I%26#39;d just like to say that I am overwhelmingly impressed by the German public transportation system. I do not believe there is another country in the world that could match it.
Every major city has an underground train network (U-Bahn) and a munincipal rapid train system (S-Bahn) as well as a mass of bus routes. Some even also have trams. All of these services are neatly intergrated and run frequently and according to schedule. You can generally utilise all parts of a city%26#39;s public transport network with a single ticket, thus meaning a ticket purchased from a bus driver is valid also on all U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains and trams.
The national rail network is also surely the envy of the world. Deutsche Bahn provides a first class service with even the smallest of towns having access to its trains. The carriages are modern and clean. On most trains there are electronic boards displaying the next station and final destination. Next stations are also announced over the tannoy. %26gt;This is true for the most part also of all German buses, trams and U- and S-Bahnen, which also provide electronic displays%26lt; Deutsche Bahn%26#39;s ICE high-speed train is a breakthrough in modern technology.
German has also some of the best value-for-money deals I have ever seen. The %26#39;Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket%26#39;, which allows up to five people to travel on the regional trains across an unlimited distance for an entire day (Saturday or Sunday only) for just €30 must be the best rail ticket in the world. The Länder-Tickets are also fantastic value and allow you to travel on any day of your choice for an entire day on all buses, trams, U-Bahnen and S-Bahnen and regional trains throughout an entire Bundesland (state). Some Länder-Tickets even allow up to five people to use a single ticket.
It%26#39;s time Britain and the rest of the world started sitting up and taking note...
|||
Hi,
are you joking?
German railways amongst the best of the world?
You must be joking?
Have you never been to any other European country?
Switzerland, Austria, BENELUX just for example?
|||
In defense of our friend from England, I think Deutsche Bahn is an impressive railway. Remember their network is much, much larger than Austria, Benelux, etc. The rolling stock is modern and well kept. The ICE network is extensive and growing. The only European country with such a railway system is France.
Secondly, Deutsche Bahn has excellent discounts like the Schoenes-Wochenende-Ticket and specials on overnight trains. I%26#39;ve never seen anything like that from other european railways. The price per km is much cheaper than the railways in the UK.
LondonParisBerlin%26#39;s posting could certainly help someone planning a trip to Germany. Last time I checked, that is why we are on this website.
|||
When I realized I had bought a non-refundible air ticket to Munich, intending to go on via train to Hungary and found the train station is not in (or near) the airport, my heart sank. Amicus, on the Austrian page says allow one and a half hour for the transfer.
I visualized a struggle, like crossing Chicago, an horrific thought. Am I wrong? Is there an alternative?
I suppose I could just buy another air ticket onward, but I really want to see the ground, the people, etc. I%26#39;m kind of in a hurry, too: I want to get to Hegyeshalom (the border) at a decent hour in the evening.
Uh, arriving Munich 9:30 AM. (if all goes well!)
|||
#ekid
Munich Airport has it%26#39;s own railway station.
DB timetable
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
From: MUC Airport
To: Budapest (or wherever in Hungary you plan to go to)
|||
%26gt; I visualized a struggle, like crossing Chicago, an horrific thought. Am I wrong? Is there an alternative?
Of course Munich%26#39;s main railway station is not in or near the airport, nobody builds airports in the city center. Not even in Chicago I assume :-). You board an S-Bahn train (S1 or S8) from the airport station to the main station, and when arrived there just walk up the stairs to tha main station hall. Travel time is about 45 min. Trains to Vienna depart roughly every 2 hours from there.
|||
%26amp;gt;%26amp;gt;ekid
As has already been pointed out, Munich airport (MUC) has its own train (S-Bahn) station. Trains to Munich city centre run every few minutes. You can reach Munich central (main) station by taking either of the two S-Bahn lines (S1/S8), which serve MUC. Note that you will only be able to buy a ticket for travel into Munich at the airport. You will have to enquire about your onward journey(s) once you have reached the city centre.
Central Station = %26#39;Hauptbahnhof%26#39; in German.
From the Hauptbahnhof, you can connect to a whole range of trains serving destinations all over Germany and Europe. A quick search I have just made on your behalf suggests that you will first have to travel to Vienna from Munich, then change trains to go on to your destination in Hungary.
I would like to advise you, however, that your journey from Munich to Hungary is likely to be very expensive if your go by train, certainly in comparison to air fares. I suggest that you consider carefully this option. It could save you quite a few dollars. A return flight shouldn%26#39;t cost you more than around (USD)$200. Check out the Lufthansa website (www.lufthansa.com).
|||
Actually Chicago has a close-in airport but it doesn%26#39;t handle international flights, and its awfully small. Recently, a plane went off the runway into city streets, trying to stop!
What I was hoping for is a place like Amsterdam-and maybe Frankfurt; I%26#39;m told you can catch a train to virtually anywhere directly under the terminal? Even an ICX?
LPB, your thought gives me pause. I hate wasting money, but (its been a while since I looked) I thought I found one -way to Vienna for approximately 100 euro or a little over.
After my dental treatment in Mosonmagyarovar, (the dentist will pick me up at either Wein or Hegyeshalom) I want to wander around Germany a little afterward.
I am a farmer and truck driver not far enough from Chicago. We hate and fear big cities, and Chicago must be the worst in the world excepting New York or Boston, maybe.
So, keep these ideas coming, folks!
|||
%26gt;Actually Chicago has a close-in airport but it doesn%26#39;t handle international flights, and its awfully small. Recently, a plane went off the runway into city streets, trying to stop!
%26gt; What I was hoping for is a place like Amsterdam-and maybe Frankfurt; I%26#39;m told you can catch a train to virtually anywhere directly under the terminal? Even an ICX?
You mean an ICE? No, tough luck. There are only local/suburban trains from the airport, you will have to change at the main station, or possibly the Ostbahnhof (East station). From the main station there are ICE%26#39;s to the rest of Germany. And contrary to what a poster said before it is possible to buy a through ticket from the airport to anywhere. A ticket to Hungary is however (intrantional) only available from the counter, not just online as a ticket within Germany would be.
%26gt; I am a farmer and truck driver not far enough from Chicago. We hate and fear big cities, and Chicago must be the worst in the world excepting New York or Boston, maybe.
Can%26#39;t compare as the only big cities over there that I halways know are Canadian - Toronto and Montreal - and both of them are awfully spread out for their size. Munich has about 1.3 Mio people and is about 20-25 km across, complete with suburbs and all. I think Toronto (with about the same size) was at least double that across...
No comments:
Post a Comment