getting from airport to train station

Hi Betty,

Take the following: Munchen Flaghafen Terminal-to-Munchen Ost-to-Salzburg Hbf which will be 2 1/2 hours. It leaves every ten minutes from the terminal & hourly from the next stop.

The only trains at the Munich Airport are S-Bahn (local commuter trains). Lines S-1 and S-8 serve the airport. Either one will take you from the airport to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) downtown in about 45 minutes -- S-1 via a route that skirts the west side of town, and S-8 goes around the east side.

Jean is correct - S-8 takes you to the Ostbahnhof (east-side train station) more quickly, and you can catch the train to Salzburg there.

You can catch S-Bahn at the lower-level station below the airport's central covered plaza. Just look for the round green 'S' sign for the escalator to take you down to the trains.

An Airport-City-Day ticket is € 12 for a single traveler, or € 22,30 for a group of from two to five travelers.

Thanks, Jean and Jeff. So do I buy a ticket at the airport into town to the Ostbahnhoff station and then buy one to Salzburg after I'm at the Ostbahnhoff station? Is it possible to buy ONE ticket that will get me from the airport to Salzburg?

You should be able to buy a single ticket from the red DB kiosks covering the whole journey. There is also a staffed DB customer service desk in the terminal, though there is a small additional fee for purchases there.

Hi Betty-
I believe you can purchase a Bayern ticket for 2 folks at the Munich airport for 28 €. This will allow you to take either S-bahn (S1 or S8) into Munich then transfer to a regional train at the main Bahnhof or the Ost Bahnhof to continue on to Salzburg. The regional train takes a few minutes longer than one of the high speed trains to go from Munich to Salzburg. The Bayern ticket is not valid before 9 AM during the week.

Have a good trip!!!

Thanks, Kenneth. Where at the airport would I get the Bayern ticket? Would this be easier (to find, to access trains) than the S-bahn?

You can purchase the Bayern-Ticket from the red DB automated kiosks in the airport terminal or downstairs at the S-Bahn platform; or at the staffed DB desk in Terminal 2, Level 3 or Munich Airport Center, Level 3. The automated kiosks accepted US mag stripe credit cards as of my last visit there in August 2014.

For more information about the Bayern-Ticket see the DB website here; click on "Conditions". More good information here.

As Jeff said, just follow the green 'S' signs to the S-Bahn platform. There is a bank of kiosks at the base of the escalator to the platform. The first option when you start using the kiosk is to select language so you can use it in English. You can pay with Euros cash or with a credit card. Depending on when you arrive (after 9:00am) you can just purchase the "Bayern Ticket". It is a regional pass good for all local/regional trains in Bavaria and including Salzburg for a single day from 9:00am until 3:00am the following morning. Make sure you write your name on the ticket and validate it at a punch station before getting on the first train.

Here's a little more info: http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/prices/germany/laender-ticket.shtml

Every Bayern-Ticket I've ever bought had the validity date already printed on it and did not have to be validated (it was also too wide to go in the cancelling machine). Some ticket machines (U-Bahn and trams, I think) might print a narrower, undated ticket that does have to be cancelled. You can tell because it will have the words, "Hier entwerten", with arrows on the end to be inserted in the machine.

The Bayern-Ticket will have a line on which one person, who will always be with the group, needs to print (blockschrift) his name. This is to prevent you from selling the ticket to someone else after you have used it.

Single trip tickets for the Munich metro district do have to be cancelled.

Thanks everyone--these details really help. But I'm confused as to whether I should get a Bayern ticket or a regular one. Not sure what the advantage of the Bayern is for a solo traveler. I should probably go the fastest way as i will have just arrived from Seattle--a long trip as you other West-Coasters know!

"I'm confused as to whether I should get a Bayern ticket or a regular one."

If you buy a "regular ticket" (full fare), the trip from the airport to Salzburg will take about 2¼ hours, depending on arrival and connecting times. It will cost 41€ by RailJet, 37€ by EC, or 34€ by regional train (RE).

If you buy a ticket well in advance (up to 92 days) on the Bahn website, you could get a ticket for the fastest trains for 19€. That tickets would be non-refundable, train specific (not a good idea when arriving on a trans-Atlantic flight).

If you use a Bayern-Ticket, the time is about the same and it will cost you 23€. You can't use the Bayern-Ticket until 9 AM on a work day.

Seems pretty simple.