Buying a Bayern Ticket is a great way to save on public transportation costs in Bavaria and Munich in Germany. The Bavaria Ticket is a cheap travel pass valid for individuals and small groups on regional German railways trains, local buses, metros, and trams.
The Deutsche Bahn Bayern Ticket (German Railways Bavaria Ticket) is a great savings deal to make public transportation in the German state of Bavaria exceptionally cheap. This day travel card is available for individuals (€29) or small groups of up to five (€69) and allows for unlimited travel on regional, S and U-Bahn trains, most buses, and trams throughout Bavaria including all major cities such as Munich, Nuremberg, and Augsburg. A special cheaper overnight pass is also available for travel after 6 pm. Buy the Bayern Ticketonline, at vending machines, or from most bus drivers. The Deutschland-Ticket is also worth considering for longer travel but is a subscription season ticket — study the details before signing up.
Save on Train and Bus Fares with the Bayern Ticket in Bavaria
The Bayern Ticket is a transportation savings pass that allows for fantastic savings on train and bus fares when traveling in Bavaria in southern Germany. The ticket is valid for unlimited travel for a day – subject to conditions – and may be bought for individuals or for small groups of up to five. The group ticket is the best bargain and is now priced according to the actual number of passengers traveling together.
The main condition of the Bavaria Ticket is that only local and regional trains may be used – i.e. no Inter-City (IC/EC) or Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains – but this is hardly a major hardship for tourists on sightseeing trips in Bavaria. Also, note the ticket may only be used on weekdays after 9 am (or after 6 pm on any day for the night ticket) but on weekends from midnight. (The Quer-Durchs-Land ticket is an alternative if traveling in more German states rather than in Bavaria only and the Deutschland-Ticket is a good option for a calendar month.)
The Bayern Ticket is priced according to the size of the group and available in the following versions: (at least €2 more expensive if bought from a ticket window rather than online or at a machine.)
Prices of the Bavaria Ticket in 2024
The prices for the Bayern-Tickets are as follows in 2024 if bought online or from a vending machine:
| Travelers | Bayern-Ticket 2nd Class | Bayern-Ticket First Class |
| 1 Passenger | 29 Euro | 41,50 Euro |
| 2 Passengers | 39 Euro | 63.50 Euro |
| 3 Passengers | 49 Euro | 85,50 Euro |
| 4 Passengers | 59 Euro | 107.50 Euro |
| 5 Passengers | 69 Euro | 129.50 Euro |
The prices for the Bayern-Tickets Nacht (nighttime Bavaria Tickets, valid after 6 pm) are as follows in 2024 if bought online or from a vending machine:
| Travelers | Bayern-Ticket Nacht (Night 2nd Class) | Bayern-Ticket Nacht (Night First Class) |
| 1 Passenger | 27 Euro | 38,50 Euro |
| 2 Passengers | 34 Euro | 56,50 Euro |
| 3 Passengers | 41 Euro | 74,50 Euro |
| 4 Passengers | 48 Euro | 92.50 Euro |
| 5 Passengers | 55 Euro | 110.50 Euro |
Bearers of a BahnCard and other discount cards do not receive any further discounts on the Bayern Ticket.
Remember to write the name(s) of the traveler(s) in ink on the ticket before boarding — names must already be added when booking if buying online.Additional travelers may join later but the highest number of travelers determines the price of the ticket from the start. New passengers may not replace ones that have traveled on the ticket earlier on.
Buying the Bayern Ticket Online or at Stations in Bavaria
The Bayern Ticket is the cheapest when bought online or from vending machines. Tickets bought from station ticket windows are usually €2 more expensive.
The Bayern Ticket may also be purchased from most bus drivers (€2-5 surcharge) but usually not on trams. On most local trains it is not possible to buy tickets at all and a stiff fine – around €60 per person – will be issued if caught traveling without a ticket. Tickets are never sold on U or S Bahn trains.
