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When to Buy Train Tickets?

This may be a silly question, but I just want to check. We're traveling from Gimmelwald, Switzerland to Fussen, Germany in one day. We have a Swiss pass that we will use for the first part of the journey. It seems our train goes from Zurich to Buchloe which I believe is in Germany. So do we buy our German tickets from Buchloe to Fussen in Zurich? Or get them in Buchloe? I don't see anything addressing buying tickets when you cross into other countries on the website. TIA!

Posted by
19171 posts

The direct train from Buchloe, Germany, to Füssen is a regional train. There is no price advantage to buying tickets in advance, but you can on the Bahn website. Price is 13,30€/adult.

However, you can purchase tickets on the Bahn website from Lauterbrunnen all the way to Füssen. Advance purchase tickets start at 39€.

Posted by
8889 posts

Amanda,
If you are using a Swiss pass for the first part of your journey (from Mürren, Gimmelwald doesn't have a station) that is valid up to the last stop in Switzerland. You will need to buy a ticket from there to Füssen.
If you go to www.bahn.de or www.sbb.ch, and click on the train number it will show you all the stops for that train. For example, for the train from Zürich:

Train EC 195
Halt Ankunft Abfahrt Gleis

Zürich HB - 13:16 14
Zürich Flughafen 13:28 1
Winterthur 13:41 13:42 4
St. Gallen(CH) 14:18 14:19 1
St. Margrethen 14:40 14:42 2 <-- Last station in Switzerland
Bregenz 14:53 14:55 3
Lindau Hbf 15:05 15:12 2
Memmingen 16:13 16:15 3
Buchloe 16:41 16:43 3
München Hbf 17:28 - 23

St. Margrethen is the last station in Switzerland. Bregenz is in Austria and Lindau and everything thereafter is in Germany. Click here for a validity map for the Swiss pass, St. Margrethen is in the top right corner of Switzerland, followed by Bregenz and Lindau.
So your Swiss pass is valid up to St. Margrethen, and you need to buy a ticket from St. Margrethen to Füssen. You can buy this ticket ahead of time on the Swiss or German railways websites

Posted by
330 posts

Great info! Tks a lot! So if we buy tickets from St. Margrethen to Fussen from home through the DBahn site, then that day we don't get off the train that day? We just show our tickets and we can pass straight through to Fussen?

Posted by
11294 posts

"So if we buy tickets from St. Margrethen to Fussen from home through the DBahn site, then that day we don't get off the train that day? We just show our tickets and we can pass straight through to Fussen? "

Yes. When the conductor comes around to check tickets, you show your Swiss Pass while in Switzerland, and your ticket while in Austria or Germany (and don't worry if you show both to each conductor - they'll understand).

Posted by
19171 posts

You can buy the ticket for St. Margrethen to Füssen from German Rail. It uses an EC to Buchloe via Bregenz and Lindau, then a regional train to Füssen. With sufficient advance purchase, the cost is 19€/pers. Full fare is 48€/pers. Be ready to get off in Buchloe. There is a 5 minute, 1 platform (meaning you'll use the tunnel) change. If you miss that train to Füssen, it's an hours wait until the next one, but your ticket will be valid on any regional train to Füssen that day.