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Köln / Cologne / Koeln to Innsbruck by train
How to take a rail journey from Cologne/Köln to Innsbruck
There three options for taking a train from Cologne/Köln to Innsbruck:
- The direct daytime option is the IC train which takes one of Europe's most epic rail journeys, it is the only train which travels through both the Upper Rhine Valley and the Arlberg Pass.
- A much faster daytime option is to take a different route via Munich/Munchen on a combination of two trains.
- The direct overnight train
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Routes
Option 1: the direct IC train
Journey Summary
9hr 45min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Innsbruck
This train also calls at: Lindau; Bregenz; St Anton and Landeck
it is the only direct train from Koln/Cologne to these stations.
The alternative to taking this direct train:
If you want to travel from Koln/Cologne to Innsbruck by train, as quickly as possible, you can save time by changing trains.
Those journeys via Munchen/Munich also become the most viable option for making this journey, on the dates when this direct train isn't operating.
The overnight train:
There is also a direct overnight train from Koln/Cologne to Innsbruck
1 x train per day
Tickets
If you want to take this direct train look for the journey with 0 changes which is usually schedule to depart from Koln Hbf at 09:17.
However, due to the length of the journey, this train departure is particularly susceptible to cancellation or alteration due to works on the line.
If you can't see a journey with 0 changes on your travel date it means that this direct train is not running that day, so you will need to choose from one of the alternative journey options.
Reservations
Reservations are highly recommended for this journey, particularly if you'll be travelling 2nd class* or with a rail pass - it's worth it to ensure that you have an assigned seat for the entire trip.
*Reservations are now automatically included when booking 1st class tickets.
But this is a journey when travelling 1st class can pay off, you'll have greater opportunities to switch sides across the coach on the train - to ensure that you're always seeing the best of the views!
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | from €35.90 | |
| OBB | from €35.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The train will reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart and Lindau.
This is one of Europe's most epic train journeys!
Sit on the left on the train (when facing the direction of travel).
You can see the stunning views of the Upper Rhine Valley between Bonn and Bingen.
The best of the views occur when the trains travel through The Rhine Gorge after Koblenz.The journey also has other scenic highlights, particularly between:
- Stuttgart and Ulm - from the left of the train
- And from the left and right of the train between Lindau and Innsbruck (from the right has the edge, but between Lindau and Bregenz, the Bodensee will be on the left).
If you're making the journey between March and November, you'll be able to see the stunning passage through the Alberg Pass between Feldkirch and St Anton.
(The video was filmed from a Railjet train taking this route).
The train will reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart and Lindau.
Option 2: taking the direct overnight train
Journey Summary
10hr 58min
Nightly
Travel Information
Final Destination: Innsbruck
The train also calls at: Kufstein, Worgl and Jenbach.
It takes a different route to the IC train.
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Köln Hbf at 22:16 and arrive in Innsbruck at 09:14.
1 x train per night
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open:
6 months ahead of the travel date on OBB*
3 months ahead of the travel date on DB Bahn
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Köln Hbf at 22:16, so tatget that departure time when looking up this journey.
The choice of accommodation - summary:
- Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
- Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
- Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
Click the train details for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.
Travelling with a rail pass:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains.
However, these rail pass reservations can NO longer be booked online the DB website, but you can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).
Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence this step-by-step guide.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| OBB | * | |
| DB Bahn | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Good to Know
The coaches heading to Innsbruck will be joined to another part of the train, which will be heading to Wien.
If you see a train heading to Wien on the departure screens then the info will also apply if you are travelling to Innsbruck.
Don't be concerned about boarding the wrong part of the train, your reservations will be in coaches that will be heading to Innsbruck.
The train manager will also greet travellers who have booked to travel in the couchettes or sleeping cabins.
Option 3: the faster daytime option:
Journey Summary
7hr 23min
Daily
Travel Information
The direct train from Koln/Cologne to Innsbruck takes a slower, but spectacular route, via western Austria.
However, if you're happy to make a straightforward connection between trains in Munchen Hbf station, you can travel to Innsbruck more than two hours faster.
Of the multiple journey options SMTJ has honed in on the routing with a journey time of 7hr 23min because if you take these trains; which usually depart from Koln/Cologne at 07:53; 09:55 and 11:55, the two advantages are:
- You will depart from Koln Hauptbahnhof, the main station in the city centre
- The time to change trains in Munchen will be more than hour, so making the connection on to Innsbruck, shouldn't ordinarily be a problem.
3 x optimum connections per day
Change trains in: Munchen/Munich
Tickets
Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
If you want to travel as quickly as possible by train from Koln to Innsbruck, these indirect journeys are quicker than taking the direct train
On DB (German national railways website) look for the journeys which have '1' in the chg. column and 'ICE, EC' in the Products column.
Use the earlier/later buttons to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest ticket prices.
Though you will also see alternative connections, which can be cheaper; particularly those involving more than 1 x change of train
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Munchen Hbf
These trains travel at more than 280 km/h on Germany's fastest high speed line between Seigburg/Bonn and Frankfurt Flughafen.
Some of the departures on this route via Stuttgart are by the new ICE 4 traiins.
These trains reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart.
This is a journey of five distinct phases:
- Until Siegburg/Bonn the first part of the journey is on a conventional railway.
- On departure from Siegburg/Bonn comes the part of the journey with a wow factor, when the train spends around 40 minutes racing along the rollercoaster that is the high speed line to Frankfurt Flughafen, at more than 280 km/h.
Train 2
Journey Features
This journey becomes more scenic once the trains depart from Kuftstein.
For much of the journey between there and the suburbs of Innsbruck, the railway is parallel to the River Inn, most of the views of the river can be seen from the right.
On the other side of the river at the foothills of the Central Austria Alps.
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