How to Buy the Bayern Ticket Online for Travel in Bavaria
Buying the Bayern Ticket online is a simple process. In English, from the regional offers page, select Bavaria (it is usually the default choice). In German, simply go to the Bayern Ticket page.
Be sure to carry the credit card, or other means of identification specified at the time of purchase, when traveling. This is the credit card used for identification purposes and not necessarily the one used to purchase the ticket!
An advantage of buying the Bayern Ticket online is that the bearer may start using it on trams, buses, and trains that may not always sell the Bavaria Ticket but accept it for travel. Also, the online price is the cheapest and there is no need to struggle with uncooperative vending machines or queues at the station.
Conditions of the Bayern Ticket Travel Card
The Bayern Ticket comes with several conditions. Most are not much of a hardship for the average leisure traveler. The main conditions include:
- Travel is only allowed in Bavariaor usually the first stop across the state border. Thus the Bavaria Ticket may be used for example on cross-border trains to Salzburg and Reute in Austria but not on local buses or trains inside these cities.
- Travel is only allowed on local trains (Nahverkehr) such as trains with the abbreviations IRE, RE, RB, S, and U. Long-distance trains (Fernzüge) may NOT be used with the Bavaria Ticket – i.e. no travel on ICE, Railjet, IC, EC, D, TGV, Flixtrains and similar trains. Although issued by German Railways, the Bayern Ticket may also be used on most non-Deutsche Bahn trains operating in Bavaria, eg BRB and BLB.
- The Bayern Ticket is also valid for travel on almost all buses and trams in Bavaria including all transportation in major cities such as Munich (München), Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Augsburg, and Regensburg. It may also be used for transportation to and from Munich Airport (MUC) and trains to Memmingen Airport / Munich-West (FMM) (but not on the Allgäu Express bus).
- The Bayern Ticket is valid on weekdays from 9 am (weekends already from midnight) until 3 am the following morning. (If travel starts before 9 am, buy a ticket up to the first stop reached after 9 am.)
- The Bayern Ticket Nacht is valid from 6 pm until 6 am the following morning (7 am on Saturday, Sunday, and holiday mornings).
- Dogs smaller than a cat and in a carrier container travel for free but larger dogs or dogs not in a container count as a person on the Bayern Ticket. (Write “Hund” (dog) and not the name of the dog on the ticket!)
- Bicycles require a separate Fahrrad-Tageskarte Bayern (€5 per day for all Bavaria).
- Up to five people may travel together on a Bayern Ticket.
- Children 5 years old and younger travel for free with any number of adults.
- Up to three children aged 6 to 14 travel for free per Bayern Ticket — in a change from previous family ticket rules, the age counts, not whether the children are family or friends.
- Only the fourth child upwards must be counted as an additional person. For example, a single ticket is valid for one adult plus up to three children, while a ticket for five is valid for five adults plus a maximum of three children. One adult and four children will require a ticket for two.
Savings with the Bavaria Ticket
The Bayern Ticket is excellent value for money and can pay for itself very quickly. For example, the cheapest one-way fare on local trains from Munich to Nuremberg is around €43, Munich Airport to Salzburg is €40, Munich to Schloss Neuschwanstein €35, and Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber €48. The Bayern Ticket is valid for all forms of public transportation in Munich but Munich travel cards are available for cheaper transportation deals in the Bavarian capital.
See Ländertickets for similar savings ticket deals available in other German states, or the Quer-Durchs-Land Germany day ticket that allows for travel throughout Germany.
The Deutschland-Ticket (Germany Ticket) is an interesting new local transportation subscription season ticket. It is valid on all local transportation options throughout Germany including regional trains, S and U-Bahn trains, city buses, and trams. The price is only €49 per calendar month and foreigners may also buy it. It is an annual subscription season ticket rather than a simple journey ticket or day travel pass but it is possible to cancel in time and only use it for a month.
SeeCheap Travel on the €49 Deutschland-Ticket Germany Train Passfor details — read the fine print before signing up!
