of the pages). The rail page does not say whether the free ticket covers every type of train.

Malta

The older scheme gave free buses to people 70 and over. The Government of Malta's page says the 70-and-over group was covered "until 30th September 2022". From 1 October 2022, free travel applied to "all citizens and residents in Malta and Gozo who hold a personalized Tallinja Card."

So in Malta an older person gets the same treatment as everyone else who lives there. The operator's fare page, last modified 20 July 2026, says holders of a personalised tallinja card travel free on "all Day Routes, Night Routes, and Special Services across Malta and Gozo." The same page lists cash fares for people without a card: EUR 2.00 for a day route in winter, EUR 2.50 in summer, and EUR 3.00 for night and special services. The summer dates on that page refer to 2025, so I would check the current fare.

The government page says free card applications closed at the end of February 2024. The operator's personalised card page (last modified 26 June 2025) lists an Adult card for "customers aged 17 and over, and not falling into any other category." It also lists a concession card for holders of the Kartanzjan or the Maltese 60+ ID card "residing in Malta." A Government of Malta page (no date shown) says the card is for use "whether the person using the card is a Maltese National or a foreigner." Neither page says whether a non-resident or a newly arrived retiree can get a card, and neither mentions a residence document.

Germany

The Federal Government's Deutschlandticket page (dated 1 May 2026) says: "Seit Januar 2026 kostet es monatlich 63 Euro." That is EUR 63 a month. The page names a student ticket at 60 percent of the price. It also says the federal states may fund extra discounts for trainees, pupils or social tickets. It does not mention a discount for older people.

I also read the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin pages. The standard discount is 50 percent, for groups such as students, apprentices and people with a severe disability. Older people are not listed. Children and young people up to 18 get in free.

That is two pages from one country. Germany has many regions, cities and museums, and I cannot say none of them has an older-person rate. I only say that these pages did not show one.

What is left open

• Whether a retiree from abroad in Malta can get a personalised tallinja card, and what proof of residence is asked. Both card pages leave it open, so ask the operator before you plan around it.
• A German fare for older people from a regional transport body or a museum other than those above. Ask the local transport body.
• Any discount outside transport and the Berlin museums, for all three countries.