Trains in Germany

Kirsten, lots of questions.

Each of the trips from Munich can be done with a Bayern-Ticket. A Bayern-Ticket is an all day pass for regional trains in Bavaria. It costs €27 and covers all three of you, so it is only €9 per day each person. The only restrictions are after 9 AM on weekdays and you have to use regional trains. However, the trip to Salzburg (Salzburg Hbf is considered a border station and the ticket is valid to there) takes only a half hour longer via regional trains than by express. I think there are only regional trains to GaP anyway, and regional might be faster to Rothenburg. If you are using a Bayern-Ticket, I think there is a discount on the Zugspitzebahn.

The Bayern-Ticket is also valid for all the tranport (S-/U-Bahn, streetcars, and buses in Munich (also in Nürnberg). For days that you stay in Munich, there are MVV Partner Tageskarten which provide day long transportation for up to five people at a low price.

Considering how inexpensively you can travel in and around Munich, I don't think a railpass can be justified just for getting to Munich.

Another option, if you are staying in Munich over a Saturday night, would be the SparPreis 50 fare. This also has to be booked 3 days in advance, and be for a round trip. With the SparPreis 50, the first person pays half fare, and each additional "Mitfahrer" (co-traveler) pays half of that. I saw some SparPreis 50 fares from Köln to Munich and back for €174 (for 3, €58 RT per person).

Platforms are clearly labeled.

As far as when to get off, there are big signs over the station, so you should know where you are. However, it would be a good idea to know the schedules. These you can get from the German Rail Query Page.

Since you might be arriving in either Frankfurt or Köln, maybe you should plan your first few days on the Middle Rhine, St. Goar or Bacharach. There is a youth hostel in Bacharach. There is a lot to see there (the river and castles) and you can get there quickly and relatively inexpensively from either Frankfurt or Köln. Then after a few days you can use a Dauer-Spezial fare, for as little at €29 per person, purchased and printed out at home before you leave, to go to Munich.

Thanks for all your help Lee, but I have another question now. How do I book a Dauern Spezial Fare? I can't seem to find it on the bahn.de website. Plus, how far in advance do I have to book these? Are they round trip? Once again, I'm just wondering because flying standby means that you don't know your final travel plans until the last second, so I might fly into Cologne, but fly out of Frankfurt. If you get my meaning.

That's "Dauer"-Spezial. German Rail used to have seasonal specials that lasted about a month and a half and then went off until the next season special. Then last summer, instead of the "Sommer-Spezial" they started this Dauer-Spezial (Dauer means "duration") which has continued since then.

The Dauer-Spezial should show up under Savings Fare as long as you put in a date more than three days in advance and do a normal search. The fare is booked for a specific train on a specific day and is non-refundable, so you don't want to use it immediately after landing, since the flight could be late. That's why I suggested you spend a day or two seeing the Middle Rhine before heading to Munich.

Another option, if you are going RT, would be the SparPreis 50. This is also non-refundable and train specific, and it requires a Sat night stay in Munich. With the SparPreis 50 fare, the first person pays half the RT fare, and the additional "Mitfahrer" (co-travelers) pay half of that. I found some Bacharach to Munich RT SparPreis fares at €180 (€60 per person). If you booked a train that came back through FRA Fernbahnhof (most ICEs do, then you could just get off there.

On the other hand, and I never thought I would say this, maybe you should consider the rail pass. The German Rail Youth Pass is a very, very good deal, particularly for days over four. Additional days are $10; that's a little over €6/day at todays exchange rate, even less than a €27 Bayern-Ticket split three ways. Assuming you do Salzburg and GaP as day trips and Rothenburg overnight, then a six day Youth pass is $164 each. That's about €102 at todays exchange rate. Minus €36 for 4 days of side trips, it's €66 for the other two days. You can probably go FRA or Köln for less, maybe €60, but it might be worth the flexibility to have the pass.

Kristen,
changing trains in Europe should not cause you problems -
Orient yourself on the LCD schedule plans in the stations, watch to make sure that the train arriving is also the train displayed coming in, and that it is the train you want.
Most train stations will announce changes in schedule in several languages, including English.

It can be freaky at first (according to American friends) to only have minutes to get from one platform to the other to make connections - but it is totally doable - you'll get the hang very quickly!

Keep in mind that every few minutes a different train will roll in and out of the various platforms - ALWAYS use the signs on the platform and on the train cars for reference, not your ticket.
Also pay attention to the fact in which car you are boarding, not all cars on the same train end up at the same destination! Some will be hung onto different locomotives in various stations!

But don't worry! Train travel is easy and enjoyable in Europe!