The Power of the MVG Travel App for Newcomers (and Residents) of Munich

The Power of the MVG Travel App for Newcomers (and Residents) of Munich

By  Friday, 16.1.2015, 07:39    Moving to Munich

After 12 years living on an island with no traffic lights, roundabouts, trains, trams, U- or S-Bahns, and with a bus service which was occasional, moving to Munich was always going to be a culture shock in terms of transport alone.

I was reasonably familiar with the U-Bahn network from my time here 25 years ago, but buses and trams? Not a clue.

So I was curious to see how the heavily-adertised MVG Fahrplan Info app could help me get around the city. I was not expecting too much, but perhaps some baic information to help me avoid getting lost.

But... 

The app (only in German I think, unless I missed the language button, is nicely arrange into information on connections (Verbindungen), departures (Abfahten - see above from Hauptbahnof), announcements (Meldungen), tickets and more.  

While the convenience of ticket buying is nice, and timetables are available at all stations, the really amazing thing about the app for me is in the Verbindungen journey planner. Simply select the place you are (or a departure point) and the place you want to go, then confirm your departure time, and sit back and let your journey be mapped out for you. Using a combination of the trams, buses, U- and S-Bahns, as well as a little walking on occasion, the app can deliver you accurately to the minute to your destination. No more meetings dependent on S-Bahn connections or waiting for a bus whose departure time you don't know. Not sure if you want to leave immediately? The app gives you the flexibility to choose departure time, then gives you additionally the next departures and arrival times. 

Sitting in an apartment in Taufkirchen and needing to go back to my temporary home near Trudering, I was curious to see if there was any alterntive to the walk back to the S-Bahn, into Ostbahnhof, then out to Trudering. I typed in the address of my street - Solalindenstr - as the destination, starting out from where I was sat finishing my beer. 

And I could scarcely believe my luck, as my new tow told me that there was a bus stop just 46 metres from where I was sat, which would take me to Solalindenstr in exactly 40 minutes. Unbelievable. 

And so I bid my farewells and hopped on the modern bus, which kept me fully informed on progress, until right on time,  got off at a rather unfamiliar Solalindenstr, at which point I realised there were two Solalinden streets in Munich, and I had entered the wrong one! The app may be brilliant, but one can never account for human error, but at least by typing in my new destination, I was able to get home without too much trouble. 

Journey planning in Munich just got a lot easier and less stressful. With more than 500,000 downloads so far, the app is hardly a secret, but there is very little information about it in English online, so I hope this helps a little. 

You candownload the app, called MVG Fahrplan Info from the usual app outlets. A great timesaver.

 

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Paul Bradbury

After 12 years living on the most gorgeous island in the world, Hvar in Dalmatia, I have begun to wonder if there is still life beyond its shores. Prior to discovering Paradise in 2002, I was a world traveller, living and working in Japan, Georgia, Somalia, Rwanda, Russia... and Munich.

After 95 countries and some 25 years have passed, the memories of my year in the hotel industry in the Bavarian capital (fired by the Sheraton for losing our pet snake, the first male chambermaid at Hotel Arabella, and a truly eye-watering introduction to five-star living in  my days as a bellboy in luxury Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten) are strong, and the call of Munich has been a constant theme over the last quarter century. 

And so here I am, answering the call some 25 years later. Twelve years of island living have changed me for sure, but also left me curious about life in a big city, and whether or not I could adapt to it after such an insular decade. 

I was surprised to see that for such a magnificent multi-cultural city, English-language blogs and regularly updated information are not that available. Static tourism information, such as that provided by the excellent tourist board website yes, but accounts of daily life delivered daily? Hard to find.

And so I have decided to take a break from my idyllic island and see if I could live in a city again. And what better way to try than to discover modern Munich in all its facets after so many years. It is a journey of discovery which I am relishing, and I hope the site proves to be of interest for Munich residents and its numerous visitors.

About Paul Bradbury

Author of Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski, Lavender, Dormice and a Donkey Named Mercedes and Hvar's first comprehensive guidebook, Hvar: An Insider's Guide to Croatia's Premier Island, as well as co-author of Split: An Insider's Guide with Mila Hvilshoj, I have lived in Dalmatia full time since 2003. In addition to running Total Munich, I also run Total Split (www.croatia-split.com), Total Hvar (www.total-hvar.com) and Total Inland Dalmatia (www.total-inland-dalmatia.com), as well as being an accredited Google News journalist for Digital Journal in Canada.

I also have various blogging clients, including the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board, European Coastal Airlines, Touristar TV and Andro Tomic Wines, and print clients include Qatar Airways inflight magazine, Out! magazine from New York, and Croatian Hotspots. 

In December 2014 I was delighted to receive the Marko Polo 2014 Award from FIJET Croatia (Federation of International Travel Writers and Journalists)  at a ceremony for the Croatian Journalists Society for the best international tourism promotion of Croatia. More here.

Ongoing writing projects:

A History of Hajduk Split, co-author with Frane Grgurevic - in 2015

Around the World in 80 Disasters - out in 2015

Total Hvar in the Media:

Interview of the Month, Croatian Embassy in Washington (May 2013)

Special Feature in Globus Magazine (May 2013)

Featured on Croatian TV show, More (2012) - watch the report here

Interviews in Slobodna Dalmacija, Dalmacijanews, Radio Split

I am available for writing services. Please contact me on [email protected] or visit my main writing website, www.bossandblogger.com 

Website: total-hvar.com Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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