moon4fun

I'll be in Ljubliana next May. Our trip including Ljubljana, Salzburg, and Munich. Looking for advice for train from Ljubliana to Salzburg, and then from Salzburg to Munich.

May 19,
One-way ticket from Ljubliana to Salzburg

May 22
One-way ticket from Salzburg to Munich


Thanks!
Lee

Aviatrix

I did Ljubljana to Munich a year ago (almost to the day) - as you probably realise that's the same train, the route is Ljubljana - Villach - Salzburg - Munich.

Very pretty and scenic journey - really enjoyed it.

I booked online at www.bahn.de and got a saver ticket for very little (saver tickets go on sale 90 days out and are first-come, first-served). I've just checked www.bahn.de for fares from Ljubljana to Salzburg, and buying a ticket to Salzburg is more expensive than buying a ticket to Munich - no saver fares available, just the full fare of EUR 55. Suggest you check the Austrian site (www.oebb.at) to see if they can do better. If not then there is nothing stopping you buying a ticket to Munich and getting off in Salzburg, there are no barriers and no checks.

Things may have changed since, but when I bought my ticket last year the only option were paper tickets (i.e., no print-at-home ones)

stut

IIRC, there is a €19 fare on the EC from Ljubljana to Salzburg, but is time/quota controlled, and can only be bought in Slovenia. Otherwise, the full fare's not too expensive (and I can't imagine you'll have problems getting a seat unless there's a major holiday).

From Salzburg to Munich, you've got the option of Railjet or Meridian - the former is an inter-city express and the latter a local service (which only takes 20 minutes longer). Railjet is a nice way to travel, and will need prebooking - you can go so at http://www.oebb.at/ about 2-3 months before travel. Meridian do have some prebookable fares, but the Railjet ones are cheaper if available. OTOH, Meridian trains are more frequent and the walk-up fare isn't unreasonable.

However, for Salzburg-Munich, you can also buy a Bayern-Ticket - details here. No need to pre-book. It is better value with multiple passengers, but still pretty decent with one. It's valid from Salzburg on the Meridian trains, but then pretty much all local trains in Bavaria for the rest of the day (including the Munich S-Bahn).

KQ321

AFAIK, bahn.de will only offer discounted (ie: Europa-Spezial) fares on journeys that start or end in Germany. So, for Ljubljana - Salzburg, bahn.de would only offer full fare - but, as Aviatrix has mentioned, www.oebb.at might have discounted offers available.

However, bahn.de will allow up to two stopovers of up to 48hrs each on Europa-Spezial tickets, without affecting the base price. So, if you were happy spending less than 48hrs in Salzburg, you could book Ljubljana - Salzburg (<48hrs) - Munich all as one ticket.

Tizzette

The issue with printing out your ticket has to do with getting the entire bar code to print on the page. US letter size paper does not perfectly correspond with the European print set up which cuts off a little bit of it at the bottom. You need to redo your margins or use legal size paper and then trim it. If you don't choose to print out your tickets, it is easy to go up to the ticket window and have your tickets issued by giving your code from when you purchased online. First class on a saver fare is so affordable, I always buy it.

KQ321

I think a couple of different issues are getting mixed up here. You are indeed correct that self-print tickets for European railways are generally designed to be printed on A4 paper, which can causes issues for pax coming from countries which use other paper sizes in their printers. (There was another thread here on this topic fairly recently, but I can't immediately find it.)

However, the issue Aviatrix is referring to is nothing to with the size of paper - but the fact that DB simply do not offer self-print tickets on Slovenia-Germany journeys. (AFAIK, this is to do with the conductors in Slovenia (and a few other countries) not having the necessary equipment to scan the German self-print tickets. For Germany-Slovenia (or similar )journeys self-print tickets are available, as the ticket is scanned by the DB conductor in Germany, and thereafter the conductors rely on the stamp made by the DB conductor).

