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Paris to München / Munich by train
How to travel from Paris to Munich by train
München / Munich is some distance from the high speed line which links Paris to eastern France, so most of the international high speed trains which use it travel no further than Stuttgart.
Hence there only being one direct train per day from Paris to München/Munich, but when the timings (and price) of this service don't suit, there are other journey options available, the easiest of which is to make one connection in Stuttgart.
Taking an overnight train journey from Paris to Munchen/Munich is now an option on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday evenings, but it isn't recommended as the train is due to arrive at Munchen Ost station at around 05:45.
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Routes
Option 1: the daily direct train
Journey Summary
5hr 42min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Munchen
This train also calls at: Stuttgart, Ulm and Augsburg
This is the only direct train between Paris and Munchen/Munich, the overnight train between the two cities was discontinued some years ago.
The train is scheduled to depart at 15:55 on Mon-Fri and Sundays, but on Saturdays it usually departs at 17:55.
If these timings don't suit the best alternative is to travel via Stuttgart.
1 x train per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: up to 6 monthsahead of the travel date - usually
The train departs Paris at around 15:55 on Mon-Fri and Sundays, but on Saturdays it departs at 17:55.
For this journey it can be worthwhile comparing prices across the agents, some may still have the cheapest discounted tickets available, when others have sold out.
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey, but rail pass users will need to be pay a reservation fee prior to boarding this DB-SNCF service.
The alternative journey options:
There are three other direct DB-SNCF trains per day between Paris and Stuttgart, that have connections on from Stuttgart to Munchen/Munich(via Ulm and Augsburg).
So if you want to arrive earlier in Munchen/Munich DON'T tick the direct train box when making a booking; the journeys with connections can also be cheaper.
But DO select the direct train options if you specifically want to take this train.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SNCF Connect | from €39 | |
| DB | from €39 | |
| Trainline | from €39 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The train will reverse direction on departure from Stuttgart.
Journey description:
Between Paris and Strasbourg the train travels at up to more than 300 km/h on the fastest high speed line in France.
Then from Strasbourg inti Germany, the train travels on conventional tracks through an urban area; see if you can spot when the train has crossed the border, it won't be announced on the train.
Then once the train has travelled for around 15 mins in Germany it briefly joins another high speed line before calling at Karlsruhe.
Yet another high speed line is used for around 25 mins of the journey, as the train approaches Stuttgart.
Between Stuttgart and Ulm the train takes a slower, twisting route through the hills, before speeding up again between Ulm and Munchen.
Option 2: A wider choice of departure and arrival times if you connect in Stuttgart
Journey Summary
5hr 30min - 5hr 35min
Daily
Travel Information
The only direct train between Paris and Munchen/Munich isn't scheduled to arrive in Munchen until after 21:30.
If you want to arrive in Munchen/Munich earlier you will need to change trains.
The optimum 4 x connections per day are the journeys of less than 5hr 35min that involve changing trains at Stuttgart.
We say 'optimum' but the trains from Paris are scheduled to arrive in Stuttgart less than 15 mins before the departure of the ICE train on to Munchen/Munich.
There is 1 x ICE train per hour between Stuttgart and Munchen/Munich.
So ideal IF the train from Paris arrives on time.
If it arrives too late, then tickets/reservations can be transferred free of charge to a subsequent departure on from Stuttgart.
However, due to the reconstruction currently taking place at Stuttgart station, the Reisezentrum travel desk, where the tickets can be swapped, is some distance from where the trains will arrive and depart.
An option is to book with DB Bahn and increase the 'Duration of Transfer' between trains, but do that and you will be committing to arriving in Munchen/Munich an hour later.
There also alternative connections available at Mannheim or Karlsruhe, but they also have similarly tight connecting times between trains, so the journey will be longer, no cheaper and not any more convenient.
4 x connections per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
This is a journey on which it can pay off to compare prices across the agents.
Look for the connections that have 1 change and a journey time of under 5hr 40mins.
If you want to book with DB Bahn we recommend allowing a minimum of 30mins to make the connection at Stuttgart station; how to do so is explained here
Rail Pass Users:
You will need to pay a reservation fee boarding the DB-SNCF service to Stuttgart, but not on the connecting trains between Stuttgart and Munich/Munchen; though the availabilty of seats can't be 100% guaranteed on the ICE trains on from Stuttgart if you don't reserve.
What is unusual about the rail pass reservations on the DB-SNCF trains, is that rail pass fees are priced according to distance; so they may be cheaper than on the*alternative direct train from Paris to Munchen/Munich.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | from €49 | |
| SNCF Connect | from €49 | |
| Trainline | from €49 |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Stuttgart
This journey is showcase for European international train travel.
Between Paris and Strasbourg the train travels at up to more than 300 km/h on the fastest high speed line in France.
Between Strasbourg and Germany, the train travels on conventional tracks through an urban area, see if you can spot when the train has crossed the border, it won't be announced on the train.
Then once the train has travelled for around 15 mins in Germany it briefly joins another high speed line before calling at Karlsruhe.
Yet another high speed line is used for most of the final 25 mins of the journey, as the train approaches Stuttgart.
Train 2
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Munchen Hbf
All trains also call at: Ulm and , Augsburg
Most trains also call at: Munchen-Passing
All of the advertised connections involve taking an ICE train between Stuttgart and Munchen/Munich.
If you need to take an alternative train on from Stuttgart you could be taking an IC or EC train.
Final Destination: Munchen Hbf
All trains also call at: Ulm, Augsburg
Most trains also call at: Munchen-Passing
All of the advertised connections involve taking an ICE train between Stuttgart and Munchen/Munich.
If you need to take an alternative train on from Stuttgart you could be taking an IC or EC train.
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