Munich transportation

[tod2]

Today I booked and printed out my e-tickets for train from Munich to Stuttgart/Stuttgart-Paris and the same return.
I took Kerouac's advice and booked all stages seperately so that I did not have to rush the connections.
The only thing I am not sure about is whether I need to book a ticket from the airport to the main station on the S-Bahn....forgive me for not remembering how I did it when last in Munich.
Something in the back of my mind says we bought tickets before boarding but I would not like to waste any time in queues. Can I get a ticket on the train? Anyone?

[lagatta]

I remember that on some trains, one has to pay a penalty when buying a ticket on a train.

bjd, you probably remember that Ottawa is an exception to railway stations in city centres. The rails were removed along the route to central Ottawa, at the time this was considered "beautification" (creating a parkway along the Rideau Canal), but it was an error in terms of urbanism. The station was right across the street from the Château Laurier railway hotel and extremely close to the Parliament buildings. This was very useful in the wintertime when parliamentarians and their entourage arrived by rail.

[tod2]

Thanks for your reply Lagatta - not only that. If you don't "validate" your ticket before boarding you will pay a penalty.
I telephone DBahn ticket offices in Munich and looks like I have to buy my S-Bahn ticket at a ticket booth before going downstairs to the trains. I can only hope there isn't a long queue.

[patricklondon]

If you have a home-printed e-ticket for a specific train, you don't need to validate it (because it can't be used for any other train). The inspector may ask you to show the credit card you used to pay for it, or your passport or other ID, but they rely on the printed QR code (and now they can if you prefer read that off the phone or computer you booked the ticket on).

As for travel from Munich airport, you can't pre-book. You buy your S-bahn ticket from the machines on the platform (or they may be available on the way down, I can't quite remember). I don't remember long queues; the times I've been over the last four years or so, there were, one way or another plenty of machines. It's not as if there's anyone on a train to buy a ticket from anyway. I wouldn't want to risk taking a chance on a ticket inspector being the right person to try to buy one from.

There are two lines between the airport and the Hauptbahnhof, S1 and S8. They take about the same time to get there. If you're going straight on to Stuttgart, you only need a one-way ticket, rather the "Airport-City-Dayticket", which costs a bit more but gives you a full day's travel anywhere on public transport in the city. If memory serves, the ticket machines do have an English language option.

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[tod2]

Thank you so much for refreshing my memory Patrick! I do not want to go to Munich-Passing only the main Munich station so will be very vigilant I don't board the wrong train.
I have my printed e-ticket so will just show that to the conductor on my train to Stuttgart and then Stuttgart to Paris. I vaguely remember him scanning the "bar code" with a device....
I have never traveled this route on my own before so have a few tiny jitters.

[mich64]

I remember bright yellow or blue machines at the entrances to the platforms for scanning the bar codes on our tickets Tod and have been told that you can scan Iphone tickets on them as well. We now usually just stand back for a few moments and watch what everyone else does when we are unsure in train and bus stations. We are not renting a car on our holiday this September, we will be taking the bus and train in Ireland.

My sister and brother-in-law are traveling to The Netherlands and Belgium on their own for the first time next month and we have been talking back and forth discussing things to help relieve her nervousness. The one thing I keep saying is, do not rush yourselves and stop and take the time to ask questions.

[tod2]

Thanks for that input Mich. I don't have an iPhone and am very backward when it comes to doing things on my cell phone.
I do not like putting myself under pressure when on holiday and have had two hairy times when changing trains. Thank goodness Kerouac suggested ( or should I say enlightened me) about booking the train journey in stages that suite me. The journey is calculated price-wise in kilometers so works out the same in one hit or in stages.

I am landing at 7.30am and taking the train from Munich Main Station at 9.46am. I would have liked the next train at 10.38 but it arrives at Stuttgart at 12.47 and my train leaves for Paris at 12.55, so you can see that would be too tight a time change over! The 9.46 gets me to Stuttgart at 12.00 so I have a nice time to walk around, grab a coffee, etc.

It's the landing at 7.30 and taking the S-Bahn into Munich (46min) so I have no time to faff around. At least I don't have to wait for luggage as it's coming in the cabin with me but I still have to line-up through customs etc.

Talking about Ireland...We took the train from Ballymena into Belfast and back. Just a little suburban train with two or three carriages - was lovely.

[patricklondon]

All trains from Munich Airport on the S1 and S8 go to the Hauptbahnhof. As far as I know you don't have any other options at the airport: announcements on the train will also tell you (in English as well as German) which station is coming next (and on what side to get out!), so there shouldn't be any chance of your going wrong.

Diagram of Munich public transport

From memory, baggage collection and immigration go quite smoothly in Munich; I get the benefit of an EU passport, but if the plane lands on time, I think you should be OK.


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[mich64]

I have little experience with using my Iphone Tod so I have printed our tickets but also have them saved on my phone, just in case.

I remember it not taking a long time at all getting through Customs and we were pretty much at the end of the line, we let the people who want to rush, rush, I can not keep up with them.

Excellent advice provided to you from Kerouac.

I love airport and public transport maps Patrick!

Tod, there are also Information kiosks that are large televisions where a live person comes on screen and you can ask her/him any question you need about the airport. She helped us to quickly find where Hertz was, saved us a lot of time from searching for them on our own.

[patricklondon]

Just another thought. To find your way to the S-bahn at the airport, look for a large white S on a green background.


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[tod2]

Most appreciative for all that information Patrick and Mich. Looking at the diagram of the transport system I only recognised one stop - Laim. Why I don't know. I am amused by the stop called Frankfurter Ring!!

[whatagain]

S& and S8 do go to Haupbanhof but one takes a lot longer (I took it...).

For S bahn, you can buy your ticket at a kind of ATM just before going (down) towards the tracks.

Stuttgart : pay attention, the statoin is being totally rebuilt, the whole area is a gigantic works.

Also I confirm that for trains with a reservation, you don't have to do anything, just show your printed tickets and that's it.

[tod2]

Thank you so much for that good info pariswat. I might even have chosen another connection instead of Stuttgart if I had known about the upheavel....but it is the more direct route instead of going up to Cologne. I'm sure I will manage as I have an hour before boarding in Stuttgart for Paris.
Yes, I have a reserved seat booked on each leg of my train journey so will just show the print-out to the conductor.
Thanks again!