Also, when you say "If you don't choose to print out your tickets, it is easy to go up to the ticket window and have your tickets issued by giving your code from when you purchased online.", you should specify which train companies you are referring to. AFAIK, DB do not offer this service for tickets purchased online - the options are to have a paper ticket delivered by mail, to have a ticket sent to your phone, or to have a self-print ticket which you must print yourself. There is no option to collect a self-print ticket from a ticket counter, or even a machine. (However, if you order tickets over the phone from DB, you can arrange to collect them from a DB machine or, I think, a DB ticket counter).

I am less familiar with OEBB, but IIRC, for tickets ordered online at www.oebb.at, you can still opt to collect them from an OEBB machine. However, although they used to have a counter collection option, I thought that had recently been removed. Other rail companies have different procedures, so it is important to check which one you are referring to!

Tizzette

Oebb (Austria) is the one I used. The bar code getting lopped off using US paper is a problem I encountered, although the conductor did accept it and I wasn't actually kicked off the train. I went to the counter at the next stop (Innsbruck) and had my paper printouts reissued as tickets. Just trying to be helpful here.

linglingfool

Can also game the system a bit by adding additional stopover time in Freilassing to allow essentially 96hrs in Salzburg -- just buy a €2.40 ticket for travel between the two cities on the actual date of departure. (Or live life on the edge and assume the conductor is unlikely to check your ticket in the 6 minutes before reaching Freilassing.)

Revilo199

Back to the original question:


Here you'll get all the information you need about the Ljubljana-Salzburg part of the trip:
http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/passe...stria/salzburg

The walk-up one-way fare from Slovenian railways is 53€. Unless you are young or a group it doesn't really get much cheaper as OEBB doesn't sell tickets starting in Slovenia and Slovenian railways do not offer online purchase. For the Salzburg to Munich part see www.oebb.at/en or www.der-meridian.de

Aviatrix

You can get it for 39 Euro if you book on bahn.de and put Freilassing as your destination instead of Salzburg. Freilassing is the next stop, and there is nothing stopping you getting off the train in Salzburg instead (as mentioned before)

moon4fun

WOW, there are so many advice...
Many Thanks to aviatrix, stut, kq321, tizzette, revilo199 and linglingfool...

Lee

moon4fun

Now I had 4 night in Lju, I am thinking to move last one night to Zagreb.

I am thinking take train :
5/18/15 LJU - > Zagreb
stay one night on Zagreb, next day take train from Zagreb to Salzburg:
5/19 take train from Zagreb to Salzburg

any suggestion ?

Thanks
Lee

KQ321

I am not quite sure what advice you are asking for here...

However, for Zagreb-Salzburg, if you want to see the scenery, then take one of the daytime trains (there seems to be a direct train departing at 06:50, or there are later options with one change in either Graz or Villach).

If you want to save time, then take the overnight train, departing Zagreb at 21:20, and arriving Salzburg at 04:09 (you may find it preferable to stay on until Munich, and then double-back to arrive in Salzburg at a more reasonable hour - although that would of course cost a bit more in tickets...)

moon4fun

Sorry the confusing on my stmts.
Thanks for the reply. Initially I was asking advice on how to split my 4 night between (LJU and Zagreb), I think I will stay 3 night in LJU and 1 night in Zagreb.
As of taking the train from Zagreb - Salzburg,
06:50 is too early for us.
overnight train will be too early to arriving Salzburg....

I will check the schedule if there is any between....

Thanks
Lee

moon4fun

Hi All,

Not sure I am getting this right before I book. About to book a train from Salzburg to Munich..
I found this on Bahn, for 2 person May 21, 2015. What is Sparpreis mean?


Your selection

Travellers
2 adults, 2nd class
Your ticket
SINGLE RIDE, Sparpreis
Specific train(s) i.e. your ticket is only valid on the train(s) specified on your ticket. Can be used in conjunction with BahnCard 25.
Exchange/refund, EUR 17,50; Excluded from the 1st day of validity.
29,00 EURTotal fare:

Sound like a good deal compare to 72 Eur on OBB...

Is this right?
Thanks!
Lee