We are arrive in Munich on december 21, 2011 and are looking to get to Vienna that day. Our flight gets in at 7:40am. What would be the easiest, cheapest, and best way to get 3 adults and 2 kids (ages 13 and 11) to Vienna. We are staying with family in Vienna. We were thinking about taking the train.
We will be in Vienna 2 days and then are headed to Zell am See to ski. We will be taking the train there, and then back to Munich on 12/31/11 to fly home to Atlanta. Would a rail pass be an option?
German Rail has some discount tickets for €29 per adult (children under 15 free). So, with sufficient advance purchace, you could travel to Vienna for €87. However, these tickets are train specific and non-refundable, so if your flight was late, and you missed the train, you would be out the discount tickets and have to buy full fare tickets. At this late date, the lowest priced tickets are already sold out. The best all-rail connection I see is about €147 using the S-Bahn from the airport to Munich Hbf or €117 taking the bus to nearby Freising and trains via Passau to Vienna. However, you can buy no risk, always availabe, fully flexible, standard tickets from Munich to Vienna when you get to the airport for about €250 for your whole party.