electronica 2014 Find your way to electronica

Every two years the electronics industry meets in Munich. But the way to the fairground can be tricky and cumbersome. Taxis are a rare commodity, the fare system of Munich's public transport is complicated – and a strike of Germany's train drivers looms. We tell you how to find your way.

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Munich's fairground is located at the eastern edge of the city, but it is very well connected to the city centre by the underground line U2. Due to the fact that Munich's underground railway will not be affected by the strikes of the GDL (the train driver's union), the transit to the fairground should be smooth. But beware: Expect cramped conditions on the underground trains.

The trip from Munich's central station to "Messestadt West" (where the main entrance to the fairground is located) takes approximately 20 minutes with the U2. Please make sure that you board the trains with the destination "Messestadt Ost". A change of trains will not be necessary if you take the U2 from the central station to the fairground. A single ticket for the trip costs 2.60 Euro.

It gets more complicated when you begin your trip in the center of the city. E. g., if you board your train at the Marienplatz, you will have to take the U6 (direction "Klinikum Großhadern") or the U3 (direction "Fürstenried West") and transfer at the next station "Sendlinger Tor" to the U2. The trip will take you 23 minutes, including the change of trains. For this trip, a single ticket at the price of 2,60 Euro will suffice.

Should you stay in the hinterland of Munich and take the regional train "Meridian" (which should not be affected by the strike) then you can transfer at the Ostbahnhof (Munich East) to the U2. Your final destination will be "Messestadt West". In this case, you'll only need a single ticket at the cost of 2,60 Euro.

Unfortunately, your entrance ticket for the electronica is no longer valid as a ticket for Munich's public transport. You'll have to buy a ticket at the red and white vending machines of the Deutsche Bahn.

Very important: Should you buy a single ticket for the U-Bahn, please make sure to stamp them in one of the blue "Entwerter" boxes (like in the picture) before you board the train. Most of the times, these boxes are located near the escalator that lead to the U-Bahn platforms. In a rare case of German humour, these boxes are called "Entwerter" (cancellators) while they do exactly the opposite: By stamping your ticket, you are validating it. An unstamped single ticket is not valid for the ride.

Alternatively, you have the option to buy a ticket online. If you buy an online ticket,you will not be able to puchase a single ticket. The cheapest option to buy online is a day ticket. Its cheapest version costs 6 Euro.

The day ticket will pay off if you use the public transport for three trips or more on the same day - for example, the trip to the fairground, the trip back to the city and another trip to enjoy Munich's night life. The day ticket is valid until 6am on the following day. If you want to enjoy Munich's night life a bit longer – feel free to do so!

If you purchase a day ticket, you'll have to be aware of the fare zone of the ticket. The fare zone "Innenraum" (inner city) encompasses the entire city of Munich including the fairground. If your hotel is within the city boundaries of Munich, the "Innenraum" ticket will be sufficient.

If you stay in Munich's hinterland, you'll need the XXL version of the ticket (8,10 Euro) or a ticket for the entire network (11,70 Euro). Should you be unsure in which fare zone your staying place is located, please consult the network maps which are visible in each underground station. The area dyed in white represents the "Innenraum" zone.

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