The Wothersee is on the right of the train between Villach and Klagenfurt

Frankfurt to Klagenfurt by train

How to take the wonderful rail journey from central Germany to the beautiful Worthersee

Don't be put off by the distance, few lengthy railway journeys are as fabulous as this, and the direct trains ensure it is as simple as can be too.

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Routes

From Frankfurt Main Hbf to Klagenfurt Hbf

Travel Information

Final Destination: Klagenfurt

These trains also call at: Salzburg, Bad Gastein and Villach
The first train of the day connects in Villach with a train on to Lesce-Bled, Ljubljana and Villach.

These trains also call at three resort towns on the shore of the Worthersee; Velden and Portschach and Krumpendorf.

These direct trains are usually scheduled to depart daily from Frankfurt (Main) at 08:20 and 14:20.

2 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for these direct EC (IC) trains - though it can be cheaper to book this journey, if you're happy to change trains.

If you want to take these direct trains they're usually* scheduled to depart daily from Frankfurt (Main) at 08:20 and 14:20, so target those departure times when loooking up this journey.

*Though due to the length of the journey, these trains can be particularly susceptible to having their scheduled altered due to works on the line.

Reservations are highly recommended for this journey - book a 1st class ticket and your seat will be assigned, but not if you book 2nd class tickets or willl be be travelling with a rail pass.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from €35.90

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.

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.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesLandscape (Hills / Mountains)Lake views

Good to Know

The train will reverse direction on departure from Munchen Hbf

Journey description:

This is a stunning journey, so it can pay off to take the first train of the day!

Highlights include passing Geislingen between Stuttgart and Ulm, the descent into Villach...

....and the lake views between Villach and Klagenfurt.

All of these picks of the views, which can be seen after Bad Gastein, are from the right of the train; when facing the direction of travel.
Though the ascent up to Bad Gastein station can be best appreciated on the left.

So this can also be a journey where travelling 1st class can pay off, as you'll have more freedom to move from one side of the train to the other, to make the most of the trip.

Between Schwarzach St Veit and Bad Gastein Between Schwarzach St Veit and Bad Gastein
Between Bad Gastein and Villach Between Bad Gastein and Villach
Between Bad Gastein and Villach Between Bad Gastein and Villach
Between Bad Gastein and Villach Between Bad Gastein and Villach
Between Bad Gastein and Villach Between Bad Gastein and Villach
Between Bad Gastein and Villach Between Bad Gastein and Villach
Passing the Worthersee as the train approaches the climax of the journey Passing the Worthersee as the train approaches the climax of the journey

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This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

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So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.

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