We land at the Munich airport at 9:30 a.m. on a Sunday.
Will we have enough time to get to the main Munich train station to catch an 11:28 a.m. train? We will have checked luggage we will have to get before traveling from the airport to Muenchen Hauptbahnhof. Also, what is the best way to get from the airport to the train station?
Thank you.
Your schedule would be a bit tight for my taste . Three choices - S 8 train to Hauptbahnhof , Airport Bus to Hauptbahnhof ( stops at Nordfriedhof , enroute ) Taxi . The length of time to disembark the plane and collect your luggage will impact your choice . S 8 train would be my first choice .
Will we have enough time to get to the main Munich train station to catch an 11:28 a.m. train?
That's barely sufficient. If everything goes smooth, you will arrive at the DB counter one hour after deboarding. Buying your ticket, going to the platform and average waiting time for the S-Bahn takes up another 10 min. at a minimum; the S-Bahn ride to the Hbf is 41 min (S8) or 46 min (S1), resp., transfer time to the main hall is 10 min. Under optimal circumstances you would arrive at the Hbf just a few minutes before your train leaves. A minimal delay of your plane or of luggage delivery will make collapse your schedule.
Please note: 1. a taxi never will be faster than the S-Bahn. 2. You could save some time by buying your train ticket in advance (internet or DB app) or from a ticket machine, but that will save a handful of minutes only. 3. Never buy a saver fare ticket based on such a tight schedule. Missing your train invalidates your ticket and you will loose most of your money.
Thank you for your quick replies. There is a 12:17 p.m. train that sounds like the better option. I appreciate your help.
The S8 (42 min) or S1 (47 min) S-Bahn trains run every 10 minutes from the airport to the train station. You can buy a ticket at a kiosk. That's what I would take. The S-Bahn clearly states the stop coming up next. Make sure you don't get off at Hauptbahnhof Ost station if you want to go to the main train station.
Make sure you don't get off at Hauptbahnhof Ost station
There is only one station in Munich called Hauptbahnhof. That is the main station, west of downtown. The east station is called München Ostbahnhof, or simply München Ost.
Excuse my confusion, but looking at the departure board for Munich Hbf, next Sunday, the only 11:28 train I see is an ICE to Dortmund via FRA and Köln. The only 12:17 train I see is an EC in the opposite direction, Klagenfurt via Salzburg. Where are you trying to go?
My biggest concern would be that if you are coming from the US, there is a likelihood that the plane will arrive too late to make even the 12:17 train.
Update: looking farther out on the calendar, I see, for May at 11:28, a RailJet to Budapest via Salzburg.
If you are going to Salzburg or beyond, the EC (but not the RailJet) stops on it's way out of Munich at Munich East (München Ost) Bahnhof, which is only 31 minutes from the airport on the S8.
Note, that in the MUC S-Bahn station, the S1 is shown as going to Ostbahnhof, because that is its final destination. But the S1 takes longer to get to Ost than the S8, which comes into Munich from the east side, stopping at Ostbahnhof, then going through town and to the west to its final destination.
Also looking at the routing for those two trains, the last common stop is at Salzburg, so you must be going to Salzburg or someplace closer. Instead of buying an expensive full fare ticket of one of those trains, or a risky Savings Fare ticket, just buy a Bayern-Ticket at the airport S-Bahn station, go to Ost, and board one of the hourly Meridian regional trains to Salzburg. It will only take about a half hour longer at most and you can take the next train out, no matter when you arrive.
We are flying from Atlanta, Georgia to Munich.
We then need to train from Munich to Salzburg.
The date is Sunday, April 16.
www.raileurope.com indicates the following options:
Never use RailEurope for schedules (or anything else). They don't show all of the trains, only the ones for which they want to sell tickets, usually the most expensive ones. Use the German Rail Schedule and Fare webpage.
BTW, 113 is an EC, not a RailJet.
There are Meridian trains leaving Ostbahnhof at 11:04 and 13:04, getting to Salzburg at 12:41 or 14:41. Fare for two people with a Bayern-Ticket (from an automat) is 31€, from the airport to Salzburg.
Do you recommend buying train tickets in advance, or just waiting until the day of?
