We will be traveling from Hallstatt to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and then later travelling from Rothenburg to Berlin. On Bahn.de it appears that the four of us need to buy single tickets from Hallstatt to Salzburg and then use the Dauer-Spezial ticket (29 euros each) to Rothenburg. The Dauer-Spezial ticket from Rothenburg to Berlin is currently 59 euros each. Is this the best way to do this? Can we do Salzburg to Rothenburg on the Bayern ticket? Do we buy the Dauer-Spezial tickets ahead of time on the Bahn.de website? Any information would be helpful.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
"Can we do Salzburg to Rothenburg on the Bayern ticket?"
Yes, even though Salzburg is in Austria, it is right over the border, and the trains into Salzburg, from Freilassing, are run by German Rail. It is considered a "border" station, and the Bayern-Ticket is valid there. With the Bayern-Ticket, you will need to take regional trains, which will take a little longer. The trip to Munich is about a half hour longer. Often from Munich to Rothenburg by express goes through Nürnberg and is longer than directly to Steinach by regional trains.
You can buy the Dauer-Spezial-Ticket in Germany, as long as it is three days ahead of time and they are not sold out, but it is such a popular ticket that I would advise buying it online well ahead of time. Also, Dauer-Spezial tickets purchased at the counter cost €5 more, plus reservations are €4 vs €2 online.
Posted by
OP
charlottesville, va
46 posts
Thanks Lee. I couldn't tell tell if Rothenburg was a valid destination on the Bayern Ticket. Is it?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Bayern (pronounced By' airn) is the German name for what we call Bavaria. A Bayern-Ticket is a pass valid for unlimited travel for up to 5 people on regional trains (RE, RB) in Bavaria. This map shows the rail lines in Bavaria. Munich and Rothenburg are both in Bavaria, so as long as you don't take a circuitous route that goes outside Bavaria (or travel before 9 AM weekdays), your travel would be covered.
The Bayern-Ticket also covers all modes of transit (S-/U-Bahn, streetcars, buses) run by the local Verkehrverbund in cities like Munich and some regional buses (like RVO=RegionalVerkehr Oberbayern) outside the cities.