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How to take the wonderful rail journey from The Tyrol to Stuttgart
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Innsbruck to Stuttgart by train
One of the daily ultra-smart Railjet trains from Innsbruck on the beautiful route to far-western Austria, has had its journey extended into Germany, thereby providing a relatively new direct rail journey from Innsbruck to Stuttgart.
And on the new timetable, which commences on December 10th, there will also be a new direct ICE train - which has a faster journey time, and offers a mid-afternoon arrival.
Routes you can take to go from Innsbruck to Stuttgart
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.
Choose one of the following options:
Looking for connections?
Route Information
Option 1 - this new direct train ICE train is faster
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
4hr 5min (approx)
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
1 x train per day
Purchase Tickets
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.
Trainline Guide
Other Ticket Providers
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.
On journeys within Germany and on most international journeys from and to Germany on trains operated by DB:
- For journeys by the express trains, EC. IC and ICE trains an adult (on German railways an adult is a person aged 15 and over) can take up to four children aged 6 - 14 with them at no additional charge.
- Tickets need to be booked for children aged 0 - 5, but there is no charge for them.
- Those aged 65 and over can take journeys at a discounted rate.
- Dogs, which are too large to be placed in pet carriers, require tickets which cost 50% of the adult rate.
When booking both types of the discounted 'Sparpreis' tickets seat reservations are an optional extra, so need to be added when booking if you want an assigned seat(s).
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.
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.
Save A Train Guide
Travel Information
Final Destination: Berlin-Gesundbrunnen](https://goo.gl/maps/xVfKiqZsRYKFWko56)**
It is typically scheduled to depart from Innsbruck at around 08:40 and arrive into Frankfurt (Main) shortly before 12:45.
When the usual timetable is operating connections will be available from Stuttgart on to Bonn, Heidelberg and Karlsruhe,
The train also calls at: Augsburg and Ulm
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
The train will reverse direction on departure from Munchen Hbf
The highlights of this journey are:
1: From Innsbruck to München:
This train will use relatively new line between Innsbruck and Worgl (that's mainly in tunnel) and which saves around 20 mins on the old route.
However, the tunnels take the trains away from what had been the scenic highlight of the journey, though the trains still run along the banks of the River Inn both north and south of Kufstein station.
2: From München to Stuttgart:
For around 20 mins immediately after departure from Ulm, the train will spend around 20 mins travelling on Germany's newest high speed line
Tickets
This train is usually scheduled to depart daily from Innsbruck at 08:40, so target this departure time when looking up tickets.
It can be worth comparing prices on the different ticket agents, the cheapest 'Europa Spezial' tickets can still be available on DB, the German railways website, when the most heavily discounted 'Sparschiene' tickets are sold out on OBB, the Austrian railways website.
And the reverse can be true, cheaper Sparschiene tickets can still be available on OBB, meaning that DB can be more expensive.
Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
This booking period tends to be shorter when looking up journeys between mid August and mid October.
A choice of tickets on the DB website
Three types of tickets are always available: Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis and Flexpreis.
A key difference between these types of tickets is refunds:
- Super Sparpreis tickets are cheapest, but they can't be refunded at all.
- Sparpreis tickets can be refunded for a fee, but the refund will be in the form of travel vouchers to be used for alternative / future journeys.
- Flexpreis tickets can be refunded at no additional charge.
The other key difference is that both types of Sparpreis tickets are only valid on the specific departures selected when booking, but the Flexpreis tickets live up to their name, as they can be used on any departure on your travel date.
Note that none of the tickets can be exchanged to a different departure.
There's no need for this to be available for Flexpreis tickets, as they aren't train departure specific.
If you book a Sparpreis ticket and want to travel by a different departure you can refund it and then use the travel voucher towards the cost of the new booking.
Super Sparpreis tickets can't be exchanged or refunded.
When travelling to and from the major cities, the Sparpreis and Flexpreis tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport on from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.
Seat reservations
Seat reservations are optional on ICE trains.
They cost €4.90 when travelling in 2nd Class and €5.90 when travelling in 1st class
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans - you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.
