Trains from Munich to Salzburg

Old Jul 16th, 2006, 04:08 PM
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bd
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Trains from Munich to Salzburg

I am going to be flying into MUC (from London) at 1:50pm and plan on using a Bayern ticket to go to Salzburg. It looks like there are 3 possible trains: 15:02, 16:22, and 17:22. I'm not sure how long it will take to get through customs, but I'm guessing I could make the 16:22.

The problem, is I'd be arriving at Munich Ost on platform 1 and would have to get to platform 8 in 4 minutes to catch the train to Salzburg, and having never been there, I can't imagine it will be easy to do.

I thought I read that there are trains from the airport to the train station leaving every 20 minutes, so I'm not sure why I don't see more options than these 3 trains.

I'd really appreciate any help!!
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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 04:20 PM
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According to www.bahn.de, trains from Munic airport (MUC) to Munich Ost (Muenchen Ost) leave every 20min at :02, :22, and :42. S8 S-Bahn Direction: Geltendorf and take 30-31min.

From Munich Ost to Salzburg roughly 2 trains per hour

The shortest is the IC train which leaves at 16:30, which you should have no problem catching. The IC takes about 1:30, where the slower trains take about 15-20min longer.

I simply suggest that you take the first S8 train to Munich ost then the next direct train to Salzburg. You don't need to reserve a seat - just buy a ticket either at MUC if possible (you may only be able to by the S8 ticket there), or from a ticket machine at Munich Ost.


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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 04:34 PM
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I've done 2 minute train changes in Germany and always made it though I had to run. As you seem to be aware, the IC train is excluded from the Bayern ticket but at least you have flexibility.
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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 04:36 PM
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We traveled quited a bit by train this spring, though not through Munchen Ost. Several times we had these same tight connections (less than 5 minutes). I was surprized but they all worked. Die Bahn seems to know what they are doing. Just be ready to get off the train the minute that it pulls into the station.

I presume from the original message that you know that you can not take the IC trains using the Bayern-Ticket.

Regards, Gary
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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 04:42 PM
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On the other hand, I have missed several train connections in Germany due to late German trains, including late ICE trains. I no longer take German train trips with less than 15 minutes between connections.
You do have more options. The www.bahn.de often gives you "fast" connections. You just have to search the train from point to point. In other words, search for a train to Munich Ost. Then search separately for a train from Munich Ost to Salzburg and pick the train that you want.
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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 04:57 PM
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The Bayern Ticket is the cheapest way to make the trip, BUT you are limited to the local trains. ICE trains are not available at Bayern Ticket prices.

If you intend to board the train at München Ost, bear in mind that not all trains from the main station to Salzburg stop there.

For example, the train that leaves München Hauptbahnhof at 15:26 is an IC train that does not stop at München Ost.

As to which types of trains you can take with a Bayern Ticket, this sentence from Die Bahn website is key:

In allen Nahverkehrszügen (2.Klasse) der DB (IRE,RE,RB und S-Bahn) in ganz Bayern.

In essence it says that you can ride
trains that bear the prefixes IRE, RE, RB and the S-Bahn. Trains that are prefixed with IC, EC or ICE are not included.

There is NO train that leaves Munich for Salburg at 15:02. There is one, however, at 15:26. It is an IC train and makes the trip with no stops along the route. After 15:26, the next train is at 15:42. It is a local and stops quite a few times along the way.
The next one after 15:42 leaves at 16:22, and again at 16:48.

I am not sure why you say there are 3 possible trains. The two trains on your list that have the correct departure times are either IC or EC. The others are regional type trains.

For that reason I am now wondering where you get your information. I strongly suggest that you not use it any longer and try the Deutsche Bahn website.
I think it knows better when its trains leave München stations. http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en

By the way, if you want to go to the main station, I have found it much easier to take the bus than to take the S-Bahn. The Lufthansa bus takes about the same amount of time, and your luggage is stored in a locked compartment under the bus. No escalators to fight, which can be a problem if you have heavy luggage.

In terms of taking a specific train, your biggest concern is whether or not the flight is on time. Getting through customs should be quite easy even though the UK is not a Schengen nation.

I have had minimal difficulty with customs and passport control after flights from the US and Ireland.
In fact, the process was relatively efficient. You might even be through the checkpoints before your luggage is on the carousel.

I think you need to decide which type of train you want to take and then decide if you want to use the Bayern Ticket and its somewhat cheaper price or take the first available train regardless of classification.

The slowest train takes 2 hours, 5 minutes; the fastest takes 1 hour 28 minutes.

All arrive at the same place: Salzburg Hauptbahnhof.
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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 04:57 PM
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If it helps to know where/how far you have to run, here's the actual station plan complete with its gate numbers:
http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/web4archi...hen_ostbf.pdff
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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 04:59 PM
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Oops, eliminate the last "f" on the web address. Don't know how the extra f got there.
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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 06:45 PM
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Thank you all for your input. Regarding how I got the information, I did get it from www.bahn.de and checked "local trains only."

I'm showing a 15:02 with train "products" of "S,RB", and the other two (16:22 and 17:22) are S, and RE.

I entered Munich airport, and it shows the station as Munchen Flughafen Terminal.

So what am I doing wrong?

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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 07:23 PM
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You are doing it correctly. Brookwood didn't know you were searching for trains from the airport to Salzburg on bahn.de. What we are saying is piece together your own itinerary - it will give you all the options for both legs.

1. search airport to Muenchen Ost Bhf
2. search Muenchen Ost Bhf to Salzburg


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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 08:31 PM
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Hi bd, ME AGAIN. My apologies big time. I failed totally to recognize that your departure times were predicated on connecting from the S-Bahn station in the airport AND that you were thinking Munich East or München Ost station.

