Train Station names in Germany

The main station in Salzburg is the Salzburg hbf (Hauptbahnhof). The main station in Munich is the Muenchen hbf.

Moosinning is served by the MVV, the greater Munich transportation network. You can't get there on German national rail trains. You'll need to travel by S-Bahn (city rail), U-Bahn (subway), and/or bus. See the Journey Planner on the MVV site.

For general knowledge when traveling through German speaking countries:

Bahn = train

Haupt = main

Bahnhof = train station

Hauptbahnhof = main train station

This would be valid in any city or town.

Ignorant seems strong and arrogant to me, especially when we’re talking about average American tourists/travelers instead of intellectuals from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. I really don’t believe Nova or anyone else asking for assistance on the Helpline to be ignorant, moronic, or otherwise stupid for not being thoroughly studied in the German language.

There are many Rothenburgs in Germany so the suffix (ob der Tauber) is essential. Also note that the spelling "Fussen" won't get you to Füssen as "u" and "ü" are two completely different letters. You can, however, replace "ü" by typing "ue". Try it on the DB website and you'll see that "Fuessen" will take you to that town on the foothills of the Alps.

I agree with Andreas. Those dots over the vowels are not decorations. 'a' and 'ä' are two distinct vowels. It is just as correct (ie, not at all) to write 'u' for 'ä' as to write 'a'. However, ue does suffice for ü.

The Bahn website has recently been modified for the ignorant and now accepts Fussen for Fuessen, but you might not have as much luck with other towns.

Rothenburg odT, Fuessen, and Bacharach all have only regional train service and for the most part, you cannot buy those tickets online (except maybe for RailEurope, which will charge you too much). Just get those tickets at the station when you get there.

For travel by regional train (takes ½ hr longer than express trains for Salzburg to Munich) you can use a Bayern-Ticket. The Bayern-Ticket, for €28, gives you unlimited travel on regional trains in Bavaria all day long (after 9 AM workdays) for up to five people. Other German states (Laender) have similar offers. With the Bayern-Ticket you could travel, for example, from Salzburg to Munich and from Munich to Rothenburg or Fuessen.

C'mon Lee. Just because we don't speak/read/write Germaon doesn't mean we are ignorant. These are practical questions for those of us who are confused by names of German train stations. Those of you in the know are a great resource for the rest of us, and we really appreciate your input.

When I read Nova's question, I understood her question to mean something totally different. Maybe Nova can clarify. Nova, are you asking for specific names of the main stations in these specific cities? I.e., in planning our trip for Ireland, it has been completely frustrating, because for each town we're bussing or training it, there are multiple stations for the cities we are traveling to. Galway has multiple locations. So I had to research online to find which specific station was appropriate. I know when we were planning our trip to Germany, some of the towns had multiple destinations and if it didn't specifically state "hauptbahnhof", you didn't know which one to get off at... In Rome and Prague, there are multiple stations and we got off at the wrong one in Prague because we didn't know which one was right...

I agree: "ignorant" is an unfortunate word choice.

But the remarks themselves are correct: there is no "Fussen", but for example "Munster" and "Münster" are two different cities. So a little care with those pesky umlauts could avoid serious trouble...

And the river suffixes like "am Main" or "an der Oder" are just as important as the state suffixes in "Springfield, Missouri" and "Springfield, New Jersey".

Regarding the proper names of the train stations in Munich. There are three intercity stations: "München Hauptbahnhof", "Bahnhof München-Pasing", and "München Ostbahnhof" (or "Bahnhof München-Ost", which is the same station).

Hello,
Thank you all for the defense, I appreciate it and am sorry to say that I have in the past not asked certain questions on this forum because of the fear of seeming 'ignorant', but isn't that what these forums are for? help. Perhaps it was a bad choice of words on their part since it can be taken in different ways.

Let's move on.....Yes!! AMY you are right - that is exactly what I was asking - I plan my train route on DB and there are a multitude of stations to go to and from. I know now that Bacharach, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and Fussen all have only one station as I thought - I emailed my pensions and asked.

And since I'm staying in Erding outside of Munich there is another station or whistle stop...whatever.

So that leaves me with Salzburg and I think the main hbf will do since I will taxi to my B&B from there.

