Travelling to Bamberg

By Air

You can travel into Bamberg via four different airports, details for each are below. Most International flights are to Frankfurt or Munich, but the closest airport is Nuremburg.

Nuremberg International Airport
The nearest and most convenient airport for the Winter School is Nuremberg International Airport (NUE) (distance from Bamberg: 70km). Nuremberg airport is served by a number of carriers including Airberlin, Air France, Germanwings, Lufthansa, Ryanair, Turkish Airlines and Vueling (cheap flights can be found at Swoodoo, Opodo or Skyscanner.

Participants can travel from the airport to Nuremberg Central Station (Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof) by regular underground/subway services (take line U2). There are approximately four underground trains per hour; the journey takes around 12 minutes and the fare is currently €2.10. From Nuremberg Central Station, there are regular trains to Bamberg with atleast three trains every hour. Train journeys vary by type of train from 32 minutes (via ICE €21) to 43 or 56 minutes (via RE or S-Bahn €10.80). For train connections, please see the German Railways website. For train timetables and tickets check the Duetsche Bahn website.

Frankfurt International Airport
Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) is Germany’s busiest and largest airport (230km from Bamberg). The airport is directly connected to the high speed German Railway network. From Frankfurt Airport you can take the ICE (InterCity Express line) which runs every 30 minutes, to Würzburg, where you can then take a train to Bamberg. There are several trains every hour from Würzburg to Bamberg. The total train journey time to Bamberg from Frankfurt Airport takes around three hours and a ticket costs around €54, depending on when you book your ticket.

Frankfurt Hahn Airport
Please be aware that although it is named after the city Frankfurt, the airport Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN) is relatively inaccessible and would require an additional five-hour-trip by bus and train from there to Bamberg. However, sometimes there are very cheap Ryanair flights to Frankfurt Hahn. If you arrive at Frankfurt Hahn, you have to take the BOHR bus to either Mainz Central Station (ticket currently €13.50) or Frankfurt Central Station (ticket currently €14). At the airport bus stop, look out for a BOHR sign, the name of the bus company. Tickets are available at the counter in front of terminal B or from the bus driver. The trip to Mainz takes about one hour, and then to Frankfurt about two hours. For the onward trip to Bamberg, it is easiest to take the train. From Mainz, you will need to change trains twice in Aschaffenburg and again in Würzburg (duration around three hours). Taking the train from Frankfurt to Bamberg, you will need to change once in Würzburg (duration around two and a half hours). Prices start from €30 depending on early booking. For more information on the bus connections to Mainz and Frankfurt check the Frankfurt Hahn airport website.

Munich Airport
Getting to Bamberg from Munich Airport (MUC) takes about two to three hours, depending on your connection. From Munich Airport there is a regular subway line (S1) to Munich Central Station (München Hauptbahnhof). From there you can take the ICE with a direct connection to Bamberg, which runs at least once an hour. Ticket prices vary between €39 and €63, depending on how early you book.

By Train

Bamberg is connected to the InterCity Express (ICE) line Munich – Nuremberg – Leipzig – Berlin/Hamburg, which stops in Bamberg every hour. Bamberg is also connected to Würzburg and Nuremberg by regional trains, with several connections per hour. For more information on your specific connection, ticket prices and online booking, please view the German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) website.

At the top of the webpage you should select your home country before booking tickets online. Deutsche Bahn offer a savings fare (Sparpreis). For all InterCity connections the Deutsche Bahn offer a limited number of reduced tickets. These tickets are available three months before a trip and are sold on a first come, first served basis. Therefore it makes sense to book train tickets as early as possible to save travel costs. For last minute train tickets and special priced tickets, have a look at LTur. 

Special Deutsche Bahn Ticket Options

Rail&Fly option
If you arrive at one of the German airports (with the exception of Frankfurt Hahn and Memmingen) and plan to take the train to Bamberg, you can check whether your carrier offers a Rail&Fly option. Rail&Fly is an offer for rail travel from/to the airport when booking an international flight, especially if you arrive at Frankfurt International Airport.  Rail&Fly is an offer available from airlines and tour operators and therefore can only be booked directly with them.  It is not possible to obtain this ticket after your arrival at the airport. You can check which carriers offer Rail&Fly here.  

The ticket is valid the day before the flight departure, the day of the flight departure, the day of the flight return and the following day after the flight return. Please make sure that you carry your valid ticket, your flight schedule/itinerary and your passport/ID card. More information about the special offers at Deutsche Bahn can be found here.

Europa-Spezial
If you are planning to travel from within Europe and cannot find a suitably priced flight, it might be worth checking the Europa-Spezial offer by Deutsche Bahn. Deutsche Bahn offers train services to/from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Ticket prices start at €39, some connections are even as low as €19 if you book in advance. More information about the special offers at Deutsche Bahn can be found here.

Bavaria-Ticket/Bayern Ticket
The Bavaria-Ticket is great for small groups of up to five people and the fare is determined accordingly: 1 passenger €23, 2 passengers €28, 3 passengers €33, 4 passengers €38 and 5 passengers €43.

All regional trains (second class) in Bavaria can be used for one day. Note: Use of long-distance trains with the designating letters IC, EC, ICE and night trains is not permitted. The ticket is valid weekdays Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 03:00 the following day (18 hours). Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 00:00 to 03:00 the following day (27 hours). You will find ticket machines at the railway station, at nearly all subway (U-Bahn) and suburban train (S-Bahn) stations and at many tram stops. Note that at ticket counters, where staff are working, there is an additional service charge of €2. As the name states, this ticket is only valid to be used within the region of Bavaria.

By Bus

The long-distance bus system has developed significantly and is a cheaper alternative (if booked in advanced) to German Railways. Currently, there are three bus companies offering direct connections to Bamberg. You can book directly via their websites, prices start from €9. It can be more expensive if you purchase your ticket at the bus stop.

MeinFernbus has direct connections to Bamberg from: Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt aM. (Airport), Hamburg, Hannover, Köln and Munich.

FlixBus has direct connections to Bamberg from: Berlin, Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt a.M. (Airport), Hamburg, Köln and Munich.

Postbus has direct connections to Bamberg from: Berlin, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, Köln, Leipzig and München.

Make sure to check busradar for comparisons between different German bus companies, as well as cheap/special priced tickets. 

By Car

Bamberg is located in northern Bavaria and not near any major highways. It is however, well connected to the highway network. The A70 from Schweinfurt (connecting to the A7) to Bayreuth (connecting to the A9) runs along the northern edge of the town. The A73 on the eastern side of town connects Bamberg to Nuremberg (connecting to the A9) and Thuringia, ending at Suhl. The relevant motorway exits off the A70 and of the A73 are displayed on this map.