Munich S-Bahn advice requested re
 

My family and I will be flying into Munich airport and rather than pay the higher price for car pick-up at the airport, instead we hope to travel downtown and after overnighting in town, we will pick-up our NOVA Car rental at the Hauptbahnhof.

Since our group is comprised of 5 adults and a 16 year old, are there any suggestions on the best way to get to the Haupbahnhof area from the airport? Should we buy the Partner Pass for 16 euros for 5 of us and then a separate pass for the sixth person? We could then use it after we check-in to our hotel so we can travel farther downtown that night. Or is it a better idea to buy 6 one-way tickets from the airport to the Hauptbahnhof and then buy the Streifen Karte for our travels later that night?

You should be aware of the alternative means of transport to the center and that is by bus..I believe it is run by Lufthansa. Some feel it is a better and perhaps faster way to reach the center of the city.

Go here for all the information:

http://www.munich-muc.com/transportation.html

Just learned the cost of the bus is 9 Euros per person...so looks as if the S-Bahn might be a better deal. Accoding to the websites the bus also takes about 45 minutes and that really isn't any faster than the S-Bahn as I recall.

To lazy to do the math? Want sonebody else to do it for you? ;-). All you need is to surf to this page and you'll find the answer yourself.
http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/index.html

have fun!

Sure Logos, figure it out for me. I was an English/History major. Math isn't my strong suit.

I checked out mvv-muenchen.de but am a little confused as to whether the transport system's Partner ticket can be used from the airport to downtown. Is it the same train all the way through?

It's the same train. 2 lines are going downtown. Your ticket will be valid on all trains, busses and the tram. Having majored in economics and computer science, I can say that the partner day ticket would be a wise choice. ;-)

By all means, go for the day-pass!!! That will be the best deal by far. One-way tickets on the S-Bahn tend to be comparatively more expensive. For the 6th person, I'd also get a pass. All passes are valid until 3AM or so the next day, and they include any late night buses and trams - so it is easy to get around. The only thing is that as a group you must travel together at all times.

And yes, the partner ticket is valid on ALL forms of transpo, including all S-Bahns and subways (U-Bahns). It even covers all regional bus lines in the surrounding towns, and most regular German rail trains in the area covered by the Munich transit authority (MVV).

Just a quick note that when I went to purchase my tickets at the airport for the Partner pass (or any other for that matter), though it said it would take credit cards, it did not. That took me fifteen minutes to figure out what I was doing wrong. Use cash (Euros).

It takes Maestro, but DON'T!!! ever put any card weather credit card or maestro card in a ticket machine in Munich. It is not uncommon that it will get stuck and won't be released again. This is esp. in the busses. I'm always wondering how a tourist would react loosing his card that way, with no chance getting another one in the next few weeks ;-). They bought a few thousand machines which are simply trash.

unless you arrive very late, there is a manned ticket counter that you can use instead of the machines. all you do is explain your travel needs and they will give you the most economical ticket(s) for the required journeys. they also accept credit cards. be sure to stamp/validate your tickets before you go down to the station.

That was my experience. There is a manned ticket counter right before you went downstairs to the train tracks. They advised us that the partner ticket for the day was best for us -- and they were right. ((b))