Köln / Cologne / Koeln to Klagenfurt by train

How to take the stunning rail journey from Cologne/Koln to the Worthersee

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Routes

From Köln/Cologne Hbf to Klagenfurt Hbf

Travel Information

Final Destination: Klagenfurt

This train is named the 'Wörthersee' for a good reason as it links the cities of north-west Germany to the popular Austrian lake resort.

The train calls at three resort towns on the lake - Velden and Portschach and Krumpendorf.

The train also calls at: Salzburg, Bad Gastein and Villach; there is a tightly timed connection in Villach into a train calling at Lesce-Bled and Ljubljana.

1 x direct train per day

Tickets

This daily direct train is usually scheduled to depart from Koln/Cologne at 08:17, so target that time when looking up this journey

However, due to the length of the journey, this train departure is particularly susceptible to cancellation or alteration due to works on the line.

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.

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 from €35.90

DB Guide

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees.
It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany.

Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets.

OBB from €36

OBB Guide

OBB is the national rail operator and its booking service offers journeys by express trains within Austria, as well as international journeys which don't involve making a connection outside of Austria.

It pays off to book online, as the discounted 'Sparscheine' tickets are only ever made available on the website, and when making international journeys to and from Austria, these Sparscheine tickets tend to be cheaper.
OBB can offer particularly good value for money when travelling with children on international rail journeys, but something to watch out for when travelling between Austria and Germany on daytime trains, is that reservations are an optional extra; but if you book 1st class tickets with the Germany railways website DB, the reservations are complimentary.

OBB often takes a unique approach to its booking path, but a key thing to keep in mind is that the first price you will see for any journey is that of a Second Class seat.
The costs of upgrading to first class, a reservation, or a sleeping cabin etc, is then added to this price.

Trainline from €35.90

Trainline Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesMountain viewsLake views

Good to Know

The train will reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart and Munchen.

The railway through the middle Rhine Valley follows the river The railway through the middle Rhine Valley follows the river
The curving route slows the trains down, but leads to spectacular views The curving route slows the trains down, but leads to spectacular views
The most spectacular Rhine Valley view from the train is of Lorely The most spectacular Rhine Valley view from the train is of Lorely
The spectacular views from the left of the train continue to Bingen The spectacular views from the left of the train continue to Bingen
The second highlight of the journey is between Salzburg and Villach The second highlight of the journey is between Salzburg and Villach
From the right there are stunning views after the Tauern Tunnel From the right there are stunning views after the Tauern Tunnel
The incredible views can be seen for 20 mins on the descent to Villach The incredible views can be seen for 20 mins on the descent to Villach
The final highlight is the lovely views over the Worthersee The final highlight is the lovely views over the Worthersee

This is one of Europe's most epic train journeys
Sit on the left on the train when facing the direction of travel, this may seem the wrong way round, but the train will initially head north on departure and then loop around the city before heading south on the river bank.

You can then see the stunning views of the Upper Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Bingen.

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 Salzburg and Villach - from the right has the edge.

Finally there are lake views between Villach and Klagenfurt also on the right.

The train will reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart and Munchen

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