I am day tripping from Munich to Rothenburg ODT. I would like to spend as much time in Rothenburg as possible, so, ideally, I would like to leave Munich around 8:00 am. I plan on taking trains/buses, but not a tour bus. I have spent a long time researching how to do this best, but I still feel unsure/get confused by some of the information. What I do know. There is a Sparpreis ticket that I can purchase that will save me money and allow me to take the ICE from Munich to Nuremberg before 9:00 am. The Bayern-ticket will not allow me to travel before 9:00 am. What I am confused about. Do I physically purchase the Sparpreis ticket at the train station in Munich, or should I book my ticket online first at DB Bahn? Once I arrive in Nuremberg, what is the best way to get to Rothenburg and will the Bayern ticket work? Do I have to book these trains/regional buses in advanced, or should I just show up before they leave and try to get on with Bayern or Sparpreis ticket I purchased? In general, I am just confused on how these tickets work. Additionally, there will be a total of 5 of us, which I understand is a good number since many tickets allow a small added fee up to 5 people. Thank you for your help!!
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Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Sparpreis tickets must be purchase at least 3 days in advance of travel, but the lowest prices sell out soon after they are released 92 days in advance, so you should purchase them early from the Bahn website. The lowest Sparpreis ticket from Munich to Rothenburg is 29€ for the first person. Each additional "cotraveler" ( Mitfahrer) is at least 20€ each, so the best price for 5 people would be 109€. It's not true that the Bayern-Ticket will not allow you to travel before 9 AM; you just can't use it for travel before 9 on a workday. For instance, the RB that leaves Munich at 8:28, gets to Reichertshausen at 8:59 and leaves there at 9:00. If you want to use a Bayern-Ticket (38€ for 5) after Reichertshausen, buy point-point tickets from Munich to Reichertshausen, at 7,60€ per adult and use the Bayern-Ticket from Reichertshausen on. That might take an hour longer than using the ICE to Nürnberg, but it would cost, at most, 76€, and you could buy the tickets just before travel.