just needing a refresher on train tickets for Germany. We will need tickets on Dec. 9 from Passau to Nuremburg AND Dec. 13 from Nuremburg to Munich. Are these tickets we need to buy in advance for a discount, or on the day of when we get to the station?
Thanks!!
Answer depends on how fast and conveniently you want to travel.
But first, your travel date of Dec 9 just happens to be the date of the seasonal schedule change, so you can't buy tickets for a while until the schedule is finalized and published, maybe in September or October. Same for the Nuremberg-Munich trip.
Passau to Munich can be done with a direct ICE train that goes every 2 hours (at least at present) and takes 1 hour and 53 minutes. You can buy Sparpreis tickets many months in advance which can be as low as 19.90 EUR per person. They are train specific, meaning you must travel on the exact train you booked on that day, like an airline ticket. You can get a refund up to the day before by paying a 19 EUR fee. You buy the tickets on-line and print at home, or load them on your smart phone with the DB app.
Now if you can take a slower train, with a change or two along the way, you can use regional trains to get to Nuremberg. Dec 9 is a Sunday, so there is no time restriction and you can use a Bayern Ticket for 25 EUR for the 1st person and 6 EUR for each additional person up to 5 people traveling together. It will take 3 to 4 hours because the train make a lot of stops, plus train changes. But you are not obligated to any itinerary. As long as you stick to regional trains, you can go anywhere in Bavaria. So if you decided to say, stop in Regensburg for a few hours, you can do it. Added bonus, when you get to Nuremberg, it is valid on the U-Bahn, trams, and city buses for the rest of the day.
You buy these tickets out of a vending machine at the station. If you go to the ticket window, it costs 2 EUR more. Write all the names of the travelers on the back of the ticket in ink.
Same situation for Nuremberg to Munich, choice of ICE in just over an hour, or regional train in about 2 or 3 hours. Dec 13 is a Thursday, so you must travel after 9 am with a Bayern Ticket.
Dec. 9: Trip takes 2 hours on the fast ICE train. You'll pay €85/2 at the station or maybe around half that if you pin down train times and pre-purchase a saver fare well in advance.
The easier thing to do is not worry about tickets until the day of travel and get a Bayern Ticket day pass (€31/2) at the station. With this day pass you can ride the somewhat slower regional trains at any hour. The Bayern ticket is valid on bus, tram and subway transportation within Nuremberg as well.
It's the same sort of option for Dec. 12. (But since it's a weekday, the Bayern Ticket is good only from 9 am onward.) The regional trains take under 2 hours in some cases. The fast trains (pre-book for savings or buy at station on day of travel) will be faster (about 1 hour +) but typically cost much more at the station; pre-purchased "saver fares" on the fast trains are closer in price to the Bayern Ticket price sometimes, but you must ride the exact trains at the time you specify at time of purchase - and they don't allow you on the public transport devices within Munich.
