Looking down on to the lower level at Linz Hbf from where the trains and trams can be accessed

Frankfurt to Linz by train

How to take the lovely rail journey from Frankfurt (Main) to Linz

Thanks to these direct trains, it's a straightforward journey from central Germany to the city on The Danube.

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Routes

From Frankfurt Main Hbf to Linz Hbf (Linz/Donau Hbf)

Travel Information

Final Destination: Wien Flughafen or Wien Hbf

All trains also call at: Regensburg and Passau and Wels

5 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

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

On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have:

  • 0 in the Chg. column
  • ICE (and only ICE) in the Products column.

Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.
Trains departing at different times can 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 also 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 wesite) 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.
You will have to pay to add a reservation when booking second class tickets, no matter which ticket agent you use.

Reservations are optional, but recommended if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class 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 €39

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.

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 - YesRiver views

Journey description:

The scenic highlights of the journey come largely after Nurnberg, between there and Regensburg the train travels across a rolling landscape of hills.

Between Regensburg and Passau the railway line is beside the River Danube, which can be seen on the left.

The highlight of the journey comes to the south of Passau, between there and the Austrian border, the railway line is by the banks of the River Inn, but on this part of the journey the river is over to the right.

Between Nurnberg and Regensburg Between Nurnberg and Regensburg
Between Regensburg and Passau Between Regensburg and Passau
Between Regensburg and Passau Between Regensburg and Passau
Between Passau and Linz Between Passau and Linz
Between Passau and Linz Between Passau and Linz

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