Trains, trains and more trains….and bonus for itinerary suggestions

May 16: Munich airport group ticket. 29.60 EUR covers 2 to 5 people traveling together. Take the S-1 train from the airport to Marienplatz and walk to hotel. Tell us where the hotel is exactly and maybe you can get closer. Buy the ticket ate the airport train station from a vending machine with a credit card.

May 19: Buy a Group Tageskarte for 18.40 EUR. will cover 2-5 people traveling from the city center to Dachau and back all day. Plus transportation to Munich Hbf.
Buy ticket from Munich Hbf now for trip to Vienna. Train departs at 3:29 pm to Vienna. Take this train because it is direct and costs only 39.80 EUR for 2 people. The earlier train requires a connection in Salzburg and costs 99.80 EUR for 2 people.

May 21. Take the early train to save money. Assume your price includes a seat reservation. Buy now, or wait a few days and look at Westbahn from the West Bahnhof.

May 26. Train from Salzburg to Wengen. Have you Hal Fare Car purchased before hand so you get a discount. Currently 218 CHF for 2 people with Half Fare Card.

May 27. Buy 6-day Berner Oberland Pass. 220 CHF per person.

Jungfraujoch will require supplement ticket. Only go if the weather is good. Schilthorn also requires supplement above Muerren. You get half fare.

June 1. Trip to Luzern covered by B-O Pass

All other trips use Half Fare Card. In Zurich, Half Fare also applies to public transport tickets.

In the countries you are intending to visit trains are considered mass transit. Tickets never ever sell out, so you can always go to the station, buy a ticket, and travel.
However, buying tickets in advance does often save money, as the railways offer advance purchase discounted tickets. Those are less flexible though. Also be aware that seat reservations are not automatically included.

I would therefore suggest that you do book the long sectors in advance. In your case that would be Munich to Vienna, Vienna to Salzburg, and Salzburg to Wengen. (Yes, you can book a through ticket all the way to Wengen...)

In this case you can book all three with the Austrian Railways -> www.oebb.at

All the other trips you can just buy when you are here.

Given what you are planning to do in Switzerland look in to buying the Swiss Half Fare Card. That will give you 50% off on all train tickets in Switzerland, and on al mountain railways.

Actually I have to correct something: On www.oebb.at you can get, if sufficiently booked in advance, a ticket for Salzburg - Lauterbrunnen for EURO 37,70. That is a special discounted ticket, on which the Swiss Half Fare Card does not apply. So you could just leave early in Salzburg, and then in Lauterbrunnen get the HFC and the BO pass at the station there.

Thank you Sam and WengenK!
So very helpful!
That helps me break this down into chunks.
Can I buy the Half fare card and BO pass in advance from the US after booking that great train fare from Salzburg to Lauterbrunnen?
Or do I need to purchase them there?
WengenK, any favorite hikes or restaurants in your home town?

Thanks again!
Brent

Sam, in Munich, we will stay at the Hilton Munich City on Rosenheimer Strasse

Hardly the Altstadt, but a great hotel. Get off the S-1 at Rosenheimer Platz. There might even be direct access from the station complex to the hotel like the Holiday Inn has.

Hi Greenbay or anyone who knows...Is that hotel NOT near the Alstadt? I thought it was advertised that way. Is there another Hilton property better located? I am using points. Thanks!I will add that topic in the Germany forum as well.

Yes, it is across the Isar River from the Altstadt, It is a good location, I stayed at the Holiday Inn just across the street a few years ago. Having the Rosenheimer Platz S-Bahn station right there is very convenient, especially coming from the airport on the S-1.

Both hotels bill themselves "Munich City Center", which is a little misleading. It is next to the new, modern, Gasteig Symphony Hall. I guess the area was planned as a cultural center when built. There are a few neighborhood restaurants around the corner.

You will need to use the S-Bahn to get to the Marienplatz, or Hbf. You will have a group LUS Day Ticket on your arrival day to get from the airport. That will get you around for the rest of the day, and you will a have a group M-1 Day Ticket for your last day to get to Dachau and back and get to the Hbf or Ostbahnhof. So you will need a group M Day Ticket for the middle day to get around town. Cost is 17 EUR from a ticket vending machine in the Rosenheimer Platz station. It is not a bad walk from Rosenheimer Platz to the real city center, which is what I would call the Marienplatz in front of the Neues Rathaus. But it is so convenient to ride the S-Bahn. The Glockenspiel show in the tower runs at 11 am, noon, and 6 pm, and a crowd of tourists gathers in the square to watch. Do not bet on the Austrian Knight! Its rigged!

We were in Munich this past April, and had trouble using our credit cards in the ticket machines, buying s-bahn tickets. The machines wanted a pin #. Lots of discussion here , many folks have this problem, and many did not,depending on credit card. Our solution was buying all tickets on the DB Navigatior app, which worked nicely. Also, the ticket machines don't like giving lots of change, when using cash, so don't use 20 euro notes, unless the total is close to that.
Have a great, obviously well-planned trip!

Also, there is a sale on various Swiss Travel Passes starting April 15. Not sure if that's to your advantage or not, but it's so convenient having the STP, and not having to buy tickets on the covered modes of transport. ( Boat and cogwheel to Mt Rigi completely covered by STP; also train , funicular, and open air Cabrio cable car to Mt. Stanserhorn. The latter is so much fun, and doesn't get mentioned in RS guide books. It's 45 min one way from the Lucerne train station, and a great way to view the sunset.)
Safe travels!