If you’re planning a trip to Bavaria, you’ve probably noticed that train tickets in Germany can get expensive quickly. The good news? There’s a simple and budget-friendly solution: the Bayern Ticket.
This special regional day pass lets you travel across Bavaria for one fixed price. It’s perfect for tourists who want flexibility without spending a fortune. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how it works, where you can use it, and how to buy it.
What Is the Bayern Ticket?
The Bayern Ticket is a day ticket for unlimited travel on regional public transport in Bavaria. Yes, unlimited.
It’s designed for – basically everyone. Solo travelers can use it, as can groups of up to five people.
The biggest advantage: the more people you travel with, the cheaper it becomes per person.
When Is the Bayern Ticket Valid?
Timing is one of the most important things to understand.
- Weekdays (Monday–Friday):
Valid from 9:00 AM until 3:00 AM the next day - Weekends & Public Holidays:
Valid from midnight until 3:00 AM the next day
This means you can travel all day and even late at night. But you cannot use it before 9 AM on weekdays. If you do, the fine is €60 per person.
Where Can You Use the Bayern Ticket?
The ticket is valid throughout Bavaria, including major cities like Munich, Nuremberg, Augsburg and Regensburg.
It also covers some routes just outside Bavaria, including to Salzburg. Salzburg is just across the border in Austria and a very popular day trip. Check out my Salzburg guide for details!
In many cities, the ticket also includes local transport like buses, trams, and subways.
The Bayern Ticket is not valid outside of the state of Bavaria. So you cannot use it to travel to Frankfurt or Stuttgart or Berlin, for example.
Is Your Destination in Bavaria?
Two options to find out: a) Check a map, or b) Check the connection on bahn.de or the DB Navigator app. If your destination is in Bavaria, the Bayern Ticket will show as an option.
Here is an example for the pricing of a journey from Munich to Augsburg for one person in second class:
On the left, the „single journey“ for the regular full price is €21.30. The Bayern Ticket, on the right, comes in at €34. So to go just to Augsburg, a one-way ticket is cheaper. To go to Augsburg and return the same day, the Bayern Ticket is cheaper (because 2x single journey @ €21.30 = €42.60, whereas the Bayern Ticket is €34 for the entire day).
(In this particular example, there is also the „Regio-Ticket Allgäu-Schwaben“ that is like the Bayern Ticket, but only for a segment of Bavaria … And don’t ask me where the boundaries of that particular segment are!)
Which Trains Can You Use?
The most difficult part might be to work out this exact question. On some routes, it’s easy, because they are served by regional trains only, such as Munich to Tegernsee. Other routes, such as Munich to Salzburg, have a range of trains.
✅ Allowed:
- Regional trains (RE, RB as well as most of the privately operated local lines, e.g., BRB)
- S-Bahn (suburban trains)
- Local public transport (U-Bahn, buses, trams)
❌ Not allowed:
- High-speed trains (ICE, IC, EC, RJ)
- Westbahn trains to Salzburg/Stuttgart
The easiest way to check if you can use a particular train is on the DB Navigator app or on bahn.de, as desribed above.
To illustrate, here is a search for trains for Munich to Salzburg that included all trains, not just regional ones. The top result is for an RJX train, the second for a Westbahn train (WB; doesn’t even show a price, because Westbahn has its own ticket system), and finally a regional train (RE). The ticket price of €34 in this case is for the Bayern Ticket.
If I run the same search with the „local transport only“ option active, I will only get the RE trains.
How Much Does the Bayern Ticket Cost?
Prices change slightly over time, but the structure is always the same. There is a base price for 1 person. To this base price, a small extra fee is added for each additional traveler. Up to five people in total can travel on the same ticket.
At the time of writing (April 2026), the base price for one person is €34, plus €10 per additional traveler. Children under 14 travel free.
So this means that when traveling as a group, you can reduce the cost to just a few euros per person. But even solo travelers can save money on longer routes.
Where to Buy the Bayern Ticket
You have several easy options:
- Ticket machines at train stations (cards accepted)
- Online via the Deutsche Bahn website bahn.de
- Mobile app: DB Navigator (recommended!! Ticket is delivered straight into the app)
- Ticket counters (slightly more expensive)
The easiest option for most tourists is the DB Navigator app. It’s available in English and very user-friendly. The app is also pretty good at providing real-time data about train delays.
Note: You cannot buy your Bayern Ticket on the train, so purchase it before boarding. If you cannot show a valid ticket during a check, the fine is €60 per person.
How to Use the Ticket
In order to use the Bayern Ticket, you must put the names of all travelers on the ticket. If you purchase the ticket on the app or online, you add the names during the booking process. If you buy the ticket from a machine, you must handwrite the names on the ticket.
Ticket checks are common, especially on regional trains so keep your ticket until you have completed your journey for the day. You may be asked for ID during the ticket check.
Otherwise, once you have your ticket, just board your train. It is not necessary to stamp the Bayern Ticket anywhere.
Best Day Trips with the Bayern Ticket
Here are some of the most popular routes:
- Munich → Neuschwanstein Castle (fairytale vibes, see my guide on How to Visit Romantic Road and Neuschwanstein On Your Own for further details)
- Munich → Salzburg (Austria in a day, detailed guide coming soon!)
- Munich → Nuremberg and/or Regensburg (historic towns)
- Into the Bavarian Alps (incredible scenery, see my 15 Great Day Trips from Munich to Experience Nature, Culture, History for suggestions)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ❌ Accidentally boarding an ICE train (not included)
- ❌ Traveling before 9 AM on weekdays
- ❌ Forgetting that one ticket covers multiple people
- ❌ Not adding all travelers‘ names to the ticket
- ❌ Not checking connections (use regional trains only)
👉 Use the DB Navigator app to filter for “local transport only.”
Is the Bayern Ticket Worth It?
It’s a great deal if:
- You’re traveling long distances
- You’re exploring multiple places in one day
- You’re traveling with friends or family
It may not be ideal if:
- You only travel short distances
- You need to leave early in the morning on a weekday
Conclusion: A Simple Way to Explore Bavaria
The Bayern Ticket is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to explore Bavaria. Whether you’re heading to castles, mountains, or charming historic towns, it gives you the freedom to travel without worrying about individual ticket prices.
If you want flexibility and savings, and are willing to travel a little more slowly, this ticket is hard to beat.
Pro tip: Several German states have comparable tickets available, see the DB website for details. If you want to travel across multiple states, the Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket (Cross Country Ticket) may be the one for you. Just remember that at some point the regional train journeys really do take a lot longer than the high-speed ones.
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