Laender Tickets

I wouldn't even mess with buying them online. You can buy them from the machines so easily as well as getting each day ahead of time. Sometimes it is worth the 2 euro charge to stop at the Deutsche Bahn counters and buy all your tickets there, because then they can help you with the train schedule, plus you can use your credit card, and get all the information you need.

If you will be there on a weekend, and want to leave earlier in the morning, you can also buy a Schöne Wochenende (Happy Weekend) ticket for 37 euro. This would also be valid for your group of up to 5 people and good all day long on the regional trains. With this ticket you can travel all through Germany for that one set price. It might take you a while as you cannot use the ICE fast trains, but the scenery is usually better.

OK, I'm back. Liz was there too.

Use the German Rail website. Put in 2 adults, 1 child, from: Muenchen Hbf, to: Berchtesgaden Hbf, time 7:00 and the date (at least 3 day in advance) in European format dd/mm/yyyy. Just this would get you connections to Salzburg by express train (ICE/IC/EC/RJ) and from there to Berchtesgaden by bus. The bus route is outside Germany, so Sparpreis tickets would not be shown. However, if you use via: "Freilassing" with a 15 min stopover, it should show you a connection leaving Munich at 7:27 by RailJet to Salzburg at 8:56, a regional train (RB27084) back to Freilassing (9:08-9:16) and a regional train (BLB3957) to Berchtesgaden (9:47-10:38). (The RailJet goes through Freilassing on it's way to Salzburg but does not stop there.) If you book ahead from the Bahn, you can get a Sparpreis fare of €29 for both of you (one way, child under 15 is free if included on the ticket) and get to Berchtesgaden earlier than with the Bayern-Ticket. Use another Sparpreis ticket to come back that night.

The Bayern ticket is best. Observe the after-9-a.m.-on-weekdays restriction, and travel only on the regional trains (no IC or ICE) and get the tickets from a DB ticket machine over there for the best price. You should reconsider your Füssen-Rothenburg leg, which requires 5.5-6.5 hours - much quicker to start in Munich if possible.

Füssen may actually not be worth your time at all. The Neuschwanstein tour, which I've done twice, really is a disappointing and overhyped tourist trap, IMO. Nearby Hohenschwangau palace has a cousin called Herrenchiemsee, which is just off the route between Munich and Berchtesgaden in Prien; it might be simpler to stop in there or to overnight in Berchtesgaden and see it on the way back to Munich. You can also see Rococo marvels near Rothenburg in the city of Würzburg - the Residenz there is stunning.

You can find out more information about the Bayern-Ticket here.

Most Länder-Tickets (tickets for unlimited travel in a day on regional trains in a German state or Land) include travel to a few stations right over the border in neighboring states. In Bavaria those stations are Salzburg and Kufstein, Austria, and Ulm, in Baden-Württemburg. Although you can travel the the Hbf in Salzburg, the Ticket does not include local transportation in Salzburg.

A Bayern-Ticket also includes travel on the Außerfernbahn, which goes through the Tirol from Pfronten to Garmisch-Partenkirchen via Reutte and a line from Memmingen to Lindau via Kißlegg in Baden-Württemberg.

Berchtesgaden is beautiful, but an awfully long for a day trip, particularly with a Bayern-Ticket, which you cannot use until after 9 AM workdays. If you leave Munich at 9:42, you won't get to Berchtesgaden until 12:38. You could get there by 10:38 for €29 total with an advance purchase Sparpreis Ticket. I'll tell you how to get that when I get back from my breakfast meeting with Centennial Frank.

A second way, which will get you to Berchtesgaden at 11:38, an hour later than using the Sparpreis fares but an hour earlier than with just a Bayern-Ticket, is to buy two adult tickets from Muenchen Hbf to Grafing Bahnhof for €7,20 pP and a child ticket for €1,20, €15,60 total, in addition to the B-T. Leave on the 8:48 from Muenchen Hbf (RE30009). This train gets to Grafing Bahnhof at 9:11; the Bayern-Ticket is valid from there to Berchtesgaden (change at Freilassing).

