For pretty much every minute of this journey the views from the train are wonderful!
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.
3hr 56min
Daily
6 x Railjet trains per day
1 x EC train per day
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.
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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
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.
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.
SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.
SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.
Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.
Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.
HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.
Final Destination: Zurich
All trains also call at: Buchs (connect for Chur, Landquart and St. Gallen)
The train which is usually scheduled to depart from Innsbruck at 15:48 is the 'Transalpin' EC express which will be heading from Graz to Zurich.
This train includes a special observation car within is formation, which can be accessed by holders of 1st class tickets or rail passes, without the need to pay a surcharge.
Step on board one of Europe's most epic rail journeys, with a passage through the stunning Arlberg Pass and amazing views of two Swiss lakes.
Sit on the left when facing the direction of travel, on departure from Innsbruck for the best views.
Except where indicated, all of the videos were taken on a train travelling in the opposite direction.
Between Kuftstein and Innsbruck the journey isn't usually as scenic as it once was, as most departures are now diverted into lengthy tunnels.
Though between Kufstein and Worgl the railway runs beside the River Inn.
The only section of the journey in which the best of the views are on the right is to the west of Landeck-Zams station.
Between St.Anton and Feldkirch, the train threads the stunning Arlberg Pass, though in summer the trees can get in the way.
The best views of The Arlberg Pass are on the left, then between Feldkirch and Buchs, the train will travel through Liechtenstein.
After departure from Sargans, the train will travel by a series of beautiful lakes, virtually all the way to Zurich.
The first of which is the stunning Wallensee; and this video was taken from a train heading in this direction, towards Zurich.
...and then 20 mins later, the train will be travelling by the Zurichsee.
The Swiss lakes are on the right, but the train will reverse direction on departure from Buchs.
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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Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
The prices of the tickets are usually cheaper on OBB, particularly as its cheapest 'Sparschiene' tickets can now be booked up until the day of travel (if they haven't sold out); previously Sparscheine tickets had to be booked at least 3 days ahead.
However, it's worth comparing prices with SBB, but remember that the price on SBB will be in Swiss Francs and not euros.
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.
Exchanges
No tickets sold for journeys by Railjet trains can be exchanged in the typical sense, instead the policy is that the more expensive type of tickets can be refunded - and then having done so, you can re-book for an alternative departure.
Refunds
Seat reservations
Seat reservations are optional, so they need to be proactively added when booking tickets.
Note that the optional reservations will need to be paid for any children aged 5 to 15 - children aged 4 and under don't require tickets, but the expectation is that they will be travelling in the adult's lap
Child tickets
When booking 'Sparschiene' tickets each adult (aged 15 and over) can take up to four children aged 14 and under for free!
These children will still require tickets, but there will be no charge for them.
When not booking 'Sparschiene' tickets;
Bike tickets
You will need purchase both a bike ticket AND a reservation for your bike prior to boarding; more info on how to do this is available on the bikes on trains guide.
Dog tickets
If your dog is too large to be taken in a pet carrier you will need to add a dog ticket when making your booking;
Rail pass users
Rail pass users don’t have to make reservations.
However, in SMTJ's experience, it's a good idea to reserve when:
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.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
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