Exterior view of Stuttgart Hbf

München / Munich to Stuttgart by train

How to travel from München/Munich to Stuttgart by train

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Routes

From München Hbf/Munich main station to Stuttgart Hbf

Travel Information

All trains also call at: Ulm

2 - 3 x trains per hour

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

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

When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.

On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have '0' in the Chg. column.

The cheapest tickets tend to be more easily found for the slower IC trains, particularly if you are not booking more than a couple of months ahead

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.

Seat Reservations:

Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on DB Bahn and your seat reservation is included - but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.

Taking bicycles:

Not all of the ICE trains which travel from Munchen to Stuttgart will allow standard non-folding bicycles to be take on board, so take care to proactively select the travel with bicycle option when looking up this journey on the DB website.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from €17.90

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.

Save A Train from €17.90

Save A Train Guide

Omio from €17.90

Omio Guide

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

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

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.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - Yes

Good to Know

Now that the newest German high-speed line has been opened between Ulm and Wendlingen, which is to the south of Stuttgart, additional trains are now available when travelling between the two cities, in the fastest evert journey time.

However, not all of the ICE trains which travel between Munchen / Munich and Stuttgart have been switched to using the new route.
Those that have now complete the journey in only around 1hr 55min and there are typically one or two such departures per hour.

The IC trains don't use the new route and neither do the ICE trains which typically depart every other hour for Koln Hbf station, so they are the departures with a journey time of around 2hr 15min.

Between Ulm and Stuttgart Between Ulm and Stuttgart
Between Ulm and Stuttgart Between Ulm and Stuttgart

This is a very pleasant journey, particularly between Ulm and Stuttgart.

Though what had been the highlight of the trip, the views over the town of Gelsenkirchen, have now been obscured by barriers, which protect its no doubt grateful citizens from the sound of the trains.

Though more than half of the ICE trains which travel between Munchen and Stuttgart now use the brand new high speed line to the north of Ulm.
On departure from Ulm they will spend around 20 mins travelling at more than 250 km/h before rejoining the older route at Plochingen.

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