There are our train options on April 16:
•12:17 p.m. - 2:09 p.m. (1h, 52m)
•12:55 p.m. - 2:41 p.m. (1h, 46m)
•1:28 p.m. - 2:58 p.m. (1h, 30m)
Do you recommend buying train tickets in advance
Unless you buy a Bayern-Ticket from the Bahn website, you'll just pay more. You can buy the Bayern-Ticket any time, right up to travel, for the same price. BTW, use an automat; they charge 2€ extra for counter purchase. You can purchase a Bayern-Ticket online from the Bahn website, but it will only be valid for the date specified and is non-refundable.
Lee,
Should I buy tickets from the airport to Salzburg? That is my preference. I'm just a bit confused...
I was thinking we would have to go to the main station and then train to Salzburg, but it sounds like Ostbahnhof is your recommendation.
it sounds like Ostbahnhof is your recommendation.
Yes. It's only 31 minutes from the airport to Ost, and the Meridian train (and the EC) stop at Ost about 10 minutes after they leave the Hbf, so you have a better chance of catching the train there. Also, Ost is a smaller Bahnhof; I think it is easier to make a change there (although the train only stops for a few minutes at Ost, so be prepared to get on when it arrives). Be sure to get on the S8 (it will say "Herrsching", or something else other than "Ost").
The S8 leaves the airport at :04, :24, and :44 after the hour. The :24 gets to Ost at :55, giving you 9 minutes to catch the Meridian train. Get off the S8 and find a tunnel. Go out to platform 8. One tunnel ends at 8, the other tunnel goes on to the other side of the station. If you take the :44 or :04, you'll have 29 or 49 minutes to make the change.
When I search for train tickets from Munich to Salzburg on the website you recommended, I do not see Ostbahnhof
as a departure Option, only Hauptbahnhof.
But you're recommending that once we land, we take the S-Bahn S8 rail link to Ostbahnhof, and then get on a train from there to Salzburg, correct? Can you help me find those Ost departure tickets?
The Bahn website is pretty good at understanding and accepting spellings in other languages, but here it seems to want only German. Type in "Muenchen" (an alternative spelling for München, the German name for Munich) and it will give you a list including München Hbf, München Pasing, and München Ost. Select München Ost.
Really, don't use RailEurope for these sort of train connection (or much of anything else). It is really worth it to learn how to use all the features of the DBahn website. It is also worth putting the 2 DB apps and the MVV app (for all of the MVV or local Munich and near Bavaria transportation). The great thing about those apps is you can get tickets on your smartphone and don't need to bother the ticket machines, and they speak English.
Of course, there are no reserved seats on regional trains, but that would not deter me. I've only seen two SRO regional trains in 15 years. One was a commuter train coming out of Hannover during evening rush hour. The other was on a big national holiday. Another crowded but not SRO train was coming into Munich on the day of the Fußball world championship in Munich in 2012. That would be the one advantage of starting at the Hbf instead of Ost, particularly if you could get to the Hbf well in advance of the departure while the train is boarding.
Thank you all for your incredibly helpful information.
When we land, we will take the S-Bahn S8 rail from Munich Airport to Ostbahnhof. That trip will be approximately 31 minutes.
Then we will train from Ostbahnhof to Salzburg at one of the following times, depending on when we arrive:
12:27 p.m. - 2:09 p.m. (1h, 42m)
1:04 p.m. - 2:41 p.m. (1h, 37m)
1:09 p.m. - 2:58 p.m. (1h, 49 m)
I have downloaded the app, and will plan on purchasing my tickets that day depending on how fast we are moving. Thank you!!!
The fare from Ostbahnhof to Salzburg if you purchase it on the day of arrival is 64€ for the 12:27 EC or 72€ for the 13:09 RJ. (Note, to take the RJ, which does not stop at Ost, you would have to take an S-Bahn from Ost to the Hbf to get it.). If you purchase the tickets as Muenchen Ostbahnhof to Salzburg, you will also need single trip tickets (S-Bahn) from the airport to Ost for 10,20€ per person.
