Prague to Munich by rail ?
 

Besides rail europe does anyone have any other suggestions on the cheapest way to get to Munich?

The reference library of a city near you may have the Thomas Cook European Timetable. The one through train of the day is by night from Prague Hlavni at 2145 to Munich main station at 0626. In second class it has 3 berth single sex sleepers at a supplement of 60 euros each, and crowded 6 berth couchette compartments at a supplement of 15 euros each. The basic fare is 79 euros or less.

By day the official route is a through ticket via Cheb, with a change usually at Nuremberg. The fare is again 79 euros or less
Prague 0615, Munich 1309
Prague 0750, Munich 1419
Prague 1020, Munich 1814
Prague 1415, Munich 2109
Prague 1520, Munich 2218

But there is a cheaper day route, with a Czech ticket at 9 euros and a German ticket at 43 euros, total 52 euros.
Prague buy Czech ticket and leave 0625, restaurant car at German prices, Plzen 0755 to 0805, Zeleszna Ruda Mesto 1027, walk across the station, buy German ticket in euros, and leave 1034, Plattling 1149 to 1206, Landshut 1259 to 1330, Munich 1418
Or not Sundays Prague buy Czech ticket and leave 0910, Plzen 1039 to 1050, Zeleszna Ruda Mesto 1329, walk across the station, buy German ticket in euros, and leave 1334, Plattling 1449 to 1500, Landshut Munich 1638. Sundays similar, but leave Prague 0805.

Prasgue Hlavni station has pickpockets in gangs of three, so before walking through it you should put a little money and your rail tickets in a front pocket, and all other valuables, including your passport, deep inside your biggest piece of baggage, to come out in your sleeper or just before the frontier. There are also travelling thieves on main trains, so by night you need a sleeper or couchette compartment, with a door that locks from inside, and by day you should ask a fellow traveller to mind your luggage if you leave the compartment.

Except in the Christmas rush period you need not book seats in advance, or indeed at all, but you should book berths on night trains three days ahead at any date, and two weeks ahead for the Christmas period. RailEurope take a thirty percent markup on standard prices. To book tickets, seats, and berths Americans can use Euraide in Florida, http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homep...e/homepage.htm, telephone 1 941-480-1555 fax 1 941-480-1522 [email protected]).

Also they can book through three firms in Britain:

Trainseurope Ltd, of Cambridgeshire and London, take credit card bookings by phone and mail tickets to any address. Have the widest access in Britain to rail systems and tickets. http://www.trainseurope.co.uk/ - E-mail [email protected]. Phone 00 44 900 195 0101 - calls from Britain cost 60p per minute, maximum 5, but if the enquiry results in a booking, the cost of the call is deducted from the final invoice. Phone Mon to Fri 10 to 5 British time

German Rail UK: www.deutsche-bahn.co.uk/ Phone : 00 44 870 243 53 63 then 6. Fax : 00 44 208 339 4700. E-mail : [email protected]

Ffestiniog Travel, site http://www.festtravel.co.uk, e-mail [email protected], phone 00 44 176 651 2400

For international tickets, berths and seats Trainseurope are ten percent cheaper than German Rail UK or Ffestiniog Travel. For domestic Italian trains they are cheaper again. German Rail UK are cheaper than Trainseurope or Ffestiniog Travel for domestic trains within Germany and may be competitive with them for international trips with a big proportion of miles in Germany. Trainseurope take Visa and MasterCard, but not Amex or Diners.

Please write if I can help further.

[email protected]

My dear Ben,

I sit in awe at the feet of a Master.

I just wish local libraries wheren I live would acquire the Thomas Cook timetable. Ben has been telling us about it for years, and I have asked.
But I might as well be asking for a folio edition of Macbeth or Hamlet.
I could buy it myself I guess, but it has to be renewed periodically to keep up.

There national websites for all of the continental rail systems, but they do not show international prices, as a general procedure.

But Ben has ridden more European trains that I have seen!!

I usually clip and save his postings.
Sort of like taking notes in class.
When the professor talks, students better listen, if they want to get a good grade.

Ben,
Thank you for the great information!
I really appreciate your help once again. Mike B.

I can tell you that the Cook timetable is a great reference but Mr. Haines is NOT getting all his pricing information out of it since the timetable says nothing about prices. What he HAS done and at undoubtedly considerable time and effort is thoroughly research the various aspects through use of a multitude of sources. I just wish some of the other posters here were as objective as he tends to be rather then resorting to these ridiculous and totally global generalizations such as "If you don't go to Switzerland for the mountains, why bother?" Mr. Haines remains far more of a true "navigator" than anyone else here.