Step on board for one of Europe's most glorious railway journeys which gets better and better the nearer the train gets to Innsbruck.
So at weekends, when two departures are available, taking the first train of the day from Venice/Venezia to Innsbruck is recommended.
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
4hr 46min
Daily
Mon-Fri = 2 x trains per day
Sat/Sun = 1 x train per day
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
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.
Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:
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
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.
Final Destination: Munchen
Train also calls at: Bolzano and Brennero
Connect in Innsbruck for Garmisch, Landeck, St Anton and Seefeld
Step on board, sit back and enjoy the wonders of one of Europe's most epic express train journeys.
(the videos were filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction)
To make the most of this train ride you need to be on a train that travels as far as Innsbruck by daylight, so depending on the time of year, at weekends it can be worth targeting the 13:50 departure.
Between Verona and Brenerro the railway route primarily travels through a massive valley, by the River Adige - and on this part of the journey, there are some great views to be had from either side of the train.
As this video below shows, south of the Brenner Tunnel, there are some dramatic views over on the right.
But it is the views to the south of Innsbruck, after departure from Brennero, which are the highlight of this journey - and they can be seen on the left.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct EC train.
When booking tickets for this journey, look for the train that departs Venezia at 13:35 daily or at 15:35 on Sat/Sun only.
It can be worth comparing prices on the OBB website with the other websites on which this journey can be booked; these trains are operated by OBB.
Seat reservations will be assigned when booking tickets and rail pass users need to reserve prior to boarding.
Using rail passes
When travelling in on the Brenner route taken by these trains over the Italy / Austria border paying a 'supplement' is required [when using 'global' Eurail or InterRail passes]https://www.interrail.eu/en/plan-your-trip/reservations/trains-with-additional-supplements).
The fees for the supplement are €15 in 1st class and €10 in 2nd class.
However, the supplement is not a seat reservation.
You can purchase the supplements on the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service and the seat reservation will also be included - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.
Booking at a Trenitalia ticket desk is a more expensive option, as in addition to the supplement costs you will also have to pay a €2 booking fee for using the ticket desk + the seat reservation will cost an additional €3.50 - as per the info on this page.
The supplements are not available from the Trenitalia ticket machines.
OR if you book the supplement on the OBB website, the instructions are here,, you will need to proactively also add the seat reservation when booking- and pay the additional cost of €3.50 in both 1st class and 2nd class.
5hr 15min - 5hr 25min (approx)
Daily
4 x optimum connections per day
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.
If you take a direct train it isn't possible to arrive in Innsbruck before 18:30 - and in winter the train will travel on the most scenic part of the journey after night fall, the final hour of the journey is the highlight.
The optimum alternatives involve making one connection between trains in Verona.
When the usual timetable is available if you depart Venezia at around 07:15, you will be taking a Frecce express train from Venezia / Venice - and the time between trains in Verona will be around 30 mins.
Though if you depart at around 09:10 or 11:10 the train from from Venezia / Venice will be a Regionale Veloce service - on which seat reservations are not available.
Final Destination
Milano Cle (the Frecce trains)
Verona P. Nuova (the Regionale Veloce trains)
All trains also call at: Venezia Mestre
The highlight of this journey comes at the very beginning of the trip, as the train heads out over the lagoon to the mainland - with the best of the views on the right.
(The video was filmed from a train arriving in Venice)Then after Padova, also on the right of the train, on a clear day, there are distant views of the Alps.
Final Destination: Muenchen (Italian spelling of Munchen/Munich)
Connect in Innsbruck for other Austrian destinations including Salzburg, St. Anton and Seefeld.
The train journey between Verona and Innsbruck is one of the most incredible in Europe, but sit on the right of the left (when facing the direction of travel) to see the best of the stunning views.
That's because the highlight of the journey comes towards journey's end when the train travels between Brennero and Innsbruck.
The views on the left, on this section of the journey, are captured in this video; filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction.
Though as this video below shows, south of the Brenner Tunnel, there are some dramatic views over on the right.
When ShowMeTheJourney looked up this route we anticipated that these end-to-end journeys with one connection would be available to book on Trainline or RailEurope, but they weren't listed.
They were available to book on the OBB website, managed by Austria's national rail operator, but it doesn't sell the Regionale Veloce trains for the part of the journey from Venice to Verona.
So if you book with OBB, you may have to book tickets to travel by those trains at Venezia S.Lucia station.
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