They are included within the cost of booking 1st class Flexpreis tickets.
When booking Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and 2nd class Flexpreis tickets, you have the option of purchasing seat reservations later.
It can be worth re-looking up a journey a week or two ahead of travel, because the DB website will indicate how busy a departure will be.
Though in general reservations are highly recommended for this journey, particularly if you'll be travelling 2nd class; it's worth it to ensure that you have an assigned seat for the entire trip.
Booking on the DB website
You can find this train more easily by making a proactive selection of 'Direct Trains Only'.
But if you can't see it (because the schedule is being disrupted' look again without this option,
Or to see all the combinations of trains and journey options, some of which may be cheaper, take off the 'fastest connections' default.
Booking on the OBB website
The discounted tickets are the 'Sparscheine' tickets and they can be booked online up until the day of departure, but they CAN'T be booked at stations, so booking last minute at the station is always more expensive.
Though you'll usually need to book the 'Sparscheine' tickets at least a couple of days ahead to obtain them at the cheapest possible price.
Book a Sparschiene ticket and it will be specific to the departure you selected when making a booking and it can't be refunded at all if you subsequently change your travel plans and it also can't be exchanged to an alternative, later departure.
Trains departing at different times can also be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares
It can pay off to take a look at the guide to Austrian train tickets - it should help you save time and money and confusion.
Seat reservations are optional, but they're particularly recommended for this journey.
Rail pass users:
As explained on our guide to using rail passes on German trains, a tick in the box for travelling by ICE trains, is that you won't HAVE to make a seat reservation.
However, we recommend opting to make the reservation on this train, if you want to be sure of having a stress-free journey.
Route Information
Option 2 - slower, but more scenic
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
Railjet = 5hr 23min; IC = 6hr 10min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
2 x trains per day
Purchase Tickets
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.
Trainline Guide
Other Ticket Providers
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.
On journeys within Germany and on most international journeys from and to Germany on trains operated by DB:
- For journeys by the express trains, EC. IC and ICE trains an adult (on German railways an adult is a person aged 15 and over) can take up to four children aged 6 - 14 with them at no additional charge.
- Tickets need to be booked for children aged 0 - 5, but there is no charge for them.
- Those aged 65 and over can take journeys at a discounted rate.
- Dogs, which are too large to be placed in pet carriers, require tickets which cost 50% of the adult rate.
When booking both types of the discounted 'Sparpreis' tickets seat reservations are an optional extra, so need to be added when booking if you want an assigned seat(s).
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.
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.
Travel Information
Final Destination:
The IC train = Munster (usually)
The Railjet train = Frankfurt (Main)
These trains also calls at: Ulm
One of the daily ultra-smart Railjet trains from Innsbruck on the beautiful route to far-western Austria, has had its journey extended into Germany, thereby providing a new second daily journey by train from Innsbruck to Stuttgart.
This Railjet train is now usually scheduled to depart from Innsbruck daily at 14:47 and arrive into Stuttgart at 20:05.
The long-standing IC service comprises the morning departure, it typically commences its journey in Innsbruck at 08:50 and arrives in Stuttgart at 15:00.
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
These trains reverse direction on departure from Friedrichshafen
There are incredible views between Innsbruck and Feldkirch; after St.Anton the train will travel through the stunning Arlberg Pass.
The journey also has other scenic highlights, particularly either side of Lindau, to the south of Lindau the train will travel by the Bodensee.
Sit on the right* on the train (when facing the direction of travel).
The train will reverse direction on departure from Lindau.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
It can be particularly worthwhile comparing prices on the national ticket agents for this journey - when the cheapest tickets have sold out on the DB (German railways website), they can still be available on the OBB (Austrian railways website) and vice versa.
Seat reservations:
Reservations are highly recommended for this journey, If you book a First Class ticket on DB your seat(s) will be assigned, but OBB will charge a reservation fee for First class tickets because they are typically optional when travelling by this train.
You will therefore have to pay to add a reservation when booking second class tickets, no matter which ticket agent you use.
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!
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