How to take a rail journey from Frankfurt to Munich

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Frankfurt to München / Munich by train

Routes you can take to go from Frankfurt (Main) to München / Munich

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:

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Journey guides for travel to Frankfurt (Main) Journey guides for travel from München / Munich

Route Information

Station Guides

The main station buildings at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf

Frankfurt (Main) Hbf Rail Station Guide

The main station building at Munchen Hbf

München Hbf/Munich main station Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

3hr 9min (approx)

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

16 x trains per day

Travel Information

Final Destination: Munchen

All trains also call at: Nurnberg

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

An ICE 3 (406) train on a Bruxelles - Frankfurt service

ICE 3 (Germany) Train Guide

ICE 4 (Germany) Train Guide

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

Every other hour there is also an ICE train between Frankfurt and Munchen which travels via Stuttgart.
However, tickets for the Frankfurt to Munchen journey via Stuttgart aren't seemingly sold online by DB Bahn.
Despite the journey time via Stuttgart now only being around 15 mins longer thanks to those trains now using the brand new high speed line to the north of Ulm.

This is a journey of seven distinct phases:

Between Frankfurt (Main) and Aschaffenburg the railway passes through a string of commuter towns.
Then east of Aschaffenburg, is the most scenic and slowest part of the trip as the railway follows a series of valleys.
As the River Main comes into view on the right, the train will speed up before bridging the river and entering a tunnel which will link it to the high speed line.
The train will spend around 10-15 mins on the high speed line as it nears Wurzburg, just before the station look out on the right for a brief panorama over the river and city.
On to Nurnberg the train will be on conventional railway tracks.
Between Nurnberg and Ingolstadt comes the fastest part of the trip when the train should spend around 30 minutes travelling at more than 270 km/h on the high speed line.

7. Then on from Ingolstadt the railway will pass through the commuter towns to the north of Munchen.

The general guide to German rail travel Discover what's good to know about riding the trains, taking popular journeys, using the major stations, booking tickets and travelling with rail passes

Tickets

Book early and save:** Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date - but this period of time is shorter when looking up journeys in August to October.

A choice of tickets

Four types of tickets are available:
Two types of discounted tickets, which will be cheaper the further ahead you book - Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis
Two types of non-discounted ticket - Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus

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 and Flexpreis Plus 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 both types of 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, Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in the city centres of Frankfurt /Munich and the stations where the trains depart and arrive.

Seat reservations

Seat reservations are optional on ICE trains for journeys within Germany - take note if you will be using a rail pass.
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 and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.
Though despite seats being automatically assigned when booking these three types of ticket - and these tickets being valid on any departure, you will need to pay to re-book the reservations, if you subsequently decide to travel on an alternative train.
So because you won't save by booking these types of tickets in advance, it can be a good idea to wait until you are sure when you will want to travel.

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.

1st Class tickets

No matter what type of ticket booked, if you choose to travel 1st class, you will have access to the same seating areas on the train, ICE trains do not have Business or Executive lounges.
Though only those who have booked 1st class Flexpreis or Flexpreis Plus tickets can access the DB Lounges at the major stations.

Booking on the DB website

You can find these trains more easily by making a proactive selection of 'Direct Trains Only'.

Or to see all the combinations of trains and journey options, some of which may be cheaper, take off the 'fastest connections' default.

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so if you can be flexible with your departure time use the 'best prices' tool - at the top right on the list of journey options.

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