SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains in J

[coriander]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Your train was going to Innsbruck via Salzburg. You changed trains at Salzburg.

Key words:

"Zugteilung" = literally "train in pieces' = train will divide at Salzburg.
"Umsteigen" = "change trains"

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Vienna to Munich (well to Salzburg).

Seating config is 1-2.
We pre-select the two seating next to each other.
In front of us they have a table with 2 facing each other. We wanted to ensure we were not playing footsies with anyone else plus i hate staring at people.

Tray table down


Tray table up ... leg room shot.
The seats are comfortable and we like the extra space 1st affords.


An announcement is made that the train will be stopping in Salzburg in a few mins and anyone going to Munich must transfer to another train departing within 2 mins.
That was it ... no more details. So here we are thinking ... ok this should be fun. No platform number and no ability to speak German. But again I put my faith in the Gods that something would work out. Plus I tried to see if others were also going to Munich and I'd just follow them.

Our train pulls into Salzburg and we see another train on the corresponding platform. Could it really be that easy.
Sure enough, that was our train. Everyone makes a B-Line to the waiting train ... but ... there was security.

To stop the hordes of refuges they had strung up a plastic chain. Mmm there was only 1 problem ... no refugees appeared to be on our train. Everyone just transferred from train A to train B. Thinking we'd get swamped by the masses of refugees the Mrs & I hustle across to the new train and just pick a random carriage and find 1st class.

On the new train ... looking left


Looking right. Good to know a plastic chain how such powers. Even the guards are board.


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Your train was going to Innsbruck via Salzburg. You changed trains at Salzburg.

Key words:

"Zugteilung" = literally "train in pieces' = train will divide at Salzburg.
"Umsteigen" = "change trains"

We weren't stressed ... we figured that something would be happening.
But if it had been someones first time and they didn't know a world of German it may have been fun.

We used a bit of deductive logic and it all played out.

Next time I get stuck in an German situation, I'l be sure to ask if I can whim a friend I know on AFF.

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Train now going to Munich ... check


Mini cabin found ... check.
Only people in it ... check.


Arriving into Munich ... check.
Trip was uneventful. The usual order taken for 1st class pax and served at your seat.


Munich station


More Munich station


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

More Munich station


Ok off to find the domestic trains so we could get to our hotel, the Hilton Munich City.
Another laugh at the ticket machine name.

We were able to purchase local metro tickets easily enough as all the machines work in the same way ... tick the English box and follow the prompts.
Tip: Have your money ready or CC ready as we found the machine re-set quickly f we took too long.


Underground metro


Trains run very regularly

(He doesn't look happy being in the pic does he)

We exit the station as per Hiltons website, go up the escalator and are presented with a sign directing us to the Hilton. All too easy. And HLO again just made it all that more so.


TBC ... I'll gather some Hilton Munich pics and post again soon.

 

[subichow]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Love all the photos, thanks for sharing!

 

[coriander]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Next time I get stuck in an German situation, I'l be sure to ask if I can whim a friend I know on AFF.

Oooh, no smiley! :shock: Ouch.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be a smarta*s - many AFFers read these TRs and I was simply pointing out a couple of key words that might help future travellers. I was enjoying reading your TR - especially interested as I'll be in Munich (my mother's birthplace) in July this year.

I'll crawl back under my rock now.

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Oooh, no smiley! :shock: Ouch.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be a smarta*s - many AFFers read these TRs and I was simply pointing out a couple of key words that might help future travellers. I was enjoying reading your TR - especially interested as I'll be in Munich (my mother's birthplace) in July this year.

I'll crawl back under my rock now.

No, no ... sorry ... it is what happens when you try to post when on a conf call.

Happy face has now been inserted. And here are a few for good measure.

 

[Colin 2905]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

If you guys think that First class on ÖBB's RailJets is neat, have a look at Business class. Unlike what we're used to with air travel, Business is above First in this case.

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

If you guys think that First class on ÖBB's RailJets is neat, have a look at Business class. Unlike what we're used to with air travel, Business is above First in this case.

Here are two pics of what they looked like. The price was very high in comparison to the price of F over Y (a trivial premium).
The challenge we saw was trying to find a pair of seats without someone facing you.

Each block of seats have their own mini-enclosure

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Hilton Munich City happy snaps:

After coming up from the train station, there is an entrance within the station that takes you up to the lobby (via elevator) which makes it very convenient for accessing the metro especially if the weather is inclement. Plus after a long day of touring it is nice to exit train and be in your room within a few mins.

