Prague to Munich via train
 

Any advise on this trip?. Trying to decide if a point to point 1st class ticket is best. And most cost effective? Can this be bought on line? We usually buy the rail pass for Germany Austria/Switzerland which is also on the itinerary. Thanks!

You can buy it online at www.diebahn.de (English available). Many of the services from MUC to PRG are by luxury bus (sparpreis available). Nice ride. But there are two or three trains throughout the day. As far as I remember, the trains are just normal fares - no sparpreis.

The DB Munich-Prague IC buses are second-class only. And, although they are slightly quicker than the direct train, personally I would always prefer the train (where you can move around, watch the scenery, go to the bistro car, etc) rather than be cooped up in a bus on the motorway...

However, bahn.de won't sell tickets on the the train in that direction - only on the buses. However, the Czech Railways website (www.cd.cz) will sell tickets for the train.

It seems Prague-Munich is 2,729Kc (~€100) one-way in First - because there are no discounted special fares on this route in First (at least, not any available online). However, special fares are available in Second Class from 540Kc (~€20). Personally, I would take the €20 second class fare on the train. IIRC, these trains (at least the ones operated by CD rather than ALX) now have quite new carriages, with 6-seat (rather than 8-seat) compartments in second, with power sockets, etc available. And, unless you're travelling at peak time, it shouldn't be too crowded (and I think CD.cz will enable you to make a seat reservation as well).

However, if you have a valid Railpass for Germany for the relevant day, presumably you could just buy a ticket from Prague to the border station (Furth-i-Wald). That brings the price down to 449Kc (~€16) in Second, or 679Kc (~€25) in First.

If you want to go in First, but don't have a Railpass, you could then buy a First Class Bayern-Ticket, which would get you from Furth-i-Wald to Munich (or anywhere else in Bavaria, departing after 9am) for just €34.50 - so ~€59.50 total for the journey from Prague.

More details are on the Seat61 Munich-Prague page...

Much appreciated
 

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to lead me thru the many options for the Prague / Munich trip! We have been buying Rail Passes from RailUSA in the states on past trips, but I have noticed the prices getting higher each year! Even the reservations are pricey thru them. I like the idea of booking directly so thanks again for the links.

Best Regards,

Rob

Hey
There is an dicount Card in CZ: http://www.cd.cz/vyhody-pro-cestujic...n-karte/-9108/
So you get Railplus (25% discount when you cross the Boarder not depend witch.)

As a very rough rule of thumb: if you are travelling a huge amount by train (ie: long distances for each day of validity of a railpass) or want to have complete flexibility, then a railpass may be worth it. However, if you can fix your plans in advance, then buying point-to-point tickets, (where buy-in advance discount tickets are often available, but which tie you to specific trains) can often be cheaper.

See the Should I buy a rail pass or point-to-point tickets? section on Seat61 for more details.

Interestingly, Prague-Munich in 1st class is a relatively rare example of a long-distance trip where discounted advanced purchase fares tied to a specific train are not available (and the money-saving option outlined above by combining a Prague-Furth-i-Wald ticket with a Bavaria ticket can still be booked at the last minute).