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Various Transit Pass Questions- Germany/Austria/Hungary

Hi All,

I'm heading out on a trip to Munich, Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest in a couple weeks and have some transit related questions please.

  1. Am I correct in thinking that both the Bayern ticket (including 1st class Bayern) and the Bratislava ticket can be purchased at kiosks at the main train stations? There's no validation needed for these, right?

  2. What is the exact name of the 15 day transit pass in Budapest? I'm looking to buy a paper pass at Keleti station upon arrival. Any validation needed with this one or do I just need to have it on me?

  3. In Vienna, I'm looking at the 7 day Vienna ticket online through Wien Mobil. I prefer paper tickets so I'm looking at purchasing online and printing the pdf. I read i need to validate these in the blue machines. Is that only one time and then it stays in my bag or is it every time?

  4. What's the best option for Salzburg? We're there 4 days with trips to Hellbrunn Palace and the Wolfgangsee area via bus 150. I'm thinking a standard pass wouldn't include that region. Can I buy it on the bus? How?

  5. For Munich, I'm only looking at a few trips on 1 day, so not sure a pass is needed. Is it simple to buy individual tickets and obvious how to validate them?

As you can probably tell, I'm quite nervous to do something wrong and end up paying a stiff fine like I've read about. Just trying to be as informed as possible.

I really appreciate any and all help.

Thank you,

PQ

Posted by
20087 posts

What is the exact name of the 15 day transit pass in Budapest? I'm
looking to buy a paper pass at Keleti station upon arrival. Any
validation needed with this one or do I just need to have it on me?

exact name: 15 Day Budapest Pass https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/prices/15-day-budapest-pass/

You just carry it on you and show it if requested by and inspector. At the metro they might be at the entrance or the exit while on the trams they get on and pull out arm bands and start checking. I see them maybe 1 in 6 or 8 times i get on a tram or enter the metro. Not real common. Remember if you are 65+ you need nothing but an ID with a photo and a birthdate.

To buy it at Keleti, you go to the front center of the station and down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs on your right is a BKK Service Center. They will sell it to you.

Posted by
21118 posts

As far as the Bayern Ticket is concerned, it can also be bought at most S-Bahn station kiosks. Not sure about U-Bahn stations.
It does not need to be validated as it is good only for the date printed on it. You do need to write the names of all the travelers in ink on the back of the ticket. Again, just show it if a ticket inspector asks.

Posted by
247 posts

Thanks to you both, very helpful. Hopefully someone else can chime in on the rest!

PQ

Posted by
20087 posts

As you can probably tell, I'm quite nervous to do something wrong and end up paying a stiff fine like I've read about. Just trying to be as informed as possible.

In Budapest the 15 day pass requires that it have on it a number off a matching picture ID. A US drivers license will work, or your passport or just about anything. To be honest, once having shown the pass to the inspectors, I have never seen one ask to see the ID, so leave it in your pocket unless they specifically ask for it.

Single tickets are a hassle and expensive. The hassle is the validating. You need to remember and sometimes you have to push your way up the asile to a machine. Then there is the getting it to work from time to time.

The BudapestGo app is fantastic, but you still have to validate by scanning a QR code at the door. Sometimes if its a busy tram that can be a hassle. You also have to scan at front door loading situations. Also a hassle. Paper is just so much easier. With a paper pass, almost no chance of violating a rule and paying a fine.

Posted by
4847 posts

Salzburg is so small you probably won't use mass transit at all. For your daytrip to the Wolfgangsee, just buy a ticket day of. We bought ours on the bus as it sat outside the train station, I guessed at what our trip would be and wasn't correct (I kinda knew that) so on the way back, I was summoned to the front and had to pay a small additional fee.

I bought our Bayern Pass to get to Munich at the train station day-of from a human, there was a small surcharge. As noted, be sure to write the passenger names in the spaces provided. He also gave me a handout I didn't understand until afterwards, if you're going from Salzburg to Munich airport you don't have to go all the way to Munich main station and then transfer, you can do the transfer at Munich Ost and save some time.