Bayern Ticket - Munich & Fussen??

Like I said, you probably will have to pay for bus from Füssen Bahnhof to Hohenschwangau; I don't believe it will be covered. It is not included in the List of Benefits for Germany for Eurail pass. I think the German Rail pass might have been accepted on the bus when I was at Neuschwanstein in 1988, but that was then, and it was the German Rail pass, not Eurail. I don't see the bus listed now on Eurail. The Romantic Road Eurobus is listed as giving a 20% discount.

But, like I said, the fare on the regular bus from Füssen to Hohenschwangau is nominal.

I guess you are saying you already have some kind of rail pass, like a Eurail or German Rail pass? That pass will at least get you to the Füssen Bahnhof. It might also cover your bus from the Füssen Bahnhof to Hohenschwangau, but I don't think so. Nowhere in the online offerings of DB or Eurail does it say that is does. But if it doesn't, the fare for the bus will be nominal (€2-€3, RT). That is all you should need for transportation.

Unless you have a Global (consecutive days) pass, you should consider using a Bayern-Ticket (that's the "group pass", except it's been 27EURO for more than a year). If you don't already have the pass, you might consider one day less and use the Bayern-Ticket instead.

We'll be purchasing a global pass so we'll use that. I guess admission to the castle(s) is all we have to pay for.

thanks for the help!

When I researched this for our trip I was told that the bus would be covered the same that we use our rail pass.

I meant to write ".. the same day that we use the rail pass".

I'm not sure that you want to burn a day on your rail pass. It might be more economical to buy the Bayern ticket...it's currently 29 Euro and good for all public transit within Bavaria for the day. You can begin travel at 9am. (after the rush hour) That includes everything (trains, busses, metro) except IC and ICE trains.

"When I researched this for our trip I was told that the bus would be covered the same day that we use our rail pass".

Diane, you researched this? Where? You were told? By whom? Please show me where I am wrong. I would like to believe that the railpass covers the bus, but I find nothing online that says it does.

Tom, the Bayern-Ticket is €27 when purchased at a DB automat. It is only €29 if purchased at a ticket counter, with "personal service".

You really need to get a map of the area. Google maps are good, because they come with a satellite view. You can see the castles, the bus stop, and the train station. If you go to www.Bayern-Takt.de and select "Englische Version", you can get station plans including Google maps and satellite views.

Both castles, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein are in the village of Hohenschwangau, about 10 minutes from the train station. You get to Hohenschwangau from the Füssen Bahnhof by taking the bus, so you will need to buy the ticket BEFORE seeing any castles. The bus lets you off in Hohenschwangau just down the street from the kiosk where they sell the tickets to the castles. I'm sure other people from the bus will be going there too. As I remember, there is a counter just for English, or at least non-German, speaking visitors. After seeing the castles, go back to the bus stop and take the bus to the Bahnhof.

I seem to remember that in 1988 my German Rail pass covered the bus to Hohenschwangau, but that was then and it was not a Eurail pass, but try it. Show your Eurail pass to the driver and see if he takes it. And let us know. He might let you ride even if the bus isn't covered just to be nice, particularly if he doesn't speak English and can't explain why the bus isn't covered.

There are trains leaving the Munich Hbf at 7:51, 8:52, and 9:51, from the Starnberger Flügelbahnhof, Gleis (=tracks) 27-36. The Starnberger Flügelbahnhof (wing station) is just outside the main shed area of the station on the north side. If you arrive on the S-Bahn, there is a direct set of stairs (or escalator) from the S-Bahn station, or you can get to it from the middle of the platform of track 26. It's really not this complicated; I'm just trying to give you every detail.

The RVO website says nothing about their accepting the Eurail or German Rail pass.

And they do have a section where they tell about the Bahn Offers that they do accept. Follow the links: Tarife und Fahrkarten -> Fahrkarten -> Bahnangebote.

Note also that the Happy-Weekend-Ticket is not recognized on the buses of the RVO - "Das Schöne[s]-Wochenende-Ticket
... wird in den Bussen der RVO und RVA nicht anerkannt", but the Bayern-Ticket is recognised on most RVO lines.

OK so let me recap to make sure i've got this right - this rail stuff seems so easy at times, and others way too complicated haha...

we'll take the train from Munich to Fussen. We'll pay for the guided tour of Ludwig's Castle.

From there we'll buy a buss ticket that will take us to the other castle, and it will bring us back to Fussen? Or is there some way that we can go straight to Munich?

I'm trying to make this a day trip, leave around 8-9am and return around dinner.

thoughts? I do know that our global pass will allow us not to purchase the Bayern ticket but only the guided tour and the shuttle buss.