Special discount transportation savings tickets are available for S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains, buses, and trams in München in Bavaria, Southern Germany.
Munich (München) has an excellent and vast public transportation network that smoothly integrates the use of S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains, trams, and buses. Single-journey tickets are not particularly cheap but visitors can save by using special discount savings passes. The Munich Partner transportation day card is a particularly good deal for couples, small groups, and families.
Buying Tickets for the Munich Public Transportation System in Germany
Using the public transportation system in Munich (München) is very simple with unlimited transfers allowed between trains, buses, and trams. However, selecting the best ticket is potentially a far more complex matter.
The Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (MVV) offers around twenty different types of tickets, which is further divided into one to 15 different subcategories, which can be divided into up to four further sub-subcategory price classes. Fortunately for most visitors to Munich, the choice can be reduced most of the time to simple single-ride tickets or day passes.
Single-Ride Tickets on Munich’s Mass Transit System
The simplest ticket for the Munich public transportation system is the single-ride ticket (Einzelfahrtkarte). Single tickets must be validated prior to boarding trains, buses, or trams.
The price of the single ticket depends on the number of zones that the journey lasts. For single-ticket purposes, central Munich’s transportation system is divided into four price zones, which are in rings around the town center. A journey starting in the west of Munich in zone circle two and ends in the east in zone circle two will require a ticket for three zones as the reentry into zone two is calculated as a separate zone change.
Most tourist sights in Munich are in the central Zone 1. Popular sights in Zone 2 include Schloss Nympenburg Palace, Schwabing, Olympia Zentrum, BMW Welt and the BMW Museum.
Single tickets are valid for up to three hours for a single zone and four hours for more zones. During this time, travelers may interrupt journeys and transfer to different modes of transportation as long as the journey continues in one direction. Return or circular journeys require a new ticket.
Munich transportation single tickets are around €2.70 per zone (10 cent cheaper if a strip card or Geldkarte is used). Children (6 to 14 years old) pay €1.30 irrespective of the number of zones travelled.
For really short journeys, a short ride ticket (Kurzstrecke) can be bought for €1.40. It is valid for up to an hour and for a maximum of four bus or tram stops (or two train stations). Transfers are allowed but no return journeys.
Save with Day Tickets and Group Transportation Cards in Munich
Munich transportation day passes are great bargain deals and most travelers will save with these transportation cards if taking two or more journeys in a day. Once again, several different options are available.
The most useful for most tourists is the standard Innenraum day ticket that includes the four tariff rings of central Munich. The München XXL ticket include four further rings, which includes transportation to Dachau, while the Gesamtnetz covers the larger Munich area including transportation to Munich Airport.
The day tickets for Munich transportation are available in single, partner, and child versions. The Partner Ticket is valid for five adults (or ten children) and is the savings option even when only two adults travel together.
See Save with Munich Transportation Day Passes for more details on the day tickets and the Munich City Tour Card for a day ticket combining a travel card with discounts on sightseeing. Travelers heading out of Munich may also save with the Bayern Ticket, which covers virtually all local public transportation in Bavaria.