 Poster: A snowHead
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On the 20th December I'm flying into Munich and need to get a train to Serfaus in Austria. Or rather the nearest station to Serfaus, which I think is Landeck. Answers to a few questions would really help me out -
1. What's the best website for booking tickets?
2. Do I book open tickets for the day of travel or do I need to book a specific train?
3. If it's a specific train I need to book, what's a sensible time to allow from landing time to getting on the wee train from the airport to the city?
Thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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1. Bahn.de (in English) - http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml
2. Use the journey planner to find the most suitable route/trains and check for saver tickets, then buy accordingly. As it's holiday time, you might want to reserve your seat.
3. I allow minimum 1 hour, but there are too many variables to be accurate. Mainline trains are sometimes only every hour (or even every 2 hours) so it may be clear which trains you can catch. Saturday 20th is likely to be a very busy travel day as people will be heading home for Christmas, so allow extra time. When you get the wee train into the city, you usually only need to travel as far as Munich Ost to pick up the mainline trains, but the journey planner will indicate this.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Valkyrie, You may not get any results just yet as the timetable changes on December 13th. I just tried for you and got a message saying it is not possible to do this at the moment because of the scheduled timetable changes.
you can actually put in the location in Serfaus which surprised me - I selected the Bergbahn as I reckoned it would be the most central point.
I would not worry about booking a seat as it is not the most popular time to travel, most people will be travelling in the period leading up to Christmas Eve, building up to the busiest day which is the 23rd. The roads will be busier though as many of the Dutch, Danes, and other Scandinavian countries like to have the Christmas week in Austria.
The tickets are generally open any way, so don't worry too much about stressing yourself to get a particular train. what is important is to look at the total travel time as well as the connections - you will most likely use the S-Bahn to München-Ost, then pick up a train to Kufstein or Innsbruck which may or may not carry on to Landeck. At Landeck you will transfer to a bus up to Serfaus. Currently I'm getting a 54/55 Euro one-way price by the way.
Have you looked at booking an airport transfer with one of the companies that run them? Four Seasons Travel is a taxi service based in Innsbruck for example, that serve most of the Tirol resorts. But there are also plenty of others.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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as above, bahn.de
but tickets and the timetable after early December may not yet be available.
the new timetable from early december usually goes live in late october iirc, so "imminently" (I have not checked yet)
PS take the exact credit card that was used to book the tickets, even if it expires in the mean time. The ticket guy will swipe it in the scanner to verify the ticket holder.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Valkyrie, You may not get any results just yet as the timetable changes on December 13th. I just tried for you and got a message saying it is not possible to do this at the moment because of the scheduled timetable changes.
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This is odd! I booked train tickets via bahn.de last Monday 11pm English time when the timetable was switched.
However, as they released like four weeks of tickets in one hit, there were some website issues (namely with reserving seats) so maybe they have taken it down again.
Please note that if you want to reserve seats which involve a journey crossing borders then they need to be reserved at the same time as buying the tickets. If you want to add them on and are UK based, you would need to go in via their helpline for foreign customers (waiting time & telephone charges...) and they can then add the reservation manually to your trip. (They will either post the reservation tickets or you can get them out of a ticket machine - according to the lady at DB this only works in Germany not Austria).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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schneeflocke, just tried again for the 20th December and it is not possible to book yet due to the timetable changes which will be implemented on December 12th (Midnight on the 11th actually). As andy says the tickets for the winter timetable period are usually bookable from sometime in October, so maybe holding back is a good idea. His tip about having the exact credit/debit card you paid with is also a good one. I watched someone being quizzed about an online ticket by the guard on my journey home from Munich the other week. Same goes for turning any tickets over (especially any of the Saver ones) and adding the names of those travelling if there is a space.
I don't think that it is necessary to reserve seats on the outbound journey, but if going back to Munich by train, it is probably a good idea.
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Samerberg Sue, How strange!
Just checked mine and Lampbus's trip on Sunday, 28 December Innsbruck - Recklinghausen and that's bookable.
I think they must have dealt with the website glitch now because I'm getting Munich - Landeck/Zams for sth like 59 Euros and a bit.
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I haven't checked out the location you're heading to but just to mention that there are shuttles from Munich airport that might go to the resort and might prove to be a good option. I can't remember the name of the company we used to go to Kitzbuehel but it was door to door, fast and about the same cost as the train (plural of course). I can look for the name....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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schneeflocke, possibly because you are starting from Innsbruck?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Samerberg Sue, Kevin Byrne, thanks for the recommendation - Four Seasons have quoted me €150 for the two of us one way, while the train would be €110 plus I'd need a taxi up to Serfaus from Landeck. So going to book Four Seasons. Now I need to work out the best way from Serfaus to Zell am Ziller on Sat 27th of December. I think the train will probably be the best option for that. Is the German website the best option for trains entirely within Austria or is there an Austrian site that'd be better?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Valkyrie, Compare the two sites as there are often differences in the pricing structure. I've found that the Deutsche Bahn prices come out quite a lot cheaper sometimes, even for trips starting in Austria.
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You know it makes sense.
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Check with Four Seasons for the mid holiday transfer also. Might get a package deal...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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BTW the Four Seasons desk is in the commercial area of Munich airport ie the place where you would get your S-Bahn tickets. It's near the big sign that displays all departures and near to the car hire desks etc. You'll have to walk a bit to that area no matter what terminal or airline you arrive on. Don't expect your driver to be standing outside the Blue Channel 
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