 Poster: A snowHead
|
Afternoon all – fingers crossed the prospect of imminent ski holidays are easing the majority of us back into our first working day of 2016!
The missus and I are heading to Ellmau on the 28th January for a four night break to celebrate our joint 30th birthdays. We’re flying into Munich landing at 4pm, Thursday afternoon. After looking at the train / bus versus car hire options I’m intending on hiring a car from the airport and driving down into Ellmau. (Any car hire companies you would recommend appreciated).
The route looks fairly straight forward, however I’ve never driven abroad in winter, or indeed around Munich during what will no doubt be right in the middle of rush hour! – Any words of wisdom / areas to avoid? I understand I’ll need to purchase a Vignette to drive on the Austrian motorways and these are available from petrol station and should be purchased in Germany before entering Austria.
We’re staying at Landhaus Wildschwendt (Booked via Tiscover.com, typical Austrian farmhouse B&B) which is located I believe on the outskirts of Ellmau but only a five minute walk from the centre. On previous visits (15 years ago!) I’ve been fortunate to stay in the Hochfilzer hotel and would like to dine there at least once in the evening. Any recommendations for other good eats? I’m keen to find some good food joints on par or above the Hochfilzer for a nice dinner or two. I know Ellmau isn’t Ischgl but we’re keen to a have a few après beers – any ideas of places to head? I’d consider skiing down into Soll for après on at least one night and getting a taxi / bus back if it’s really worth it.
On previous visits we’ve headed up the drag lifts in the village and traversed across to the Hartkeiserbahn which takes you up into the Skiwelt. We’re both capable skiers and will both ski anything pisted – the missus isn’t keen to head away from the pistes and if anything I’ll just play around at the sides. If my memory serves me right the best skiing is up above Soll on the Hohe Salve and over in Westondorf? Going / Itter is a little lower and has the more gentle slopes? Any on slope tips for places to eat / drink? Areas to avoid/head for?
Current conditions and forecasts are not favouring the east, however the long range forecast does show a drop in temps and snow later next week. Fingers crossed the snow arrives! If worse comes to shove we can jump in the car and head somewhere higher - suspect those areas will be extremely busy though and least enjoyable! Plan B recommendations are always worth having, just in case!
TIA, Liam.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
@Liam, you can buy a Bayern Ticket at the Airport which will get you from there to Kufstein where you can get a bus or taxi directly up to your accommodation. You need to write both your names on the back of the ticket otherwise the ticket collector will have a head fit. You cannot use the ICE or the EC trains (the fast ones) and you may have to change trains (or carriages) at Rosenheim but it is no big deal. I use the Bayern Ticket a lot as it includes all forms of public transport not just the trains in and out of Munich. My local station is Rosenheim, hence I know that the trains to Salzburg sometimes split at that station with part going on to Salzburg and part going down to Innsbruck via Kufstein.
Take a look at this web site http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/prices/germany-regional/bavariaticket.shtml
If you hire a car and are returning to Munich Airport on the Sunday evening you need to be aware that the roads will be very full towards the end of the afternoon and it could be a very slow journey. The border checks at Kiefersfelden on traffic coming into Germany are causing some major hold ups at certain times and the weekend traffic returning to Munich and all points north and west can mean that you are crawling along the A93 as well as the A8 and A99. Even the road down to Kufstein from Ellmau can be stop and go depending on when you actually leave.
To be honest it would be cheaper and certainly less hassle and stress for you to use the Bayern Ticket both ways for the grand total of 56 Euro (plus the bus or taxi to/from Kufstein Bahnhof).
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@Samerberg Sue, Thanks for the response. I did originally look at taking the train but was concerned at how long the journey would take (3-4 hours?) whereas hiring a car would take less than 2 hours (merely google maps!) - is that about right, or are the added checkpoints / potential traffic going to increase that significantly?
We are returning on Monday (flight leaves Munich around 5pm) so would have expected to leave for Munich late Monday morning.
Just looking at the train options the station the train departs from would be Flughafen - is this located within the airport or do I need to catch a train / taxi to get there?
When selecting the ticket method I'm struggling a little with the options, but it seems a trains departs from Flughafen at 5.04pm and arrives at 6.39pm to Kufstein (ignore the above duration then...) and as you say I can purchase the ticket at the airport anyhow. Assuming we make the 5.04pm train that could well be a good option. The next train would depart at around 6pm, and not arrive until 8pm.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@Liam, it will take you at least an hour to get from your plane to driving out of the exit of Munich airport in a hire car, and more likely 90 minutes given the potential queues at the desks. Then you have to drive halfway round the ring road which can be over in 30 minutes, or could take 2-3 hours at that time on a weekday, or cut cross-country through Erding and Wasserburg if the traffic on the A99 is known to be bad. Total journey time could be 90 minutes, but I'd bank on at least 2 hours, and be prepared for it to be 3-4 if there's an accident on the A99.
By train, it would be about 3 hours in total to Kufstein, then about 20 minutes by taxi. Buses at 7pm are unlikely.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@ousekjarr, The train could well be the better option then. The Hochfilzer hotel (even though we aren't staying there) do run a shuttle service to Kufstein which can be booked on the website at 14e per person each way. Suspect a taxi wouldn't be that much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Liam, the traffic definitely will not be as bad on a Monday, but the border control checks are very unpredictable. There is an easy route around it by the way by going through Kufstein itself and then following signs to Kiefersfelden where you pick up the A93 to Rosenheim and the A8 again. Coming down from Ellmau on the B173 to Kufstein you may actually be better off driving through the town and then picking up the signs for Kiefersfelden. Most of us locals tend to do that as it only adds a few minutes on to the journey and there is no risk of being held up at all!