Check-in
This was fast and efficient. I was welcomed as a Gold and advised an exec room upgrade was granted. The agent also checked if we were on business or leisure. Once I explained we were from Oz on holiday and stepped her through the other Hiltons, she had a good laugh and became very excited to hand over a tourist map and tell us about 'her' city. As we checked in, I then did notice a few airline crew show up.


Lobby


Lobby bar


Bedroom shot - standard Hilton room, nothing special but still very comfortable and functional. The A/C worked well.


Work desk and TV


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Bathroom with the usual Hilton PTR amenities - though they are the small sizes so each morning when we see the housekeeping trolley we either ask (if the maid is there) ror we grab extra body lotion + shampoo conditioner (SWMBO has lots of long hair and the small sizes don't even do 1 wash). We notice that our skin becomes dry very quickly due to the weather + so much air con everywhere. So the body location is very welcomed.


Rrrrrrr a Shub ... I hate Shubs. At least SWMBO used the bath one evening for a quick soak. The water pressure is strong.


Room view ... of the inner court. Nothing to see. At least the room is very quiet and the curtains create a 100% black room at night.


Exec lounge nibbles


Exec lounge self serve beer + basic spirits


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

We asked with reception if breakfast could be had in the main restaurant and we were given the A-Ok

Main restaurant breakfast time (we only ever had breakfast here and not other meals)
There is a lot of seating which I suspect during business hours would become very busy. We noticed when the airline crews showed up, they themselves used a lot of tables.
Coffee was either the usual thermos style pot or when asked, machine made with no coffee tax


All the usual hot dishes + eggs made to order


More food


Carb overload ... inc the naughty pastries which are allowed on holidays. A croissant dunked into a hot coffee is so yum.


Cereals if you need more carbs


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

We discovered these little naughty treats (even after having a big fill). They were very yum.


Got a thing for honey, honey.


Oh ... this was a selection of exec lounge benefits slip we were given at check-in. I really like it when hotels do this as it takes the guess work out of what you get + times etc.


The hotel looked after us well. Concierge was a little cool but very efficient. In the evening (or over breakfast) we'd buy our activity tickets online for the next day / that day. Most tickets still need to be printed, so I'd walk over to concierge with my laptop and email them to the desk. They were happy to print the $n/c (and no I didn't tip as printing isn't an abnormal or special request IMHO). We also checked with concierge about some of the 'special' train tickets we wanted to use as we were exploring further afield from Munich but using Munich as our base.

Check-out was again fast an efficient with no billing errors. They were also happy to convert a pocket full of coins into notes and then break-down some large notes into smaller notes.

I would happily stay at this hotel again provided the price was right.

TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Munich is a wonderful city to visit. We immediately just felt like it had an excellent 'vibe' and character. Wondering around was super easy, the metro a treat and everything just seemed to work. On day 1 of our arrival, after checking into the hotel we hit downtown. We've come to discover that just go for a random walk can yield some excellent things.

Now having said that, we had loaded up the 'top 10' list of things to do in Munich on our phones + I had the HERE maps of Europe loaded up on my Android smartphone.
Tip: Just before we exit the hotel (and lose data via wifi (I didn't have cellular data roaming), I do a search via HERE maps of the city. It then loads up 3D renderings of buildings and more detailed information. So it then works great without cellular data if we get lost or need directions.

This is the town-hall


Internal of town hall


View from the top. You pay a few euro to take the elevator up


Town hall at night


The wondering continues and we visit 3 churches that afternoon. We especially like the small niche (vs the mega buildings) churches
St Michael's church


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

We had pre-booked tickets and tours of Neuschwanstein Castle @ Fussen when we were in Vienna as we had to see it on a specific day vs just showing up.
The online booking process was easy but we had to collect our tickets onsite vs printing them out ourselves (or better still, how about an e-ticket / QR code). I guess it keeps people employed at the ticket collection booths. They do have a requirement that you pick your ticket up a set minimum time before your tour starts.

We had elected to take the full package of 2 buildings + guided tours + a museum entrance.
It would mean an early start to the day. Yuck. But time once again to find the cement & take a teaspoon worth to harden up. Worth the price. And we knew it would snow overnight so we were especially excited.

