 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello all, I'm flying into Munich in March for a trip to Zell am See.
Currently considering the travel options from Munich - train is an option, but I'm also looking at car hire. Has anyone done this journey before and can offer recommendations? Whats the drive like? Snow chains required by law etc?
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi there,
The drive is fine. You take the motorway for just over half of it and then leave the motorway at Traunstein and drop down towards Lofer, then Saalfelden. There are some windy sections, but not really hilly. Another option is motorway all the say to Sazburg and then carry on on motorway to St Johann im Pongau, which is more motorway, but also quite a bit longer. The Lofer/Saalfelden way is about 120 miles I would have thought and takes 2.5-3 hours depending on traffic. But it's really an easy drive and nothing to worry about. I can't think that there would be anywhere where snow chains would be required, as it doesn't go to altitude at all really, and is main transit roads used by lorries etc. which are kept clear of snow, but you might need to check what tyres you get on a car from Munich, as the ones hired in Austria always have winter tyres (well always in winter at least!). So it might be that you legally need chains but won't use them, simply because the car might not have winter tyres. Check though as it might do.
The train is also pretty efficient, although there will be a couple of changes.
HTH
D
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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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the_bridie, welcome to snowHeads 
I've not done the drive from the Airport, but from the ring road it's fairly straightforward. I think you'd be very unlucky if you needed chains, although it does depend on where your accommodation is. The train journey involves a couple of changes, but is straightforward. The staff at the Airport station did me a print off of the schedule when I bought my ticket.
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Deliaskis' description is accurate. There are only slight hills on the road up to Lofer but I am not sure whether they ever have a (temporary) mandatory requirement for chains (there is no general requirement for chains). It seems that you have to pay extra for winter tyres when hiring a car in Germany (at least at the companies I've looked at), which seems a bit of a fraud to me (though I suppose the tyres have to be paid for somehow). However, it would be sensible (and legally necessary, if the roads are snowy) to have winter tyres, although it is quite possible you might not really need them, if the roads are clear while you are here.
In another thread, http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=1116446, lmac said he was driving out to Lofer this week. Maybe you could try contacting him once he's back and he can report his experience.
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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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the_bridie, Agree with the others, it's a straightforward drive. Unless you are arriving on a Saturday morning when the traffic makes a UK bank holiday jam look like nothing!
You required by law to have all weather or winter tyres on all 4 wheels and you will be charged extra for them. If you are using a car you don't need to have chains, however if you do you can only use them if the road is covered in snow. If it is ice, slush or patchy snow it is an offence in itself to use chains because of the potential damage to the roadsurface.
We have recently been looking at the options for our trip this weekend and chose the train. Mainly as it was half the price versus a hire car and only took about 1/2 hour more each way. There was also a special offer on which got us 1st class seats for less than 2nd class. I see you're from Dunfermline, if you're using Easyjet out of Edinburgh there are about 4 trains you can get within a couple of hours of landing. You will have to make at least two changes as the train immediately from the airport does not connect into the main network until central Munich and then change again at Woergl in the Tirol or at Salzburg depending on which train you get.
You will need to do the sums specific to your numbers and trip duration. I suggest that you look up the Deutsche Bahn website and use the journey planner to get times and fares and compare that to the hire car sites quoted costs. Then factor in your views/preferences on slightly longer journey times versus sitting back with a beer watching the countryside go by and you'll get your answer?
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check out www.bahn.de
you can book from Munich airport straight to Zell am See, there are some good ticket offers depending on when you are travelling
I did this journey in November and tickets were available from €38 return
watch out for a 1 hour connection wait at Worgl on the way down to Zell am See, next time I'm going to try some different route selections to see if I can avoid the wait
on the way back to Munich I only had a few minutes for the changes at Schwarzach-St Veit and Salzburg, everything ran like clockwork
I'd definitely recommend this as a relaxed way of travelling
good luck
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Thanks for all the replies. We've decided to take the train, Munich to Zell through (probably) Rosenheim.
Driving would have been convenient, but costs mean its just not worthwhile.
Cheers
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the_bridie, Glad you're sorted out.
The cost of car hire is very high in Germany and Austria - too much unless you are actually going to use it for the holiday itself rather than just the transfer.
If you ever go in summer as we do then I would recommend it as it is a more an integral part of the holiday
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