Booking Trains in Europe
 

Hi, I am planning to book a train from Prague to Munich on Sept 16th just want to know what is a reliable website to purchase these tickets in advance? I have found one called Deutsche Bahn, it looks decent but not too familiar as this will be my first time visiting Europe. Thanks All !!

That is the site of the German national railways. It can sell you the ticket since the destination is in Germany, but you should always check and compare the fare from the national railway site of your departure country (Czechia).

www.trainline.eu is the official affiliate of most major European railways, offering the samre prices and terms, and it easily accepts US cc's, which some railways don't.. I haven't used it for Czech trains, though, so can't be sure if it will work. Best to check, as kerouac says, with the Czechia national railway.

Thanks all for your replies, will def check out the Czech national railways.

For trains from Czechia to Germany, the CD site almost always has the better price than the DB. That's especially true for Prague to Munich, since the DB wants to lure you into its IC buses (trains between Prague and Munich are run by a competitor of DB).

You'll find insights into this at www.seat61.com too - about using Czech Rail site - for general info European trains like first vs 2nd class also BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. folks report that those buses are comfy and quicker too than the rail route as they go more direct and often cheaper.

For trains from Czechia to Germany, the CD site almost always has the better price than the DB. That's especially true for Prague to Munich, since the DB wants to lure you into its IC buses (trains between Prague and Munich are run by a competitor of DB)>

Interesting! www.bahn.de/en has 38 euros fares for direct trains so they sell those tickets even though not operating trains but I did not see the 19.50 euro tickets for same day on www/bahn.de/en as for the same day I saw some at good times on www.trainline.eu. So, yes it seems the trainline has the cheapest fares though I did not check czech site could not be any cheaper and probably the same so as StCirq says I'd just go to the easy to use www.trainline.eu site and be sure of lowest price.

For trains between Prague and Munich you MUST buy from Czech Railways www.cd.cz as they partner with Landerbahn not DB on this route so DB shows the trains but is unable to sell the cheap fares from €15 in 2nd class or €35 in 1st class that you can get from CD.

Just be aware that there may be some engineering work on the line on this route for certain periods this year.

I have put practical info and photos on https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-ro...e-by-train.htm

For trains between Prague and Munich you MUST buy from Czech Railways www.cd.cz as they partner with Landerbahn not DB on this route so DB shows the trains but is unable to sell the cheap fares from €15 in 2nd class or €35 in 1st class that you can get from CD.>

Buses are quicker, right, and also can be 15 euros:

https://global.flixbus.com/bus-route...BoCQf8QAvD_BwE

Buses are for short journeys such as 5km from suburb to city centre, they are completely inappropriate for major journeys like this.

Many folks here have said the buses were very comfy and quicker- so why are they completely inappropriate on this journey?

thanks all for your inputs, in the end I bought my train ticket on the CD Czech trains, it costs $35 EU for 1st class not too bad.

Yes and first class is always more relaxed than 2nd class or any bus IMO. Did you get a reserved seat(s) with it?

I don't see why buses are completely inappropriate for such a distance. In fact, many travelers are taking them. Flixbus' fast-growing pace is a clear proof.

Trains are more comfortable, for sure, but buses tend to be cheaper. It is just a matter of priorities and preferences.

I would just check all possibilities and then decide which one fits better my own taste, schedule and budget.

I did not mean that buses are inherently uncomfortable but that first-class seats on trains are for lots of reasons more relaxing than any bus seats and you can see lots better from train windows than from bus ones. But for Prague to Munich since buses are faster and reliably cheap than that would make them more preferable for many.

did not mean to say buses were completely inappropriate but that first-class train seats are much more roomy and comfy and trains have better views out both sides than buses. And, for Prague-Munich since buses are significantly faster it seems may be a better choice for folks wishing the quickest way and also dependably cheap.

I think rapid popularity of such buses is from locals, especially younger folk, wishing yes cheap transportation who care little about scenery, etc. And still the length of bus ride matters -for short trips of a few hours fine - several hours give me trains any day.

Trains in Europe
 

Based on the date of your travel you can book a ticket from Prague to Munich with ACP Rail International for a base price of $138. It would be roughly 7.5 hrs duration. There are other options you can choose from on the site. https://shop.acprail.com/#/ptp/point__to_point_tickets/
Once you get to Germany, since you're travelling in September you may want to purchase some German rail passes in advance to get the most out of your travels. Right now ACP Rail is offering a discounted price on German rail passes of 20% off till August 31st. The travel period for this promo is between August 1 and September 30, 2018.

ACP Rail International is a total rip-off. You can get to Munich from Prague for less than 50€ a ticket if you buy from the national railway or Trainline.

Even cheaper on a bus that takes about the same time (see above posts).

Based on the date of your travel you can book a ticket from Prague to Munich with ACP Rail International for a base price of $138>

check www.bahn.de/en and see how cheap that can be if booked directly at www.bahn.de/en - Germany railways site and Czech Railways site too. ACP is the competitor to Rail Europe and has similar fares - they are full fares and for that not much more but nobody anymore pays full fare unless you rely on a travel agent or companies like ACP.