Question for all you knowledgeable train guys

Most trains leaving the Hauptbahnhof for Rosenheim will stop next at Ostbahnhof, on the other side of downtown from the Marienplatz. There is no station for Bahn trains at Marienplatz, only S-Bahn and U-Bahn. You will probably find it advisable to take the S-Bahn from Marienplatz to Ostbahnhof and catch the train to Rosenheim there. Look up schedlues on the Bahn website. Be sure to use "Marienplatz", not "Ostbahnhof", to "Rosenheim", or you will have to buy the S-Bahn ticket separate.

There is a ticket kiosk open almost all day long on the first level below the street (above the train levels) of the Marienplatz station.

If you are going to and from on the same day, you can use a Bayern ticket to cover the whole trip if you start after 9 am on a week day and use the Meridian train to Rosenheim. 31 EUR covers both of you.

If one-way, buy a through ticket to Rosenheim, which is 13.30 EUR per person, it is cheaper than buying a separate ticket from Ostbahnhof plus a local MVV ticket to get to Ostbahnhof.

Is this a day trip?

there are 2 types of trains to Rosenheim (as pointed out, both mainline so not at Marienplatz).

Regional, operated by private company Meridian. Plus Eurocity operated by DB. The EC trains run non-stop between Munich Ostbahnhof and Rosenheim, Meridian may make stops but the time difference is only a few minutes (the slowest train is only 43 minutes from Hauptbahnhof and 35 minutes from Ostbahnhof). From Marienplatz take an S-Bahn train to Ostbahnhof - it saves a little time and it's much easier to change at Ostbahnof. The fare to use EC trains is slightly higher because it includes a fast train supplement but some of the regional trains are 1 minute faster so use them and save a little!

In theory the base fare (avoiding the dearer trains) from Marienplatz to Rosenheim is €13.30 each way but if this is a day trip all that goes out of the window and you can get a round trip for two for €31 by buying a BayernTicket day pass (after 9:00 Monday-Friday, anytime weekends), select Bayern Ticket (not the single version if the machine offers it), then select 2 people. You get one ticket with 2 blank boxes on it, write your names in them. Valid until 3:00 next morning.

Would this involve the Herbstfest by any chance.......

Lol. No.... not the herbstfest. It's a one way from Munich to Rosenheim. We're picking up a car there and heading to Berchtesgaden for a few days.

I appreciate the replies, we don't really have trains here so it's all over my head.

Oh... and one more thing. (For now) do I buy these tickets grom a person at a window, or from a machine with cash? Would it be clearly marked if we're buying from a machine?

from Munich to Rosenheim. We're picking up a car there and heading to Berchtesgaden ... we don't really have trains here so it's all over my head.

A lot of trains from Ost to Rosenheim go on to Freilassing (in Germany, just before Salzburg). From there you can catch a second train down to Berchtesgaden. You can go all the way from Marienplatz to Berchtesgaden with a Bayern-Ticket (31€ for two). There are city buses in Berchtesgaden to almost everywhere you want to go.

Would it be clearly marked if we're buying from a machine?

Would what be clearly marked. The ticket, to show you bought it from a machine? Or would the machine be clearly marked?

I almost always buy from a machine, because I've used them for almost 20 year and they are no problem for me, but there is a manned counter in Marienplatz, and they can be helpful. It costs 2€ more from the counter for a Bayern-Ticket for the help, but no extra for full fare tickets.

Would what be clearly marked. The ticket, to show you bought it from a machine? Or would the machine be clearly marked?

Hi Lee, what I meant was, would it be clearly marked somehow or in some way when I went to buy the ticket at the machine, "Marienplatz then Ost then Rosenheim" OR would it just be assumed somehow that we would have to stop and change trains in Ost? If I'm doing this at a machine, would there be the option to choose those stops? I am sorry if I am not explaining it very well, even I am having trouble understanding what I am typing. I know what I am trying to say but it's not coming out the way I would like.

I thank you for your help.

I'm not sure in this case, but it would be impossible to get a direct train from Muenchen Marienplatz to Rosenheim. There are none, so changing at Ostbahnhof is the only way to get there. I've only bought Laender tickets out of machines, and then it is irrelevent about where to change because you can change anywhere.

I guess there would be some indication of the trains, because it would cost more if you got on the EC train at Ostbahnhof.

Judy,

the DB ticket machines (red and silver) always assume you want to start the journey from where you are and the current time (although you can alter this, say you wanted to buy the ticket for coming back to save time later). They also default to the best route, which is what you want - so all you have to know is Rosenheim.

They have a touch screen, if it's displaying an ad just touch it to get the menu. They are multi lingual, start by selecting english by touching the UK flag. Each selectable item on a menu has a red mark, touch the text description of what you want.

The menu has some basic areas, top left is point to point tickets. So for simple tickets to Rosenheim you start in that part of the screen. You can follow step by step which will lead you though the assumptions and let you confirm, or go the express purchase way and select Rosenheim as destination. It will give you a touch screen keyboard, as you start to type buttons appear with station names that match, after 4 letters you should have a Rosenheim button to press (just that name, no other words). As you go through the screens, selected options (eg 2nd class, immediate departure) have red buttons. There is a green Next button when you have what you want. To stop it issuing the dearer tickets for EC trains make sure the button "only local transport" is red. And when it gets to the passenger details select 2 adults or you have to do it all twice! And you don't have a BahnCard so the "No BC" button should be red. When it gets to the payment stage what it will accept depends on the value of the transaction, you can't buy a €5 ticket with a €50 note or a €50 ticket with a bag full of change! It will display coins and notes with some crossed out. It should also accept Visa or Mastercard. Once enough money has been inserted it will print the tickets, don't forget your change.

For a BayernTicket it's slightly faster, go into the offers section on the main screen. In Bavaria this will be the main offer and all you have to confirm is the date, travel class and the number of people (very important because of the huge discounts on multi person tickets).

I've never bought a ticket from Marienplatz to Rosenheim, so I have no idea exactly what the printed ticket would look like - probably "Marienplatz nach Rosenheim via München Ost". As I remember, when you buy a ticket from an automat for point A to point B, it will show you some optional time, routes, and train classes with the different prices to choose from. I think the route has to be specified on the ticket. If it just said Marienplatz nach Rosenheim, you could take the S-Bahn to the Hbf and the Meridian train from there, but that fare would be 14,20€ vs 13, 30€ going directly to Ost.

You could use a Bayern-Ticket, in which case the routing wouldn't matter, but a B-T for two is 31€ vs 2 point-point tickets at 13,30€ each. But there should be a ticket counter open at Marienplatz. To avoid any doubt, buy your tickets there.

I think I shall. Thank you very much! I am sure I'll be back wirh more questions.