Salzburg to Munich - Bayern ticket
 

Just discovered and joined this excellent forum.

I've read much on the usefullness of the Bayern ticket for travelling around South Germany. I and three others are taking advantage of cheap air travel to get to Salzburg then planning a short hop to Munich. My question is, can I purchase the Bayern ticket at Salzburg HBf?

I understand that it only qualifies us to use RB trains which stop at every station but we are travelling on a budget.

>My question is, can I purchase the Bayern ticket at Salzburg HBf?

Yes, but only from the DB ticket machines (grey/red) and not from the Austrian ones.

>I understand that it only qualifies us to use RB trains which stop at every station but we are travelling on a budget.

RB and RE trains, as well as local transport (buses, subways, trams) in Munich.
The RE from Salzburg to Munich is only 20 min slower than the IC.

Another way to save all over Germany is to take the slower trains - half the price for twice the travel time, and several switches en route usually. But if you're on vacation and not in a hurry, it can mean lots of saved Euros.

Buy the ticket at a window and tell the agent which train you want to take - at first they ask again (thinking you made a mistake), then you confirm "langsam und billig" and they laugh... Do not board a fast IC or ICE train with that ticket, though, that would be cheating...

The German rail system, Die Bahn, or the big red DB actually is the train line into Salzburg. There are (or were) two sets of ticket windows in the Salzburg main station. The larger set is for the ÖBB; the smaller set is for the DB.

The way the station is designed, the local trains from Munich come into a different part of the station.

Some of the mainline trains from Vienna to Munich require a change of trains in Salzburg, but there a couple of thru ones.

The Bayern ticket has a few restrictions. On a weekday, you cannot use it on a train that departs before 9 am.

And, as you noted, it is not good on ICE and EC trains.

I might add that there are other tickets in Germany that are analogous to the Bayern Ticket. Most of the states (Länder) in Germany offer something very similar.

Let me suggest that you take a look at this English "gateway" page on the DB site:
http://www.bahn.de/p/view/internatio...overview.shtml

Follow the link to Regional Tickets.
From there, you will have several options. Take a look at the link that reads Click here to find more information about the "Länder-Tickets"

You will see a list of other German Länder that offer group rates similar to the Bayern Ticket.

Also, some of the Ec trains offer reduced prices that are bargains as well.

For example, the normal price of a ticket, 2nd class, from Munich to Kiel, is €119, BUT if you buy in advance and restrict yourself to a specific train on a specific date, you can save a bundle.

Right now if you were to buy a ticket for Feb 16 and travel at a pre-selected time, the cost is only €29 per person, one way. That is no gimmick.

Not all connections offer the cheap prices, so you must consult the DB web site timetable page.

There is a wealth of information on the DB website, and studying it will give you many ideas for travel within Germany.




Some of the DB website is in English as well as other language. Here is a "gateway" page that will give you a great deal of useful information.

The last sentence of my previous post should have been deleted!!

It is meaningless, or worse.