Train ticket reservation question

You are not bound to a specific S-Bahn. Just make sure you get one to make your Saver ticket to Nuremberg, you are bound to that one.
Its called Vor-und-Nachlauf in German. You can take any regional trains (S-Bahns included) before and after your EC, IC, ICE leg. And you don't really have a reservation, you have a ticket good for that specific ICE train. Unless you bought bought a 1st class ticket, you don't have a seat reservation. Just the right to be on the train. Seat reservations cost an extra 4.50 EUR.

Hi Sam, thanks for the quick reply! I actually did buy a 1st class ticket with reservation; I just left that part out of my original post. My apologies.

But the Saver Fare ticket is only valid for the ICE shown on the ticket. You are probably planning on taking the last connectable S-Bahn to Munich Hbf which would give you about 10 minutes to make the change there. You can't take a later S-Bahn or you'll miss the ICE and the ticket for that segment will be invalid. You could take and earlier S-Bahn, but you couldn't take and earlier ICE, so you'll still get to Nürnberg at the same time.

The only advantage to taking a different (earlier) S-Bahn would be having more time at the Hbf to catch the ICE, which is a good distance away for a 10 minute connection.

Assuming will be arriving at MUC on a flight, have you allowed for a late flight arrival? It is generally not advisable to plan to use a Saver Fare ticket immediately upon your arrival at the airport. If the flight is late, you'll lose the ticket, unless you leave a large buffer time to allow for a late flight. In the latter case, you would probably get to Nürnberg just as guickly using a slower regional train and a 25€ Bayern-Ticket. With a Bayern-Ticket, you could take a 20 minute bus ride from the airport to Freising Bhf (they run every 20 minutes) and take a regional train(s) from Freising to Nürnberg.

Hi Lee, thanks for your reply. I do understand I am bound to the ICE train on my ticket. Our flight is set to arrive at 9:50, and the ICE train on the ticket departs the Hbf at 14:50. I know delays can be for any length of time, but after thinking about it for a while, I felt that was enough of a gap that is worth the risk (for the price I paid). The suggested S-bahn tram is indeed the one that arrives shortly before the ICE train departs. I asked my question to determine if I'd be able to go into the city earlier in case we are able to leave the airport earlier.

... if I'd be able to go into the city earlier in case we are able to leave the airport earlier.

By all means, do. You should have plenty of time. You might want to get lunch. There is a food court in the Hbf just off the end of the tracks in the main shed as well as restaurants nearby.

By the way, I don't think you will find the "Vor- und Nachlauf" (before and after travel) provision described anywhere on the Bahn website, certainly not in the English part. It is in the AGB (Conditions of Carriage) of the Bahn, which is only in German. It is also mentioned on the pdf ticket that you received by email, but that is also in German. You can take any regional train after midnight on the designated day or until 10 AM the following day.

Kalen, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, and if you get to spend time in downtown before heading to Nürnberg, then the extra time cushion you planned could work out well, but for others planning a similar trip after arriving by plane at the airport, by the time you wait that extra time before using a Savings Fare ticket, you could get there by regional train and probably save money in the process. The 14:50 S/ICE connection gets you to Nürnberg at a few minutes before 5 PM. There are regional trains leaving Freising Bahnhof every hour at 8 minutes past the hour. If the flight gets into MUC on time, you would have over two hours to go through passport, get your luggage, and take the bus that leaves from outside Terminal 2 every 20 minutes and catch the 12:08 RE to Nürnberg. That train gets to Nürnberg at 14:23, hours before the ICE. The Bayern-Ticket includes the bus and, for a single person at 25€, is a little more than the lowest priced Savings Fare ticket, but at 31€ for two people, it is the least expensive way.

This should have been printed on the upper left of your "Online Ticket":

Gültigkeit: (date)

GILT NUR FÜR EINGETRAGENE ZÜGE / TAGE / ZEITEN (ZUGBINDUNG); NV =
NAHVERKEHRSZÜGE VOR / NACH FERNVERKEHRSZÜGEN; GILT JE FAHRT
MAX. 1 TAG BIS FOLGETAG 10 UHR

Translation,
Validity: (date)

Valid only for the designated trains / days / times (train binding); regional transport =
regional trains before / after long distance trains; valid per trip maximum 1 day until the following day at 10. AM.

You're right, it does. My German is still very limited, so I didn't comprehend that text on my own. Thanks for pointing that out.

As to your other points, I agree that it would make sense to use regional trains to save money, and we plan on doing so the rest of our trip. In the area of the US where we live, we don't really have mass transit, and so I wanted to experience an ICE train at least once. I know it's probably not remarkably different from the RE trains, but it's just something we wanted to do.

I wanted to experience an ICE train at least once

Careful. You might get addicted. I think using a transit system that is so much unlike what we have at home is part of the fun German (European) experience.

As for the ICEs, they are so smooth it is hard to believe they are going as fast as they are. My first trip on an ICE was from Karlsruhe to FRA, and I remember we went through small stations so fast I couldn't read the name on the sign hanging in the station. Most of the time, however, they can't use their top speed because of too many curves in the track or slower trains in front of them on a crowded line. Some of the modern double-deck REs are pretty nice too, although there are still some pretty ratty regional trains, particularly RBs on minor lines.

Most of the time, however, they can't use their top speed because of too many curves in the track

That's true, but between Munich and Nuremberg they can run up to 270 kmh. Landscapewise, however, Frankfurt - Cologne offers a better experience and even better will be the new Nuremberg - Erfurt line, which goes into operation next sunday (and the ICE can run up to 300 kmh there).

Hi,

If you want to ride the ICE routes, focus on the riding the trunk lines. On most of my train routes on a trip in Germany I take the ICE.