Train to Landsberg

Landsberg (Lech), Bahnhof Landsberg a. Lech, and Bahnhof/ZOB are all the same place, and that's what you want. ZOB (Zentral Omnibus Bahnhof) is simple the bus slips in front of the train station.

1) You have no choice in which Paris station you get the long-distance train from - you will be leaving from Paris Gare de l'Est (sometimes simply "Paris Est"). You will get the Metro from your hotel to Est but you won't be able to book that journey at the same time.

2) The rail websites will not suggest an itinerary that is impossible if the trains run to time. If there is a five minute transfer time it will probably be at a smaller station that has only two to four platforms. If your train is late and you miss one then, if you booked the whole itinerary in one go, your ticket will be valid for the next train to the same destination.

3) All those sites are reputable but it's possible that the prices may be different depending on booking fees and how the discount tickets were shared out. There is no difference in what service you get on the train depending on what site you use.

What awesome guidance. Thank you.

Let me ask, too, should I buy the tickets now before we leave for Europe? We will be leaving Paris for Landsberg on July 1st. Do prices change like they donor airfares?

Yes, prices go up. Actually, the "walk-up" price is set, then they release a certain number of tickets for deep discount, then a certain number for an OK discount. When all these discount tickets are sold out, then only the "walk-up" priced tickets are available. The discount tickets are train-specific, like airline tickets. If you buy from Deutsche Bahn, you can change the ticket or get a refund up to the day before departure paying a 19 EUR fee. For a ticket change, you do need to pay the added fare for the cost of what a new ticket would cost on that day.

For instance, I see a ticket bought today is 59.90 EUR per person, where as the Flex Price (walk-up fare) is 150 EUR per person. So yes, you'll save a ton buying now.

July 1 is not a scheduled strike day, so that will not be an issue, but the last leg is a train replacement bus, so there must be some track work scheduled that day.

Sam, thank you for your information. Can you tell me what you meant by “ the last leg is a train replacement bus” and how does that effect what I do at the station.
Also, I mistakenly write July 1st and I meant July 5th. Is that a strike day? How would I know and what does that mean. They only strike on certain days and work the others?
Additionally,we are taking the Eurostar on July 1st from London to Paris. Does the same hold true regarding ticket prices for the Eurostar?

Lastly, do we need to reserve a seat in any of these trains or is that not necessary? There are 4 of us traveling.
Thanks so much for everyone’s help

Eurostar ticket prices work the same way and the cheap ones tend to run out fast at busy times. If you are travelling in early July I would open a new browser window RIGHT NOW AS YOU READ THIS and book the tickets.

If you book a ticket on Eurostar and French long-distance trains you will automatically get a seat reservation. In Germany things are more complex: reservations are available on ICE, EC, or IC long-distance trains at extra cost and it's up to you how much you care about sitting together.. Shorter distance RE and RB trains, which your final legs will probably be on, do not offer reservations.

Philip, I wish I had spoken to you earlier. I took your advice and got on to book my eurostar and wanted to cry when I saw how much the price had changed. When I originally saw it, it was like 69 or something like that. I just paid over 200/person. I am SO upset for not realizing to do it early. Thank you for telling me to go do it now.

Certain days have already been designated as strike days, usually in pairs, ie two consecutive days are strike days. Other days are not listed as strike days.

On the strike days there are most definitely trains running. It is not work stoppage, say re TGV, say 3 out of 5 are running, or pertaining to regional trains one out of 4. Whether your train is running is another story.

You want Landsberg am Lech. To get oriented in German train stations in regards to transferring trains, the best bet is to be alert, listen for the instructions given as the train is pulling in telling you on which track to change to which train, and follow the signs diligently. I don't use google at all for this. Transferring in Mannheim, Stuttgart and Augsburg is not a big deal. The worst is Hamburg Hbf given the crowds and the staircases up and down.