I travel home from work the other side of Munich on a Thursday evening and there are sometimes some sections of stop-go along the section of the A99 between the A94 interchange( Munich East) and onwards on to the A8 between the Munich South interchange and the exit at Holzkirchen. After that the run should be straightforward.
And yes, Flughafen is German for airport and the station is right under the Terminal, under the central area in fact. You need to take the S8 to the Ostbahnhof then switch to the regional trains going to Kufstein via Rosenheim. The ticket you need to buy is a Bayern-Ticket for 2 people in each direction (28 Euro each way BUT remember to print both your names on the back of the ticket to avoid upsetting the conductor).
Coming back on a Monday afternoon should be alright to be honest, both in terms of the hold up at Kiefersfelden and going back around Munich on the A99/A92 to the airport. It can clog up but unless the weather is really bad, it should not be too bad.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Liam,
The roads round Munich are crap, the trains are good, as is the Hochfilzer (very nice people). That said, I'll be hiring a car this Feb to do it all again
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Samerberg Sue, what do think the traffic will be like Saturday 16th Jan at around 10.30am, driving from Airport to St Anton.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
@Liam, the Google/etc times are an average - so for every 4 or 5 journeys of 90 minutes, there will be one of 2.5 hours or more. Google now shows average times based on a 20 minute slot in the day rather than an average over a year or so, so is closer, but it doesn't show the spread of times - just the minimum and likely average.
On previous trips, we've sailed straight round the whole of the A99 and A8 at 140kph and reached Scheffau in about 1hr 40m, and then on the next trip it took 4 hours. The majority of the A99 is two lanes, so all it takes is one shunt and the whole thing very quickly grinds to a halt and stays that way for several hours. Last year, some friends in a hire car from the airport took 4 hours to get to the bottom of the A99 and then another 2 hours to Rosenheim, meaning they arrived in Hinterglemm at 8pm despite a 7am flight from the UK. That was on a Saturday and during Fasching, so it's unlikely that your Thursday evening in January is anywhere near as bad. But then you'll be driving the roads in Austria in the dark, which will take longer than in daylight if you don't know the route
Most of our recent trips have been by road all the way arriving at Munich from the west, so we've either cut through the centre of Munich, skirted around the SW edge, gone around the A99 as far as Haar and then set off to Grafing to get to Rosenheim, or stayed on the A99 and A8 - but only if the traffic reports say it is 100% clear, and even then we have backup plans in case it all goes wrong...
By comparison, imagine someone asking how long it takes to get from Watford to Dover - Google says 1hr 50m to 2h 20m, but we all know that the M25 and the Dartford Crossing could add 2 hours to that, and Operation Stack on the M20 could chip in with another hour.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@ousekjarr, sorry my message wasn't very clear. I was referring to the 3 hours you stated by train?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@musher, I've stayed at the Hochfilzer twice before. Great hotel. Unfortunately doesn't fit the budget at the mo!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@thunderer, how long is a piece of string? Depends on the weather, the route you decide to take and what other idiots are driving at above the speed limit for that particular section of the route!
@ousekjarr, if you were driving at 140km/h from the A99 to the A8 junction, you were lucky not to be stopped by the Q-type cars that patrol the A99 under guidance from the autobahn authority cameras. The A99 is 3-lanes in both directions from where it is joined from the A9 and also where it is joined by the A92 should you miss the exit from the airport motorway. The three lanes only change to 2-lanes as you come off the A99 onto the slip roads feeding on to the A8 at Brunntal (also known as München-Süd). The A8 is then 3-lanes in both directions from Brunntal until after the Inntal-Dreieck which is where you turn south towards Kufstein and Innsbruck. What is missing along some sections however is a hard shoulder which means that should a car or truck breakdown the traffic does build up very quickly. There are speed limits in place along the route from the airport to the border at Kufstein, varying from 80 km/h to 120km/h. There is very little of that route that is not speed controlled these days. It is part of my daily commute so I bloody know it as well as where the fixed cameras are! After the border there is a strictly enforced 100-km/h limit along the A12 with both obvious and hidden speed cameras, including average speed ones. Sneaky wee buggers those Tirol police and the ASFINAG, and they do target German number plates as many of us have found to our costs!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@Liam, my apologies - the 3 hours is based on time from the plane to Kufstein. You cut out the queue at the car hire desk, but you still have passport control, baggage reclaim, and the walk through the terminal plus time to buy the tickets and find the right platform. Allow 45 minutes from the quoted landing time and you won't be too far out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
@ousekjarr, thanks. I suppose the only downside to not having the car is that should the conditions not be great then I'll struggle to venture elsewhere. Decisions, decisions!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
If you want a good recommendation for a transfer try https://www.tirol-taxi.at. €88 per person return. Ive used them several times and they are good and reliable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@kevinraine, thanks. I'd had a look at those transfers but the care hire option is more reasonable as we only need 4 days hire. If I knew I'd make the 5.04 train then I'd go with that, but I think it'll be a push to make it in time after landing (expected arrival) at 4pm.
Be great to hear some recommendations for Apres beers, mountain restaurants and restaurants / bars to head in the evening! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
If your arrival time is 4pm and it lands around that time, then getting the 5-04 train will be a dawdle
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Thanks @jafa, we've decided to go for the car on the basis we'll be travelling Thursday & Monday which should hopefully mean the roads wont be too congested. Just looking at the alternative options @Samerberg Sue, has posted above. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Im driving back to munich after skiing on the Friday to catch the last flight back to Gatwick with easyjet . May be over skiing the ski welte.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
