My wife and I will be in Germany this fall and seeing many things. We have been invited by some German friends to come visit them in Munster while we will be staying in Cologne. We will not have a car at that time so we would need to go by train. Using the google map feature it says it is only 1 1/2 hrs by car between the two but I wonder if that would be much longer by train or about the same. The friends invited us to come up and spend Friday evening with them since he has to work during the days during the time period we will be in the area. I think we could take the train that far in the afternoon but was wondering if it would be too unreasonable to think about going there and back in an afternoon/evening. What do you think?
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
Hi Jerry,
Muenster is one of my favourite places in Germany. I'm looking forward to going to the Christmas Markets there later this year!
I would strongly recommend to take a train to Muenster a bit earlier in the day. That would give you some time to explore a bit of the city - and there's a ton of interesting stuff to see - and you miss some of the worst of the crowded Friday afternoon trains. I'd still recommend to make reservations if you're taking an IC.
You should be able to get back in the evening as well. Train ride takes about 2 hours each way. Check the train schedules and be sure to spell the city names correctly: Koeln/Köln and Muenster/Münster. The English version of the website does recognize 'Cologne' but not 'Munster'.
You can find some ideas on what to do in Muenster before you can meet up with your friend here:
http://www.muenster.de/stadt/tourismus/en/
No trip to Germany is complete with a visit of Muenster for me. I always try to go on a market day (Wed/Sat) just to soak in the atmosphere and have some matjes or potatoe pancakes with apple sauce for lunch. Great for shopping, great for biking. On the cultural side look out for the sculptures in public spaces. You can get brochures for self-guided tours for them at the tourist office or at the Landesmusuem.
And yes, there's history, too. Ever read "Q" by Luther Blissett? I think the German translation has been more successful than the English one but it still can be an interesting read. It's very well researched historical fiction set during the time of Reformation across Europe. The anabaptist movement is at the centre of the story so there are several chapters dedicated to that chaotic time in Muenster. And you find out why there are those cages hanging off the tower of the Lamberti Kirche ....
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
Koeln and Muenster are both within the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, and NRW has, of course, a Länder-Ticket, €34 for all day on regional trains for up to five people. The ticket, called a Schoener-Tag-Ticket will cover all travel, bus, tram, S-Bahn, regional trains anywhere in the state so it will not only get you between the Koeln Hbf and the Muenster Hbf, but also around those areas by metro transportation.
Posted by
OP
Tyler, TX, USA
162 posts
Thanks for both of those useful replies. Sounds like we could make that trip and it would not be too expensive either. I appreciate both of you.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
To find out what public transportation you need, exactly, you can go to the Bahn website or here. You can put in a known transit stop, or an address. "Gemeinde/Ort" is community/place.
You can also get schedule times to and from.
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
If you want to take the train back in the evening keep in mind that regional trains don't run very frequently at later hours. There are more options at that time of day with the IC/ICE. Booked ahead of time (minimum 3 days earlier) with a "Dauer Spezial" the ticket wouldn't be more expensive than the NRW ticket.