Help choosing train Munich to Prague!
 

I have been looking at the Die Bahn website, to pick my trip to Prague from Munich. There are direct trains of 6 hours that leave Munich at 6:44am and 4:44 pm. Neither really appeals to me . . . I don't really like the idea of getting up for a 6:44 train, and I don't want to arrive in Prague at 11:00pm.

I figured I would take a series of longer trains and spend most of the day getting there. I chose a 10:05am train that arrives at 17:45. It goes through the Bavarian Forest and is supposed to be quite scenic. However, when I check it out on the czech rail site, they don't list the trains inside the czech republic that die bahn mentions. Is it common for die bahn to have errors?

Looking at other options, I can go through Austria or Dresden, which are VERY long trips, or I can take a series of trains that include a VBG train. Die Bahn calls this a private railway. Would my rail pass be valid on it?

I am suprised that there isn't a nice express train between these two cities!

7:44 and 9:25 from Munich are your best options. It takes a litte longer, but the route through the Bavaria/Bohemian Forest is very scenic. Since it seems you already have a ticket the Bayern Ticket, Carta Z combination on those trains isn't an option. The trains is the Czeck rep. are very old, but well maintained ("Russian technology"), but the big problem is that tickets over there cost close to nothing, so there isn't any incentive to invest into faster connections. You can trust the DB site, when it lists a train, it will run!

No it's not common for bahn site to have errors, though it doesn't always indicate the best connections, if it gives one i'd count on it being true.
What railpass do you have - none except the European East pass and Czech pass would be good in Czech Republic - Germany or Eurail would not. Whether your pass is valid on the short stint on the private VBG train is hard to say - probably, but the cost if not would be neglible. The Munich-Prague via Regensburg, etc. route price the bahn site indicates would certainly be valid on that line. It sems to me that this is an optimal connection, considering other inconvenient options - no no great fast train service Munich-Prague for some reason!

As far as I can from the DB web site, the Czech train is from Cheb at 1421 to Praha, arriving at 1745. This does appear on the Czech railways' web site (www.vlak.cz) which shows the fare as CZK 250 (or about 8.50 euros).

>(or about 8.50 euros)

This is full price, get a Karta Z (3.50€) for at least (depending on the train) a 30% reduction for a year.

I have a German rail pass, so was planning on using that for the German portion, then paying cash for the part inside the Czech Republic. It really hadn't occured to me to use a Bayern ticket for this ride - but I guess I could, they are all regional trains inside of Bavaria. I could then save that day on my rail pass for another day. . .

What is the Carta Z? I haven't heard of it, is it similar to a Bayern ticket for Bohemia?

I am travelling on a Sunday - that is where this 10:05 "mystery" train shows up, using OS 7549 from Bayerisch Eisenstein to Klatovy and OS 7523 Klatovy to Plzen. I can't make either of these trains appear on the Czech site for some reason . . .

Is the route via Plattling and Bayerisch Eisenstein more scenic, than the Regensburg and Furth i Wald route? Or are they similar? I had seem specific mention of the Bayerisch route, but if they are similar, I would rather avoid trains that the czech site don't mention, just to play it safe!

Karta Z is similar to the German "Bahncard" can be bought at a ticket counter in the Czech Rep. You will need a photo. If you present this card, when you buy your ticket you will get a (at least) 30% reduction on any regular ticket within the Czech. Rep. It costs only about 3.50€. Compare this to the Bahncard prices. Bayer. Eisentein is very scenic, but Furth im Wald is nice too... If you buy the ticket to Prague in Germany, it will be many times more expensive! You HAVE to leave the train at the first stop in CR to get a Carta Z. And don't buy a czech ticket on the train crossing the border, if you have to, ONLY pay with crowns. Euros will give you "international prices".

I suggest you try Euraide.com for assistance in figuring your train fare and purchasing the ticket. Their office is in the Munich train depot, and they are experts in fares to and from there. They helped us do Vienna-Prague-Munich last summer, using the Prague pass, which may still be available. They charge face value plus a small S&H fee to get tickets mailed to your home.
I've also liked using BudgetEuropeTravel.com for train fares in Europe. There S&H fee is slightly less expensive.
Both resources have 800 numbers you can call to speak to a real, live person. Always a help in my book.

>Euraide.com

I doubt they will charge you local chech prices instead of the "DB German Rail inflated 400% more price", but I will go there next time and see what happens :-) Thanks.

I did just check it. The Prague Pass is an extra $45 and isn't sold separately, opposed to the 17€ full price you would pay at the ticket counter. :-(

Thank you everyone for you help! I have heard only good things about Euraide. I did look into the Prague Pass, but for the small amount of travel we will be doing in the Czech republic, I don't think it is cost effective. Our only other trip will be from Prague to Dresden, which I understand to be very inexpensive if bought in Prague.

I am starting to lean towards that 6:44am train. It is very early, but only one train, with food service - and I presume a more comfortable German train? How easy is it to pay on board for the czech portion of the trip? I am tempted to buy my ticket in Munich in advance, just for the ease of it.

If you stay on board it all depends on the czech conductor. Buy a ticket to the first station in the CR in Munich. Show this to him/her and your crowns and ask for a ticket to Prague. This usually works. If you have a Ticket only valid in Germany, you're an "international traveller".
But there is no need to buy the complete ticket in Munich, you don't have to leave the train and it is almonst shure you save some money doing it that way...

Don't know about Czech conductors and trains but in most of Europe buying a ticket on board often involves a surcharge of up to several euros. Even then probably be cheaper than buying the thru ticket in Munich.

I was just looking at the "happy weekend" ticket, (as I am going on a sunday), it looks like it is good all the way to Plzen! Then just a very short stretch to buy from there to Prague.

Would be a good alternative on a sunday! I don't know if if counts as "local", but it wouldn't be very expensive from there to Prague anyway. Don't worry about the surcharge on the train, it is small. If you choose this alternative, please post your experiences here. I go to Prague a few times a year for shopping, it is still very inexpensive in winter, but prices are going up.

Thanks again for all the help, I will definietly post my results!

If I decide to sleep in and catch one of the many segmented itineraries, I will buy my czech ticket at the station in Plzen. If I manage to get up for the 6:44am one, I will attempt to buy on board as recommended.

I did finally manage to locate those trains on the czech site - so they do exist. I had be searching for Munich to Prague, and Bayerisch Eisenstein to Prague, and they didn't show up. When I changed my search to Zelenza Ruda to Prague, they appeared. I should never have doubted Die Bahn!

Logos999, have you ever had problems with making connections on these trains? In some cases there are as little as 7 minutes to get from one to another. I presume that Bayerisch Eisenstein/ Zelezna Ruda is all one train station? Or is some walking involved between the two?

It isn't one station, but it's only a few meters. Up to today, I always got my connecting train. The train simply waits until everybody is on board. :-)

If I wanted to break the trip up, and stop somewhere along the way for a couple of hours, what would be the best spot? Plzen? If I got that early train, I could spend several hours there, before heading on to Prague. Are there generally lockers in Czech train stations?

There isn't that much to see in Pilsen on a sunday. It is an historic german town, nice bulidings, one big shopping center downtown, but nothing like Prague. The beer of course is good and there are many restaurants downtown. The area between Munich and Prague is mostly "rural" (not to offend anybody). The worst places are right at the boder, where all the "gambling, prostitution, imitated merchandise" places are.

A great place to spend a few hours would be Karlsbad or Marienbad, which are very famous spas. Really GREAT and famous places.

Thats Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), and Mariánské Lázne (Marienbad).