Specific Train tickets search: Germany, Prague, Poland

Posted by Meghan (Denver, CO, USA) on 03/01/10 09:28 PM

Thanks to the wonderful graffiti wall, we are feeling really comfortable with our upcoming trip itinerary! I know there's a lot out there on train tickets, but I like starting with your personal advice. So I turn to you all again!
We have a rental car for a bit, and will be returning it in Germany. After leaving Salzburg, the thought is to return the rental car in Munich (saves on drop off) and take a train to Prague. This is probably on a Monday. On Wednesday, we need a train from Prague to Krakow, Poland. Then a local train from Krakow to Swiebodzin, Poland...small town we're heading to for a wedding.

Question is, what can we expect to spend on those train routes? Should we buy in advance? On the DB Bahn website I see there are 29 euro tickets from Munich to Prague available 92 days before the trip. Is that the best price we can get? Or should we wait to buy tickets once actually there?

Thanks again travel team!!

Posted by Lee

Lakewood, Colorado

03/02/10 07:05 AM

19274 posts

Actually, that €29 fare is not the best price you can get. That fare is a Europa-Spezial fare, and the route includes an ICE to Nürnberg and a special non-stop bus from Nürnberg to Praque. It takes about 5 hours. The total for two, if you got the lowest Europa-Special fare, would be €58.

For 1 hour longer and less than €45, two people can take a direct, entirely rail connection from Munich to Prague. A regional train, ALX 355 leaves Munich at 9:01 and gets to Prague at 14:58. It crosses the border at Furth im Wald at 11:50 and stops for 13 min in Pilsen (Plzen) at about 13:00. For €33 total (€16,50 per person for two people) you can purchase a Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket at an automat in Munich. The Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket works like a Bayern-Ticket, except that it is valid for parts of the Czech Republic adjacent to Germany, and includes Pilsen. From Pilsen to Praque is a Czech Rail ticket for 147 Kc (€5,68). I'm told you can purchase the Czech tickets on the train from the conductor. If not you would have 13 minutes to purchase them at the station in Pilsen. Actually, the last person I know of who did this took a less expensive bus from Pilsen to Prague.

There is another one of these all regional connections leaving Munich (ALX87008) at 12:44 and getting to Prague at 18:58. This train meets a direct train (ALX353) from Nürnberg to Prague in Schwandorf and you can take it there.

And, there is another direct train (ALX357) from Munich at 17:02, arriving Prague at 22:58.

All of these connections qualify for the €22,18 fare using a Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket.

Posted by Lee

Lakewood, Colorado

03/02/10 07:30 AM

19274 posts

If you wanted to leave Munich around 11, you could take RE4010 to Nürnberg (12:48), have a little over an hour for lunch, and catch that same ALX353 from Nürnberg (14:05) to Prague (18:58), again using the Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket.

If you can turn the car in the night before in Freilassing (across the river from Salzburg, in Germany), you can take an 11:08 regional train from Salzburg and meet the 12:44 RE (87008) at Landshut at 13:32, still using the Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket.

Posted by Meghan OP

Denver, CO, USA

03/02/10 07:51 AM

22 posts

Thanks guys! Where can I look up Prague to Krakow tickets? Are there recommended Czech & Polish train sites to follow?

Posted by Lee

Lakewood, Colorado

03/02/10 09:24 AM

19274 posts

Official sites,

Czech Rail. For English, click on flag at RH side.

Polish Rail.

From Prague to Krakow, probably neither website will
give you the fare outside the country. You'll probably have to get Prague to the last station in the CR and from the first station in Poland to Krakow and put them together for a low estimate.

Posted by Paul

Parkland, Florida, USA

03/03/10 07:23 AM

44 posts

Lee, you have been a great help in my trip to Europe and Poland. I clicked on your link for Poland Rial and fiund that it is different then this link I have used before.

http://www.intercity.com.pl/

On this link I can't get English. Is this the same rail company in Poland?

YOu are correct in that you can't get the fares on the Polish web site. You get this message.

Informacja o cenie biletu normalnego

km kl. 2 kl. 1

Calculation of price impossible, connection does not refer national
The test version of price module (9.105.630.1)

On the DBahn web site I can buy the tickets for the train I want but have to wait a few more weeks to do so. The price for the family on the last Saturday in April is 202 Euros for Berlin to Torun via Poznan , 1st class.

Should I be buying my tickets via DBahn or does the Polish rail way sell them somehow?