If you buy the tickets from the airport S-Bahn station (enter "Muenchen Flug" and select "München Flughafen Terminal" from the list), the S-Bahn will be included and the ticket for S/EC will cost 74€, the S/RJ will cost 82€.
If you just purchase a Bayern-Ticket for 31€ before getting on the train at the airport, it will cover the S-Bahn to the Ostbahnhof or Hbf and the Meridian train to Salzburg.
Do you really want to spend more?
I think the Bayern-Ticket sounds great price and efficiency wise, but I'd like to buy tickets in advance. I'd also like to travel in first class.
And there are 4 of us traveling if that makes a difference.
there are 4 of us traveling if that makes a difference.
It could. Are there four adults (over 14) or two adults and their children under 15?
the Bayern-Ticket sounds great price and efficiency wise, but I'd like
to buy tickets in advance. I'd also like to travel in first class.
Americans have so many preconcieved notions about German train travel that just cause them to spend money unnecessarily.
I'd like to buy tickets in advance
This isn't a small aircraft. It's a train with many large cars. When you take the bus downtown, do you buy tickets weeks in advance? If you can commit to a specific express train in advance, certain advance purchase fares can be financially advantageous, but with regional trains, there is no advantage. I always buy tickets as I go.
I'd also like to travel in first class.
Another American misconception is that 2nd class is somehow inferior and degrading, just for low-class people. Both 1st and 2nd class cars get there at the same time. First class seats are 30% larger, but that doesn't matter unless you are morbidly obese. Second class seats are large enough, far larger than airline economy seats. If it makes a difference to you, Bayern-Tickets are available in 1st class, albeit more expensive.
On my first trip to Europe, the company paid for my train tickets, and bought me 1st class. For my 2nd trip, on my dime, I had a 2nd class rail pass and, frankly, couldn't tell the difference. After that, even when the company was paying, I only used 2nd class.
First class seats are 30% larger, but that doesn't matter unless you are morbidly obese. Second class seats are large enough
... and in regional trains like the Meridian to Salzburg they are exactly the same size as in 1th class. The diference of first class seats is the color and the availability of a small armrest. Very bad value for a 50% supplement. BTW, i never have seen a crowded Meridian at noun.
Use second class for the train trip. It is not worth the price difference. Since you are flying in, I would not purchase a train ticket before hand. I would buy a Bayern Ticket as has been suggested, it is 31 Euros. On our last trip to Europe, we lost the first day of our trip to a weather cancellation. It is an easy purchase at the rail station in the airport.
Thanks everyone.
When we land, we will buy a Bayern Ticket for 4 adults, covering the S-Bahn to the Ostbahnhof or Hauptbahnhof and the Meridian train to Salzburg. I suppose we will be able to tell which will work in our schedule / will be more efficient when we buy. Second-class it is.
We are also training Salzburg to Hallstatt and then Hallstatt to Austria and will also use the Bahn website to see what the schedule is in advance, but purchase the day of.
covering the S-Bahn to the Ostbahnhof or Hauptbahnhof and the Meridian train to Salzburg. I suppose we will be able to tell which will work in our schedule / will be more efficient when we buy.
Transferring at Munich East will always result in shorter travel times since trains originating in the Hbf have to go through that station as well. Just compare travel times by RailJet (no stop at M. East) with regional trains - the difference is just in the price. And with the Bayern ticket you are free to ride any regional train (S, RB, RE, Meridian) after 9am (no limitation on weekends), so you can change your schedule any time.
We are also training Salzburg to Hallstatt and then Hallstatt to
Austria [My emphasis]
Hallstatt is in Austria. Can you be more specific?
will also use the Bahn website to see what the schedule is in advance,
but purchase the day of.
A trip from Salzburg to Hallstatt involves a train, either express (RJ) or regional, to Attnang-Puchheim, followed by a regional train to Hallstatt. Using the express train to Attnang-Puchheim saves half an hour, max, and costs about $30 for one adult if purchased "day of". If you are willing to take the extra time, you can use an Einfach-Raus-Ticket (regional pass), 41€ for 4 people. It's valid for unlimited travel on regional trains all day (after 9 AM workdays).
Are you spending the night in Hallstatt or going on to "Austria" the same day? Depending on where you are going, regional trains might be too slow.