The 16:22 departure does indeed give you just 4 minutes of connecting time at Munich East.

The next train from Munich East after that one leaves at 18:06.
That means that the latest departure from the airport is at 17:22 for the 31 minute ride.

Also, I think it is important to note that two S-Bahn lines serve the airport. The shorter ride to Munich East is on line S-8. S-1 also goes there, but it is a longer trip because it takes a different route.

Now, why did you not see but 3 options?
My guess is that you did not click on the label that reads "Later." If you do, 3 more choices will appear. Click again, and you will see 3 more.



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Old Jul 16th, 2006, 08:52 PM
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PS. I have ridden through the Munich East (München Ost) station many times both on the S-Bahn and on trains to and from Salzburg.

I do not know the details of the connection. IF you can connect on the same level from S-Bahn to DB trains, you might be able to make it.

You would need to be right by the door, suitcase(s) in hand, and be ready to scurry off like a rabbit.

I would not sweat it. If you miss the tight connection, there is a place to enjoy a local beer somewhere close at hand while you wait for the next one.

Again, I could have been much more succinct in my original message had I been more alert!! Age does funny things to one's cognitive powers.

You actually had it all planned.

This episode reminded myself of a guy who played tailback on my high school football team. In a tough game, he went charging head down into the line head down and some guy for the other team whacked him so hard that the ball popped up in the air. Some how, the tailback even though knocked silly kept his feet and managed to grab the ball while it was still in the air. Then he got hit again and spun around.

By this this time he was totally disoriented and in a state of panic. Seeing an opening he headed for it.
The problem is that he was runing the wrong way. We were treated to the spectacle of the defensive team actually blocking for the ball carrier. "Our" wing back was a fast guy and he finally caught up at about his own 20 yard line and tackled his own man.

I think there is an analogy here.
Good idea, great determination, wrong direction.
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Old Jul 17th, 2006, 03:11 AM
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No apologies necessary at all. My confusion was that I assumed all trains from the airport to the train station would be "local", so I didn't know why I didn't see more options to get to the train station. There of course, were more trains earlier and later than those 3, I was just looking at those that I thought I could make.

So the real question is, if I forget about the Bayern ticket, what are my chances of getting to Salzburg by 6pm (before the car rental office close)?

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Old Jul 17th, 2006, 03:30 AM
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I'm guessing you'll make the 15:02, which allows plenty of time to connect in Munich Ost. If not, check out the Bahn site and put in Munich airport to Salzburg hbf VIA munich hbf. If you do so, you will see that an S1 leaves the airport at 15:51 and arrives Munich HBF at 16:44. Thirteen minutes later you can catch a regional train to salzburg. In fact, there are lots of train and bus options to the HBF that will get you there in plenty of time to switch tracks to catch the train to Salzburg.
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Old Jul 17th, 2006, 03:32 AM
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Re the station layout at Munich East:

There are about four platforms; S-Bahn trains arrive at separate platforms from regular trains traveling to and from Munich (IC, EC, REG, etc.)

So you will have to leave one platform and transfer to another; there are escalators.

The transfer will take less time than at the main RR station.
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Old Jul 17th, 2006, 05:00 AM
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As usual, everyone has been extremely helpful - thank you.

It looks like my chances of getting to Salzburg by 6:00 are slim to none. Which means I need to find a night's lodgings in Salzburg with less than 2 weeks to go, during the 250th mozart anniversary, near the train station, catch a bus to the airport the next day to rent a car there, because of course it will be a Saturday and the rental office at the train station is closed. Oh well, the best laid plans....

At least I figured it out beforehand.
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Old Jul 17th, 2006, 09:53 AM
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Which rental company are you using?
The Avis office, which is very near the main Salzburg station on Ferdinand Porsche Strasse, is open on Saturdays from 8 until 12.

Hertz is open from 8 until 13:00 (1:00 pm) on Saturdays. The office is also on Ferdinand Porsche Strassen.

Sixt unfortunately is closed on Saturdays.

Why don't you rent your car at the Munich airport and drive to Salzburg?
The rental cost is much cheaper in Germany.

Using Autoeurope as a guide, the cost for a 5 day rental of an Opel Astra in Salzburg is US $457.

Rented in Germany at the airport the same car is $317. That is considerably cheaper.

If you rent the car downtown, at the main train station for example, the rate for the same car is the same. You don't get socked with a bunch of airport surcharges like in the USA.

Subtract from that price the cost of a train ticket, and it is cheaper still.

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Old Jul 17th, 2006, 12:05 PM
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I was looking at AutoEurope, which showed no Saturday hours at the train station, but I checked with Avis after I posted the last message, and did discover they were indeed open.

I looked into renting from Munich, but I found much higher rates when returning it to another city in Germany, because I wasn't planning on going back to Munich.
In Austria, it seems that the cost is the same regardless of what city you return it to.

My plan is to drive around Austria, more or less heading west, returning the car somewhere west of Innsbruck (St. Anton or Dornbirn, depending on the company), and then hopping a train to Switzerland.


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Old Jul 17th, 2006, 12:18 PM
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Not to mention, we've got a 4 hour drive to the airport and a flight to London prior to the flight to Munich, and I'm not sure we'll be in any shape to tackle the German autobahns on little or no sleep.

Then there's the Austrian medallion to think about - are they on German cars?

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Old Jul 17th, 2006, 01:18 PM
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Traffic to Salzburg can be painfully bumper to bumper during Mozart week. I've been caught on horrible traffic driving to Salzburg at least a couple of times.

You should be able to get through custom in less than 30 minutes (standard is 20 min).
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