My son and I are leaving for our first trip to Germany and Austria next week, and I have a question about the latter part of our trip where we will be ditching the rental car (in Munich) and taking the train. How easy are connections from Munich to Rothenburg, Rothenburg to Nuremburg, Nuremburg to Dresden, and Dresden to Berlin? I've already purchased a eurailpass (twin 4 day) but am curious about the ease of train travel to these places.We'll be renting a car the first 2 weeks of our trip, visiting Oberwesel, Baden Baden, Staufen, Reutte, Hallstatt, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich. Any tips for those places would be appreciated as well. Thanks!
Posted by
Fanwood, NJ, USA
62 posts
Go to http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml and you can find all your schedule and connection information. It's a bit trickier to get to/from Rothenburg as it's at the end of a (basically) dedicated line from Steinach. However, this a common connection so it's quite easy to make. Nuremburg to Dresden and Dresden to Berlin are both direct (no-transfer needed) trains. You might look into if you can get a refund on your pass as it's likely to be cheaper to buy point-to-point. (It could be much cheaper if you get the discounted fares.)
Paul
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Train changes are rarely difficult in Germany. However, it pays to know what you are doing and to be prepared.
Know your platform numbers. Check the Bahn schedule (I prefer to use this website. You get to it eventually with the other link, but why take an indirect route?). Under the details, you will find out the expected time of arrival, the time your connecting train departs, and the tracks on which you will arrive and depart.
Just before the train come into the station, collect your things and move to the end of the car, ready to get off. When the train stops, the boarding passengers will allow you to get off. If you wait to get off, you might find yourself fighting the flow of passengers getting on.
On the platform follow the crowd to the steps to the tunnel. Once in the tunnel, locate the steps up to your departing platform. If it is a close connection, just stay with the "herd"; the conductor will not allow the train to leave until everyone headed for the train has boarded.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
The 2nd class fares for 2 people are as follows.
Munich-Rothenburg: €28 (Bayern-Ticket)
Rothenburg-Nürnberg: €14,20 (VGN TagesTicket Plus)
Nürnberg-Dresden: €56 (Bayern- and Sachsen-Tickets @ €28 each)
Dresden-Berlin: €72 (Full fare using EC - fastest train connection @ €36 pP)
Total point-point €170,20 (~$240) vs
German Rail Twin passes @ $390
Note:
The TagesTicket Plus is valid for up to 6 people, max. 2 adults.
Tages-Ticket Plus and Sachsen-Ticket will be valid for all local transportation in Nürnberg and Dresden respectivelly when you get there; Twin pass will not be.
Fastest connections between Nürnberg and Dresden are all regional.
You could save another €34 (~$53) for two if you purchased Dauer-Spezial tickets (train specific and non-refundable) from Dresden to Berlin for as low as €19 pP.
Posted by
OP
san jose, ca, usa
18 posts
Thanks for all the great info! I should have checked here before buying the railpass...
I got the railpass through Rick Steves and wonder if I can return it since it was quite a bit more expensive than point to point according to the costs posted above...
Thanks again!
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Everyone should carefully evaluate their rail travel before going out and blindly purchasing rail passes. In my experience, unless you are doing quite a bit of travel in single days, railpasses don't pay.
Comparing the price of point-point tickets on RailEurope, or using Rick's map, isn't adequate. There are many less expensive options available; RailEurope doesn't show them and Rick's map doesn't reflect them. Primary amongst these are the Länder-Tickets, such as the Bayern-Ticket in Bavaria, available for travel on regional trains within a German Land (state).
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Just to give you an example of a railpass vs. point-point costs, in November 2008 I arrived at FRA and went to the Cochem area. Four days later, I went to the Harz mountains for 5 days, then to the Black Forest outside of Karlsruhe, then 3 days later back to Mainz where I stayed the final night before flying home.
Using a combination of local tickets, Länder tickets, and Dauer-Spezial tickets, I paid $141.50. That includes 3% charges for international transactions for tickets I put on my credit card and a 1½% charge on my debit card for foreign ATMs. It also accounts for paying a higher exchange rate for the Dauer-Spezial tickets because I purchased them months in advance, when the exchange rate was higher.
A railpass would have cost me $260 (plus $18 shipping) from RailEurope. So I saved almost $140 (50%) by not buying a railpass.
Incidently, had I tried to compare prices any other way, Rick's fare map doesn't show any of the connections. Getting point-point ticket prices from RailEurope indicated the fares would be $469 (vs. the $142 I actually paid). That, of course, made the railpass at $260 look like a deal. Even using full fare from the Bahn website, I got $324, which made the railpass look worthwhile, but it wasn't.