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How to take a rail journey from The Tyrol to Köln/Cologne
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Innsbruck to Köln / Cologne / Koeln by train
There are typically three optimum options for taking a train from Innsbruck to Cologne/Koln:
- The direct daytime train, which also happens to take the most scenic possible route between the two cities.
- The fastest daytime option is to travel via Munchen/Munich and make a connection there.
- Travelling through the night on a direct Nightjet service.
Routes you can take to go from Innsbruck to Köln / Cologne / Koeln
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: taking the direct day train
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
9hr 49 min
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 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.
Travel Information
This train is typically scheduled to depart from Innsbruck at 08:54, but due to the length of its route, it often has its scheduled altered due to works on the line.
Final Destination: Munster (usually)
This train also calls at: Koblenz and Bonn
This is the only train which travels through both The Arlberg Pass and The Rhine Gorge during its journey, so taking this train is a fantastic experience.
Though it is due to travel through The Rhine Gorge between Bingen and Koblenz after 17:00 so the journey can be best appreciated between March and October.
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
ICE trains are now being used on this route.
The train will reverse direction on departure from Friedrichshafen and Stuttgart.
This is one of Europe's most epic train journeys.
Particularly if you're travelling in the summer when you can also see the stunning views of the Upper Rhine Valley between Bingen and Bonn; the train isn't scheduled to arrive in Bingen until after 17:00.
What are guaranteed if the weather is fine at any time of year are the incredible views between Innsbruck and Feldkirch, because after St.Anton the train will travel through the stunning Arlberg Pass.
Sit on the right on the train, when facing the direction of travel, as it travels through the The Rhine Gorge north of Bingen.
The spectacular Rhine Valley views continue for more than 45 mins as the train heads towards Koblenz.
All of the videos were taken from trains travelling in the opposite direction - but they showcase how fabulous this journey can be, even when the weather isn't so great.
Tickets
Look for the journey with no changes that typically departs Innsbruck at around 09:00.
Though due to the length of the journey, this train is particularly susceptible to cancellation or alteration due to works on the line.
if the direct train is not available on your travel date, you will need to choose from one of the other journey options.
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
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 and also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in the city centres of Hamburg / Frankfurt and the stations where the trains depart and arrive.
Seat reservations
Seat reservations are optional on ICE trains - 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.
When a journey involves two or more trains on which seat reservations are available, the fees when first booking, cover all trains.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Route Information
Via stations: München Hbf/Munich main station
Option 2: Saving time by make a connection
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
6hr 48min - 7hr 23min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
3 x optimum connections per day
Purchase Tickets
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.
Travel Information
When looking up this journey you will see a multitude of different journey options, which involve taking various combinations of trains.
From these we have singled out this combination of trains:
(1) An EC train from Innsbruck Hbf to Munchen Hbf
(2) An ICE train from Munchen Hbf to Koln Hbf.
Which have an end-to-end journey time of around 7hr 24mins
For these reasons:
- It only involves 1 x change of train
- the time between arrival and departure in Munchen Hbf is scheduled to be around an hour, which should ensure a stress-free connection
- Munchen Hbf is an exceptionally easy large station in which to change trains - though the train from Innsbruck will arrive in a different part of the station to that which the train on to Koln will depart from; but the transfer involves a 2 min walk with no changes of level.
- You will be making the entire journey on comfortable express trains.
- You will arrive at the city centre station in Koln/Cologne.
If you want to take these optimum combination of trains look for the journeys which usually involve leaving Innsbruck at 06:40; 10:40 and 12:40
Take care not to choose the journey options on which the ICE train arrives at Koln Messe-Deutz station, as it isn't in the city centre.
This journey is made up of 1 change.
Train 1
Between Innsbruck Hbf and München Hbf/Munich main stationYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Munchen Hbf
Sit on the right for the best of the views, for much of the journey between Innsbruck and Kufstein the train travels beside the River Inn.
Train 2
Between München Hbf/Munich main station and Köln/Cologne HbfYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Koln or Munster or Dortmund or Hannover
These trains, which travel via Stuttgart, arrive at Koln Hbf.
During the day they usually depart from Munich/Munchen every other hour; in the odd hours.
These trains reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart.
Journey description:
This is a journey of six distinct phases
- Until Stuttgart the train will travel on a conventional railway and the most scenic part of this journey occurs to the north of Ulm, when the railway threads through some narrow valleys; these don't use the new section of high-speed line that's now open north of Ulm.
- The train will reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart and head on to the high speed line.
- For around 25 minutes the train will travel at more than 250 km/h until the outskirts of Mannheim.
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Tickets
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
Three types of tickets are 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 and also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in the city centres of Hamburg / Frankfurt 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.
When a journey involves two or more trains on which seat reservations are available, the fees when first booking, cover all trains.
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.
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
To see all the combinations of trains and journey options, some of which may be cheaper, take off the 'fastest connections' default.
Route Information
Option 3: travel through the night
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
11hr 29 min
Frequency
Nightly
Travel Info
1 x train per night
Purchase Tickets
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.
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.
Travel Information
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
On departure from Innsbruck the coaches heading to Dusseldorf via Koln/Cologne, will be joined to another train that's heading to Hamburg.
On summer mornings when the sun rises before 06:00, if you happen to wake early, you'll get the chance to see some fabulous views of The Rhine Gorge and Valley.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open:
6 months ahead of the travel date on OBB*
3 months ahead of the travel date on DB Bahn
When looking for tickets on the English language versions of OBB or DB Bahn, enter COLOGNE as the From/Dep station.
The train conveys:
- Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
- Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
- Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.
Click the train button for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
Travelling with a rail pass:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding this train.
However, these rail pass reservations can NO longer be booked online the DB website, but you can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).
Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence the step-by-step guide.
If you'd rather not do so, rail pass reservations can be arranged and paid for at the ÖBB Reisebüro desk in Innsbruck Hbf; ideally do this when you first arrive at Innsbruck on the preceding train on your itinerary.
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.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
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