So I'm in fra and have taken the s train and tram a few times. I've noticed that I haven't seen anyone actually buy tickets or check fit them. Do you typically by a ticket? Or do you take your chances? How much is the fine?

Yes, IF (happily not often) I take a Train or tramI buy a ticket. Most Germans have season tickets. The fine is 40 € and a nice embarrasment, because there won´t be many people without ticket in the Train.

OK just making sure it not some sort of scam where only the tourists pay. Using the app of pretty handy

An interesting concept..the city putting up ticket machines in all the stations and trains...gleefully rubbing their hands thinking of the stupid tourists who buy the fake tickets

Would be an idea

But that's not very German.

WELL, I thought it was unlikely but I would have been quite impressed if they pulled it off :) Overall I find the public transit here a bit expensive compared to in the US. I thought that perhaps the added cost was due to people not buying tickets

In fact as far as I know more or less all public Transportation (with excemption of single routes) in Germany is a losing

German, as well as Swiss, tarif systems in cities often consist of "zones", not as (mostly) based on distance travelled like in many other cities.

So, when you travel just over a zone, you might pay more for a 5min ride than what you pay for 60min ride when staying in the same zone. Sometimes it can be really crazy and mind boggling, but it seems every cities public transport has it's traps and loopholes.

Just always buy a valid ticket.

Public transit in Germany is also more expansive than in the U.S. Moreover, that one-way ticket for 60/90/120 minutes will cover all of the forms of public transit on your journey within that zone. So you can take a bus to the subway to a tram and to a bus again, all on the same single ticket. Most public transit systems in the U.S. don't work that way. And require you to buy a second (or third) ticket. Or a day pass.

At least, we have public transportation :D and in general it is not that expensive if you buy for a longer period. A single ticket might be expensive compared to the e.g. 2 USD a ticket for New York's MTA costs, but like in the US it becomed less expensive if you use it more often. A day ticket in Frankfurt for example is less expensive than three single tickets.

It has not so much to do with people not buying tickets (round about 90% have a valid ticket, 3% bought the wrong one and the remainig 7% are a combination of ticket forgotten (but have a monthly pass) or intenionally not bought one - number are from memory for the VRR network and a couple of years old). The networks charge the less frequent users more than the frequent user, which I think is a very fair model.

Yeah, I was comparing to 2USD for NY's MTA. If I recall, a single one zone ride on the train is 2.6EUR almost double the cost. But I agree, the system seems far more expansive. Although a bit confusing at times. For example in Salzburg, I think there were 3 different bus companies. Overall, the biggest annoyance I had was that most of the buses/trains/ICE, etc I took seemed to have defective A/C (or none, or maybe just turned down). However that seemed to be a common thread it many of the museums and other sight seeing places I went to.
I thought I had heard that the German public transit system was super efficient and on-time, but nearly every ride was 5-10 behind schedule.

Anyways, I'm back from my trip, it worked out quite well with the data sim card. It was somewhat simple to navigate. It was a little annoying that google maps doesnt route on all forms of public transit. In Salzburg where I had no data, it was far more difficult to be efficient

Yes and No...
There are just 2:
1) The local Salzburg Bus from "Städtische Verkehrsbetriebe Salzburg"
2) The ÖBB "Narrow" and "Mid" Distance Bus Service for People who life around Salzburg.

When you buy a Ticket you can take both in the Zone.I have to use it in Vancouver and its rubbish! Why do you not take that ÖBB APP? Thats simple and show you all Routes and Include GPS so you will find back to your Hotel.
Here the Links: http://www.oebb.at/en/Planning_your_.../SCOTTY_mobil/

I didn't have data access in Austria since it was just a day trip

Re-opening this old thread (apologies to mods if this is against the rules).

Has anyone stayed at the Charles Hotel Munich lately? We made a reservation for October (after October Fest, TYVM), and any advice would be appreciated.

How difficult is it to get to the BMW museum from this area? My husband loves cars, and I would love to indulge him, if it is not too much of a PITA (especially if, ironically, we can do it using public transportation -- stop snickering).

I know The Charles is next to the Old Botanical Garden. Is it worth a visit?

How should we prioritize Munich's museums? My husband loves the old masters, if that helps, but we much prefer a good collection of modern art to a mediocre collection of old masters, FWIW. I'm assuming, however, that Munich will likely have an excellent collection of old masters. Then again, never assume, right?

Food recs for a man who likes good, old-fashioned German-Austrian fare (think Schnitzel). Food recs for a lady who likes to relax with a nice spot of afternoon tea.

Any other ideas always appreciated.

Many thanks, as always!