Transport questions.
 

Hi,

My husband and I will be leaving for Germany and Benelux for 3 weeks in early Sept and I have a few questions that need clarifications from fodorites. This will be our second trip using train as main transportation . The first trip was to Austria, Italy ,Switzerland and France using Eurail pass but this time we have decided to buy point to point tickets considering the good bargain in Germany's landers ticket.

1.Bayern ticket and Baden Wutternburg ( from Heidelberg to Freiburg im Breisgau) ticket--------from what type of ticket machine do we buy? Is the instruction available in English? Can we use a credit card to purchase? Can we buy the ticket in advance i.e the night before travel?

2.To get to Fussen and Mittenwald from Munich, a check in db website shows departure from Hbf GI 27-36. What does it means?

3. Will be travelling from Rothenburg ODT to Heidelberg by train. I understand that I won't be able to use the landers ticket for this journey. What is the cheapest alternative?

4.Will be travelling from Freiburg im Breisgau to Colmar by bus. Will we need to buy the ticket in advance or do we buy on board ? If in advance, where?

5.Plan to take the 07:31 Eurocity from Colmar to Luxembourg city on a weekday. Do we need to buy the ticket in advance? If so, can we buy in Munich or Freiburg or can we leave until the day before departure to purchase i.e purchase in Colmar.? What is the chances of seats running out?

6. I understand from Luxembourg City to Brussels and from Brugge to Amsterdam, I do not need to purchase ticket in advance. Am I correct?



thanks,
meilim

"1.Bayern ticket and Baden Wutternburg ( from Heidelberg to Freiburg im Breisgau) ticket--------from what type of ticket machine do we buy? Is the instruction available in English? Can we use a credit card to purchase? Can we buy the ticket in advance i.e the night before travel?"

It's easiest to buy them from a DB ticket machine rather than one of the local authority machines. DB machines have an English interface option and accept credit cards. You can buy them in advance for specific dates all at once when you arrive in Germany, or the night before, or however you wish to do it, but you need to be careful to stipulate the right travel date for the ticket you buy.



"2.To get to Fussen and Mittenwald from Munich, a check in db website shows departure from Hbf GI 27-36. What does it means?"

That's probably Gl for Gleise - "platforms" 27-36. Perhaps the specific platform will be determined later and you'll need to check the signage once you're there for your Gleis.

"3. Will be travelling from Rothenburg ODT to Heidelberg by train. I understand that I won't be able to use the landers ticket for this journey. What is the cheapest alternative?"

You CAN use the Baden-Württemberg ticket for most of this journey. It's valid for Würzburg to Heidelberg on the regional trains. So just buy an extra ticket for the trip from R'burg to W'burg and transfer there. It's about 11 euros.

"4.Will be travelling from Freiburg im Breisgau to Colmar by bus. Will we need to buy the ticket in advance or do we buy on board ? If in advance, where?"

I remember purchasing a ticket from a bus ticket agent in a building alongside the main train station in Freiburg. Buses depart from that spot.

"5.Plan to take the 07:31 Eurocity from Colmar to Luxembourg city on a weekday. Do we need to buy the ticket in advance? If so, can we buy in Munich or Freiburg or can we leave until the day before departure to purchase i.e purchase in Colmar.? What is the chances of seats running out?"

You can buy it in Germany. Not sure if it will be busy.

"6. I understand from Luxembourg City to Brussels and from Brugge to Amsterdam, I do not need to purchase ticket in advance. Am I correct?"

You are correct. There is open seating on IC trains and no reservations are possible.

2. And Hbf stands for Hauptbahnhof = central station

The Luxembourg trains are mostly just commuter trains -- invariable fares and no reserved seating.

Hi,

Thanks everybody for your informative replies. Great to hear that i will be able to combine a bayern wuttenberg ticket and a regular ticket for the Rotheburg Heidelberg leg. Certainly saves me some money.

meilim

Sorry, forgot to ask whether the landers ticket is valid for metro,tram and buses? Thanks.

meilim

>2.To get to Fussen and Mittenwald from Munich, a check in db website shows departure from Hbf GI 27-36. What does it means?

Gleis (platform) 27-36 is outside the main hall to the right side of Munich central station and it's also called "Starnberg-wing-station". You have to walk 3 or 4 minutes from the main hall and you won't see the tracks from there. It's only used for regional trains and for S-Bahns.

meilim, you cannot buy Länder-Tickets (or other tickets) on the regional trains anymore. So you need either carry both Länder-Tickets on you or leave the train at the border station. Yes, the tickes are valid for Metro-Tram-Bus.

Hi,

Thanks logos999 for your replies. To clarify, I can buy a Baden Wuttenberg ticket from a DB machine in anywhere in Germany i.e I don't have to be in the region of Baden wuttenberg to do that.

>I can buy a Baden Wuttenberg ticket from a DB machine in anywhere in Germany
No, you can buy one on the internet and at major stations like Würzburg not at all those smaller stations. So it may sometime be logistically challenging. However, the BW ticket from Würzburg and the standard ticket from R'burg to Würzburg is a good idea.

Hi,

Thanks logos999 for your reply. Since I prefer to buy my tickets when I'm in Germany, I will make sure to buy the BW ticket in Munich.