So, your three options are:
Munich 7:27 Berchtesgaden 10:38 €58 RT with Sparpreis tickets, or
Munich 8:48 Berchtesgaden 11:38 €43,60 RT with MVV tickets + B-T, or
Munich 9:42 Berchtesgaden 12:38 €28 RT with just a Bayern-Ticket.

It does seem that a visit to the Berchtesgaden area requires more than just a few hours sandwiched in between a morning and evening train journey. If you plan to head out to Königssee and boat over to St. Bartolomä or walk to the Malerwinkel for a view, visit the salt mines, and/or see the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagles Nest), then I'd spend the night - especially if I were to visit Herrenchiemsee between B'gaden on the way back Munich.

I would tend to agree with you, Russ. I've been to Berchtesgaden twice, each time for two days, although the second time was a repeat trip, seeing the same things for a second time, with my wife.

One can easily spend a full day between the Eagles' Nest and the Dokumentation Center at the bottom. The other day we did Wimbachklamm and Königssee. I really recommend going beyond St. Barts all the way to the end of the lake and going across the moraine to the Obersee.

Trying to visit Berchtesgaden, Füssen, and Rothenburg in three (or four) days is kind of insane.

First of all, thank you to each of you for your input. I've received some valuable information, especially from Lee. All three options you presented were cheaper than the 116,40 the DB site was showing. I had read about the Lander tickets, but did not see them as an option on the query page, which is why I posted here.

As for being insane, I take slight offense to that. I thought I was posting enough info to get an accurate answer, but not too much to bore someone. Obviously, I should have added more detail.

We will be arriving into Munich on the overnight train from Rome after having spent 3 nights there. My husband and son are interested in the Eagles Nest and Obersalzburg, so I planned a day trip to Berchtesgaden...based on my research, I estimated 4 to 6 hours needed there. I have been to both Fussen and Rothenburg before, although they have not. I chose both cities to be respites from heavy sightseeing in between Rome and Berlin.

So to break it down further:

Monday - Arrive from Rome, Trip to Berchtesgaden, Sleep in Munich (I am completely open to spending the night in Berchtesgaden and for more info on the sites there.)

Tuesday - Relaxing morning, train to Fussen after lunch, Ck into Hotel Kurcafe (my personal fave)

Wednesday - Rent bikes, Tegelburg luge, no schedule and no plans to see Neuschwanstein except from the outside, Night 2 at Hotel Kurcafe

Thursday - Relaxing morning, train to Rothenburg after cking out, Ck into Kreuzerhof Hotel Garni

Friday - Shopping & sightseeing, Night 2 at Kreuzerhof

Saturday - Train to Berlin

If this schedule is insane...then send me to the funny farm! ;)

I think your idea of staying in Berchtesgaden is a good one. Of course, you will miss out on seeing Munich, but you can't see much in a "relaxing morning'.

If you want to get off of the night train when it goes through Rosenheim at 5:50, you can take a regional train to Freilassing at 6:41, arriving at Berchtesgaden at 8:55, for a full day in Berchtesgaden. Full fare tickets for two from Rosenheim to Berchtesgaden are €40,60. No advance purchase required, you'll have 50 min to buy them at the station in Rosenheim.

The Hotel Bavaria is a short distance from the train station in Berchtesgaden. If you were staying there, you could leave your bags and head back to the Bahnhof and the bus to the Eagles' Nest.

Suggestion #2:

It will take you about 5½ hrs travel time from Berchtesgaden to Füssen. You'll go through the Munich Hbf. Get off there, stash you bags in a locker and take the S-Bahn to Marienplatz. You'll be too late for the Glockenspiel performance at 11 AM, but you can still see the Neues Rathaus, maybe have lunch in the Ratskeller or at the Hofbräuhaus, climb up to the top of St. Peters church tower, visit the Frauenkirche, go back to the Hbf, fetch your bags and go on to Füssen. If you leave Berchtesgaden at 9:20, you can stop in Munich for 3½ hrs (12:18-15:51) and still get to Füssen by 6 PM.

If you're doing this with a Bayern-Ticket, it will also cover your S-Bahn travel from the Hbf to Marienplatz.