We’ve kind of been debating going from Munich to Frankfurt in order for cheaper/more available flights out of Germany. However, the relatively short train between Munich and Germany seems super expensive? Like 240 euros for 2 people for a reasonable time slot? (Arriving at like 2am in Frankfurt can be had for 70-80 euros each it seems)
Is this usual? I could have sworn that’s almost as much as I paid from Berlin to Amsterdam
If you are flying on a Star Alliance carrier you might want to look into booking on Lufthansa Rail+Fly option. They roll the price of the ICE into your plane ticket and I want to say it is usually no extra cost. (just checking now on Lufthansa for a mid week in Oct it is actually cheaper with the train, weird but no one said airline tickets make sense!)
The rail code is ZMU, so look for that when booking.
DJ
What site have you been looking at?
When do you plan to travel?
On -- https://www.bahn.com/ --- I see fares for tomorrow June 17 between 60-80 euro
Looking 3 weeks out, as little as 20 euro will get you a ticket
I see you say you want to get from Munich to Frankfurt in order to get cheaper flights out of Germany. So. I would assume you are going to be staying in Munich and will be able to commit to a specific train to Frankfurt. That is exactly what you need to do to take advantage of the lowest "Savings Fare" tickets (as suggested by Joe) on German Rail.
Those Savings Fare tickets are specific to just one train (date and time). The tickets are fully or partially non-refundable, non-exchangeable, so if you miss that specific train, your ticket are worthless. So for people arriving by trans-Atlantic flights, due to the possibility of a delayed flight arrival, I do not recommend Savings Fare tickets. However, since you will already be in Munich and know you will be able to make that train, it's a good deal.
As for Rail & Fly, it's my understanding that the charge a flat fee of about 40€ for the rail segment, and it is an open ticket, valid for the planned day of arrival and the following day, on any train of the Bahn, including an ICE. It's not as inexpensive as a Savings Fare ticket, but has a lot less risk (almost none) and more flexibility.
When are you going? Because you can buy deeply discounted train tickets starting 60 days in advance of travel day on the DeutscheBahn website once you know the day you need a ticket for. I see Super Sparpreis tickets from Munich to Frankfurt on August 21, for example for €39.90.
www.bahn.de
