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Rental Car pick-up in Munich: Train Station vs. Bus Station

Posted by on

Hello,

This forum is so great. Thank you to all the generous folks who give advice here. I've done a few posts on the Switzerland forum and now need some help with a rental car in Germany for our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids), so I'm coming to the experts.

We need to pick up a rental car in Munich, then drop it off in Munich 6 days later. After drop-off we'll be taking the train to Venice.

On July 30th, we can arrive in Munich by bus from Lucerne. Departing Lucerne at 10:35a and arriving Munich 3:29p. This was the most direct and shortest route with a change from train to bus in Zurich. For the Zurich change the bahn.com site says it's a 400M 12 minute walk. That scares me a little.

The other option was all train with 3 connections taking longer and was more expensive. This note scares me: "runs not every day, 14. Jun until 9. Sep 2018; not 19. Aug, 3. Sep "

So my questions:
1. Should I consider taking the all train route which is slower, more expensive and has more stops to make picking up and dropping off the car easier? (see question 2)

  1. In Munich I believe the bus station (ZOB) is 800M from the train station (HBF). It looks like a simple walk on the map. Should I try to pick up a car at the bus station, or is it better to walk to the train station and pick up a car there? Dropping off 6 days later at the train station would be more convenient for getting on the train to Venice. Can I pick up at the bus station and drop off at the train station without extra fees, and is that even worth considering?

  2. We will have the Swiss Half Fare cards for three of us. Is this the right selection for a discount with those: "CH - HalbtaxAbo (without RAILPLUS)"

Thanks in advance.

Posted by
21192 posts

I look at it like this. 800 m is 1/2 mile, a 10 minute walk for most people. If you took a train, you could find your self in the last car on the train and when you stepped off onto the platform, you could be as much as 400 m from the front of the station where the rental car desks are located.

You could go downstairs and take the S-Bahn one stop to the Hbf, but then you'd be underground and have to lake you way to the surface. Alternately, you could walk 150 m to the Hackerbruecke tram stop and take the tram 2 stops to the front of the Hbf.

800 m is such a borderline distance. Is it worth it to wait for a bus or tram and the minor expense of buying a ticket, as well as the actual process of buying a ticket, for just one or two stops? On the other hand, how much luggage are you toting? Its times like this that traveling light really pays off.

Posted by
268 posts

This note scares me: "runs not every day, 14. Jun until 9. Sep 2018; not 19. Aug, 3. Sep "

Ignore this note. It is for commuters who look up the connection once, but intend to use it every day. If you query for a certain date, all shown connections will run on that day. Unfortunately, the note is poorly worded.

Concerning the choice bus/train: Buses are usually far less comfortable than trains, and I would definitely prefer the train if there was just one more change, or if it just took a little longer. In your case, however, the difference is substantial. So this is one of the few cases in which I would take the bus. You have 21 minutes for the 12 minutes walk, and Swiss trains are quite reliable. Of course, you could also take an earlier train to Zürich, but I do not think this is necessary.

Posted by
6 posts

@Sam - Thank you. We'll each have a rolling carry-on sized bag and a small backpack. Unless it's raining, sounds like we can just walk to the train station. Sounds like picking up a car at the train station would be best. Are there rental agencies at the train station?

@chris-s - Thank you. You settled it for me. I will book the train\bus route.

To All: Is this the right selection to choose when booking with a Swiss Half Fare card: "CH - HalbtaxAbo (without RAILPLUS)"?

Posted by
2481 posts

Buses are usually far less comfortable than trains, and I would definitely prefer the train

So do I, but due to numerous construction sites on the direct line from Zürich via Lindau to Munich (at least two at a time) during this summer you have to take either a big detour (in the case quoted by the OP: via Mannheim, which is absurd) or to use two substitute busses. So for this summer the IC bus is the first choice.

Are there rental agencies at the train station?

Yes: Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, and Sixt. In the station, look for "Mietwagenzentrum" or ask at the DB info desk.

Posted by
268 posts

To All: Is this the right selection to choose when booking with a Swiss Half Fare card: "CH - HalbtaxAbo (without RAILPLUS)"?

Sounds right to me (Halbtax means half fare, and Railplus is an add-on for international travel which you might not have - though it is included in German Bahncards), but I am not an expert for the Swiss booking site.

Posted by
21192 posts

Unless it's raining, sounds like we can just walk to the train station

If it is raining, you can take the S-Bahn, but you do have to walk outside for at least a bit. There is a walkway on Level 1 (above ground level) of the ZOB on the west end that goes to the actual Hackerbruecke, then two spans of the bridge to the S-Bahn tracks down to the above-ground S-Bahn station on a stairway. There is also an elevator there. The train from there goes underground to the Hauptbahnhof, where there are escalators and elevators up to the Hauptbahnhof. Cost for 5 short-trip tickets is 1.50 EUR each. Kids under 15 can technically save a dime with a child ticket, but why bother. Kids under 6 are free.

Here is what it looks like.
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.1423492,11.5488281,3a,90y,16.11h,78.04t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipNccFT9MHbBl5qhpVAcABBC21Tm5p6Xn_hmdQRn!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNccFT9MHbBl5qhpVAcABBC21Tm5p6Xn_hmdQRn%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya125.26362-ro-0-fo100!7i7168!8i3584

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