Munich...well I get into the hbf (tief) and then unfortunately have to walk 10 minutes to something else G1.27-36....parts of the station?? I would think - not big on walking with my luggage but in RS style I want to travel with only carry on.

I think I have my train schedules issues out of the way...unless I'm missing something...any suggestions are welcome and read all about DB in RS Back Door 09...I could kiss him!! makes me happy that book.

Thanks for all your help and I will post for my next question re: the KD line schedule.
later - nova

Nova,
"And since I'm staying in Erding outside of Munich there is another station or whistle stop...whatever."

Erding has a station on the S2 line of the Munich transit system.

"Munich...well I get into the hbf (tief) and then unfortunately have to walk 10 minutes to something else G1.27-36....parts of the station??"

"hbf (tief)" (= main station (underground)) is the transit station of the S2 line. Gl.27-36 means "track 27-36" and refers to the northern part of the proper (i.e. long distance) station.

Tracks (Gleise) 27-36 form what is called the Starnberger Fluegelbahnhof (Wing station), which is some tracks tacked onto the main part of the Bahnhof, on the north side. To get to it from the "tief" Bahnhof, you don't have to go into the main part of the track area. There is access directly from the mezzanine above the tief station to the Starnberger Bahnhof. Just look for signs. I don't think it will take all of 10 minutes.

Nova: It’s truly unfortunate that you’ve been hesitant to ask for assistance in the past because of the (real) potential for some critical attack of your knowledge of travel (of all things). This same angst has been shared by other new posters before, and it’s sad that one should feel this way when simply looking for a little advice for their upcoming vacation. The consequence, of course, is that you may never come back. The good news is that the vast majority of folks on the Helpline offer very good counsel in a cheerful and helpful manner. Some may have excellent information and offer reliable guidance time after time…it’s the delivery that needs a little work. I think all of us could do better by striving to remember the Golden Rule or similar ethic when replying to questions. Have a great time in Germany!

I never said that she was ignorant. That comment was more a response to someone who recently stated that, because the German Rail website now accepts Fussen and Nurnberg, it is acceptable to use those spellings. Ignoring umlauts is not acceptable, and deliberately ignoring them, which some posters have just done is an ethnic slur.

Would anyone here object to my referring to Lundon, Pairis, or Roam?

German Rail now accepts some misspelled geographic names; other websites might not. (Worse yet, on RailEurope you have to misspell the names of some European cities.)

Oh, good heavens! Lee's remark was perfectly appropriate and not directed at the OP. Writing place names accurately is a challenge on most Euro travel websites.

I’m not so sure about those pesky umlauts…here’s a thought-provoking BBC story (okay, it’s really ridiculous and a bunch of BS…talk about ethnic slur) regarding an American researcher who has studied the impact of pronouncing vowels with an umlaut on the collective national mood in Deutschland. As another academic pointed out, the Germans (or anyone else in the world for that matter) wouldn’t have these temperament issues if they would just become more like Americans. Here's the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/895503.stm

For the record, ignorant isn't (or shouldn't be considered as) a perjorative term. It simply means lacking in knowledge. I am ignorant of many things, but it doesn't mean I am incapable of learning. In fact, we are all born ignorant. Now if he had said ignoramuses, that would have been different. :-)

Yes, it is total BS. The first thing he should have done was to research how these vowels (gerundete Vorderzungevokale) are actually formed. He would have found out that there is nothing unique about their formation, it is simply a combination of the tongue position of e and i (our a and e) with the rounded lips we use with o and u. So, yes, they have a few more rounded lip vowels, but we have plenty of those, too.

He might also have found out that the Germans pronounce their e and i sounds with their lips more spread (more of a smile) than we do.

I have to admit I am ignorant of French and Italian (and have absolutely no intention of changing that), but you won't find me asking on this website how to get to Versigh or Chinka Terre. I had enough problems communicating in Brennero and Fortezza.

Lee, it's a case of bad reporting, not bad science: Prof. Myers response to the story

It reminds me of Stewart Lee's (in)famous "Lost in Translation" story...

Yeah, I kept searching BBC for an article on the research that explained just how the Swiss & Austrians managed to stay so happy when also suffering from the same ill effects of the umlaut.

C'mon now, Lee was spot on and very helpful! Janis' remarks were out of line!