A quick trip on the local metro to the main station München Hauptbahnhof


The station help desk ...
I got in line and asked a question just for the heck of it. I wanted to see how helpful they would be. And sure enough they were so polite.
The Mrs just shook her head at me as I exited the line.


München Hauptbahnhof station map


Yeap it is dark when we hit the platform and find our train.
Train going to Fussen ... check.


Train at platform ... check


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

The train is a double deck job.
We were booked into 1st class which again was only a few euro more than Y.
We figured that if the return was busy then having less people would be good. The ticket we purchased was a mix of premium fare (during peak hr) and then off-peak for the return. The train ticket also included the bus connection at Fussen station down to the Castle. The seats were not reserved so it was first come, first served. Again, not knowing if the train would be busy we went with F (we suspected the outbound would be quiet but the return may be busy especially if you want the direct train vs changing)



We walk along the platform to look for the first class designation on the carriage.
Seating is 2-1 vs 2-2 in Y but the seats are the same.


More seating


More seating configs


More seating shots. It was nice there was a mix of seats facing eat other as well as just side-by-side.
The early train from Munich to Fussen was lightly loaded in F but a quick walk to Y showed it was busy. This meant we had space to stretch out and even have a little snooze.
Our tickets were print-at-home (at hotel) jobs and the ticket inspector just put a hole punch through it and moved on.


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

View en-route to Fussen. Snow, snow, snow. We have snow. Wooo Hooo we are like children.

The journey is a quick enough one as the train stops along the way. But we have elected to take a direct (non-change) train as we wanted to get a little snoozing time in.


At Fussen train station there are 2 public transport buses timed to collect you and then drop you off at the castle. They are just regular buses that stop off along the way. We flash our train ticket and we're waived on-board.

The bus drops us off and 75% get off.

As we need to collect our tickets we just follow the signs where to go. All too easy.

This is the walk up to collect our tickets.


The ticket booth. I would say during peak period the lines would be huge.


As we've got reserved tickets, we jump in the quick line and have our tickets in hand within 5 mins.
I would strongly suggest tickets be pre-reserved / purchased.


As I exit the ticket booth I turn around and this is the view. Wooo hoo number two ... snow on the surrounding mountains.


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

Unfortunately you can't take pics in either of the castles which is a real shame.

The tour we selected has us view the smaller castle first then the main Disney one.
After collecting tickets it is about a 10 minute walk up the mountain trail to:

Hohenschwangau Castle


View from the top


Another view shot


More view. We are in awe of it. A beautiful place.

Our time had come to leave the guide tour of it. We really enjoyed the tour and were so glad we decided to do it (in fact, we preferred it to the main castle).

We again walk down the trail and find a privately run bus that will take you from the main town to the big castle. You can see the castle we've just come from.
It is a bit of a poorly organised process but we decide it is preferred to walking. The bus rid takes about 5 mins and is packed to the rafters (well overloaded). The driver has clearly driven the route up the mountain to the main castle many times as he seems to accelerate hard, brake late and almost be sleeping. The road is very wet with snow by the side of it. We are glad to get off. But again, we would still prefer to take it vs walking the 30 mins or so uphill.
Tip: Just buy your ticket as you get on the bus. Do not buy the return, just buy as you need it.


TBC ...

 

[nonpop]

Re: SYD-xBKK-HEL-BUD-VIE-MUC-FRA-xHEL-xBKK-SYD EK B777, AY A350, QF A330, + Trains i

After the bus drop you off at the top of the mountain, we make our way down the train to Neuschwanstein Castle

The walk is about 7 mins.


View


Drum roll please ... and here we have Neuschwanstein Castle.
All the other pics I have are from the outside, so I'll just post this one. No pics are allowed inside. We are glad we took the guided tour option.
As per previous castle, you show up at a predetermined time and an electronic signboard shows the number on your ticket. When you see your number, you go through the turnstiles and the tour starts. It is one big machine that successfully empties your pockets. Worth every penny.


We then do the included museum and head back to the train station. We are tired and in need of a drink.

Fussen station


More Fussen station.
Very rudimentary in services considering the number of people that visit the castle. But it appears most come via pre-organised coach tour as there was a constant stream of them. We would 100% suggest taking the self-guided way with train and pre-booked tickets. It just works so well and gives you the freedom to move at your pace. The organised tours didn't seem to get anything extra either as they were on the same guided tours etc.


TBC ...