München / Munich to Salzburg by train

How to travel from München/Munich to Salzburg by train

Salzburg may be over the border in Austria, but it's one of the closest cities to München/Munich hence the service of frequent trains.

Because of the relatively short distance the express trains, the Railjets and EuroCity trains aren't particularly faster, but they do allow the option to reserve seats; and can be cheaper if you want to book ahead and commit to a specific departure.

There are also hourly Regio trains operated by Meridian.

During the day the timetable is arranged so that:

  • odd hours = a Railjet and a Meridian train.
  • even hours = an EC train and a Meridian train.

Something worth knowing is that the railway line to Salzburg is on the opposite side of München/Munich to its main hauptbahnhof railway station.
So after departure from München hbf the trains have to travel in a semi-circle around the city centre, but aside from the fast Railjet trains, the other trains from München/Munich to Salzburg also call at Munchen Ost station.

Munchen Ost station offers straightforward connections from local, S-Bahn, trains which call at multiple stations in the heart of the city, they use a tunnel to cross the city centre.

If you will be travelling by train from Munich Airport/Flughafen to Salzburg, the quickest option is to take a train on line S8 to Munchen Ost and make the connection on to Salzburg there.

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Routes

Option 1: taking the express trains

Travel Information

Final Destination:

Budapest or Wien (the Railjets)
Klagenfurt or Zagreb or Graz or other destinations (the EC trains)

Some trains (the EC trains) also call at: Munchen-Ost

1 x express train per hour

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Though a condition of the discounted tickets is that you have to travel by a specific departure.

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

For train journeys between Munchen/Munich and Salzburg you can choose between:

(1) the Railjet trains -  the fastest  trains AND can be cheapest if the discounted tickets are still available (and they still tend to be available up to the day before you want to travel).

During the day*, between 09:00 and 18:00 these Railjets depart in the odd hours only.
*They’re hourly between 06:00 and 09:00.

(2) the EC trains -they tend to be around 14 mins slower than the Railjets, but can be cheapest (particularly if the discounted tickets for the Railjets have sold out)

During the day, between 09:00 and 20:00 these EC trains depart in the even hours only.

Between 19:00 and 20:30, after the final Railjet trains of the day have departed, there also 2 x Nightjet trains, which have daytime seats.
On the DB Bahn booking service, these trains are shown as ‘IC’ trains

Travelling from Munchen Hbf station:

If you’re booking online 24 hours ahead or more, the departure/arrival times suit, AND the optimum starting point for your journey is Munchen Hbf – then target the Railjets.
The EC trains are very rarely cheaper and they're slower

You can certainly ignore the Meridian (M) trains as they’ll be more expensive (and slower).

On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have:
- 0 in the Chg. column
- RJ in the Products column

Travelling from Munchen Ost station:

The Railjet trains do not call at Munchen Ost station, but the EC and Meridian trains do call there.

If the starting point of your journey is in central Munchen/Munich, around Marienplatz - then the quickest option is to take an S-Bahn train to Munchen Ost and then connect there into an EC or Meridian train on to Salzburg.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB from €17.90

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.

Omio from €17.90

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

OBB from €18

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.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

These express trains share the Munich to Salzburg route with hourly Regio trains operated by Meridian.

So during the day there are 2 x trains per hour from Munchen/Munich to Salzburg and those 'Meridian' trains are only six minutes slower than the EC trains.

However, if you are booking ahead it can be worth targeting these express trains, the discounted tickets tend to be cheaper and the trains are more comfortable too (if you can find a seat).

Option 2: The slightly slower 'regio' trains can be more convenient

Travel Information

Final Destination: Salzburg

All these Meridian trains also call at: Munchen-Ost.

1 x train per hour

Tickets

Book early and save: No - not on these trains

For train journeys between Munchen/Munich and Salzburg you can choose between express trains or these Meridian (M) regional trains – they’re slowest because they're not express trains; though they’re only 4 minutes slower than the EC trains.

When the discounted tickets for the Railjets and EC trains are no longer available, these Meridian trains become the cheapest option.
So they will be usually be the cheapest option if you will be buying tickets at the station just before boarding.

They also depart hourly.

Travelling from Munchen Ost:

Thede Meridian trains also call at Munchen Ost.

If the starting point of your journey is in central Munchen/Munich, around Marienplatz - then the quickest option is to take an S-Bahn train to Munchen Ost and then connect there into a Meridian train on to Salzburg.

You may as well as buy tickets at Munchen Ost station, the Meridian trains will cost the same if you haven’t booked in advance.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn *

DB Bahn 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.

Trainline

Trainline Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

If you have booked a ticket online, then aim to be at Munchen no later than around 10 mins before the departure of the train.

These Meridian trains usually depart from Gleis (track/platforms) 9-10 in Munchen Hbf - and these are some distance from the main concourse.

If you will be purchasing tickets at Munchen Hbf then be at the station a minimum of 15 mins before departure.

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