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How to take a rail journey from Cologne/Köln to Innsbruck
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Köln / Cologne / Koeln to Innsbruck by train
There are three options for taking a train from Cologne/Köln to Innsbruck:
- The direct daytime option is the IC train which takes one of Europe's most epic rail journeys; it is the only train which travels through both the Upper Rhine Valley and the Arlberg Pass.
- A much faster daytime option is to take a different route via Munich/Munchen on a combination of two trains.
- The direct overnight train
Routes you can take to go from Köln / Cologne / Koeln to Innsbruck
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: the direct ICE train
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
9hr 45min (approx)
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
1 x train 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
Final Destination: Innsbruck
This train also calls at: Lindau; Bregenz; St Anton and Landeck
it is the only direct train from Koln/Cologne to these stations.
The alternative to taking this direct train:
If you want to travel from Koln/Cologne to Innsbruck by train, as quickly as possible, you can save time by changing trains.
Those journeys via Munchen/Munich also become the most viable option for making this journey, on the dates when this direct train isn't operating.
The overnight train:
There is also a direct overnight train from Koln/Cologne to Innsbruck
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
The train will reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart and Lindau.
Journey description:
This is one of Europe's most epic train journeys!
Sit on the left on the train (when facing the direction of travel).
After Bonn there are some fabulous views of the Upper Rhine Valley from the LEFT of the train, when facing the direction of travel; if the train takes its usual route along the west bank, but if its switched to the east bank, the railway line is still right by the river.
The best of the views occur when the trains travel through The Rhine Gorge between Koblenz and Bingen.
The journey is a delight, you can't miss the endless parade of boats travelling up and down the river and look out for the multitude of castles perched on top of the hills.
As the video clips and images show, this is a journey which can be worth taking for the sake of making the trip, even if the weather isn't absolutely perfect.
Then after Mainz the train will cross the river; this video was taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction.
The journey also has other scenic highlights, particularly between:
- Stuttgart and Ulm; from the left of the train.
- And from the left and right of the train between Lindau and Innsbruck (from the right has the edge, as between Friedrichshafen and Bregenz, the Bodensee will be on that side of the train).
If you're making the journey between March and November, you'll be able to see the stunning passage through the Alberg Pass between Feldkirch and St Anton.
(The video was filmed from a Railjet train taking this route).
The train will reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart and Friedrichshafen.
Tickets
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Koln Hbf between 08:50 and 09:20.
However, due to the length of the journey, this train departure is particularly susceptible to cancellation or alteration due to works on the line, hence the different departure times.
If you can't see a journey with no changes on your travel date it means that this direct train is not running that day, so you will need to choose from one of the alternative journey options.
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 Europa and Super Sparpreis Europa
Two types of non-discounted ticket - Flexpreis Europa and Flexpreis Plus Europa.
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 Europa and Flexpreis Plus Europa 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 Europa tickets, as they aren't train departure specific.
If you book a Sparpreis Europa 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 Europa tickets can't be exchanged or refunded.
The Sparpreis, Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in Köln city centre and Köln Hbf.
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.
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.
Reservations are highly recommended for this journey, particularly if you'll be travelling 2nd class* or with a rail pass - it's worth it to ensure that you have an assigned seat for the entire trip.
But this is a journey when travelling 1st class can pay off, because it will be typically quieter, it's likely that you'll have greater opportunities to switch sides across the coach on the train - to ensure that you're always seeing the best of the views!
Booking on the DB website
When looking for tickets from Köln Hbf on the DB website type ‘K‘ or 'COLOGNE' into the ‘from‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
You can find this direct train more easily by making a proactive selection of 'Direct Trains Only'.
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 2: taking the direct overnight train
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
10hr 58min
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
The coaches heading to Innsbruck will be joined to another part of the train, which will be heading to Wien.
If you see a train heading to Wien on the departure screens then the info will also apply if you are travelling to Innsbruck.
Don't be concerned about boarding the wrong part of the train, your reservations will be in coaches that will be heading to Innsbruck.
The train manager will also greet travellers who have booked to travel in the couchettes or sleeping cabins.
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
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Köln Hbf at 22:16, so tatget that departure time when looking up this journey.
The choice of accommodation - summary:
- 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
Click the train details for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.
Travelling with a rail pass:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains.
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 this step-by-step guide.
Route Information
Via stations: München Hbf/Munich main station
Option 3: the faster daytime option:
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
7hr 23min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
3 x optimum connections per day
Change trains in: Munchen/Munich
Purchase Tickets
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
The direct train from Koln/Cologne to Innsbruck takes a slower, but spectacular route, via western Austria.
However, if you're happy to make a straightforward connection between trains in Munchen Hbf station, you can travel to Innsbruck more than two hours faster.
Of the multiple journey options SMTJ has honed in on the routing with a journey time of 7hr 23min because if you take these trains; which usually depart from Koln/Cologne at 07:53; 09:55 and 11:55, the two advantages are:
- You will depart from Koln Hauptbahnhof, the main station in the city centre
- The time to change trains in Munchen will be more than hour, so making the connection on to Innsbruck, shouldn't ordinarily be a problem.
This journey is made up of 1 change.
Train 1
Between Köln/Cologne Hbf and München Hbf/Munich main stationYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Munchen Hbf
These trains travel at more than 280 km/h on Germany's fastest high speed line between Seigburg/Bonn and Frankfurt Flughafen.
Some of the departures on this route via Stuttgart are by the new ICE 4 traiins.
These trains reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart.
Journey description:
This is a journey of five distinct phases:
- Until Siegburg/Bonn the first part of the journey is on a conventional railway.
- On departure from Siegburg/Bonn comes the part of the journey with a wow factor, when the train spends around 40 minutes racing along the rollercoaster that is the high speed line to Frankfurt Flughafen, at more than 280 km/h.
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Train 2
Between München Hbf/Munich main station and Innsbruck HbfYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Journey description:
This journey becomes more scenic once the trains depart from Kuftstein.
For much of the journey between there and the suburbs of Innsbruck, the railway is parallel to the River Inn, most of the views of the river can be seen from the right.
On the other side of the river at the foothills of the Central Austria Alps.
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 Europa and Super Sparpreis Europa
Two types of non-discounted ticket - Flexpreis Europa and Flexpreis Plus Europa.
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 Europa and Flexpreis Plus Europa 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 Europa tickets, as they aren't train departure specific.
If you book a Sparpreis Europa 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 Europa tickets can't be exchanged or refunded.
The Sparpreis, Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in Köln city centre and Köln Hbf.
Seat reservations
Seat reservations are optional on the ICE train and on the EC train between Munchen and Innsbruck.
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.
On this journey which involves two trains on which seat reservations are available, the fees cover all trains - if reservations are added when initially booking.
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans, you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.
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 if you opt to add reservations later you will have pay the fees per train..
Booking on the DB website
When looking for tickets from Köln Hbf on the DB website type ‘K‘ or 'COLOGNE' into the ‘from‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
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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