Marienplatz, Munich's central square, a short walk or S-Bahn ride from Muenchen Hauptbahnhof.
Photo: Ronit Goel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Salzburg to Munich by Train
An international route between Austria and Germany.
Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30
- Duration
- 1h 30m – 2h 10m
- Price from
- 9 EUR
- Distance
- 117 km
- Operators
- OBBDeutsche Bahn (DB)
- Frequency
- Roughly hourly departures, around 40-50 direct trains a day combining fast Railjet/EuroCity services and slower regional trains.
Compare and book Salzburg–Munich tickets
Check pricesWhat makes Salzburg to Munich different
- Munich Hauptbahnhof's four-aisled iron-framed platform hall was originally built between 1876 and 1884 by engineer Jakob Graff; wartime bombing destroyed the station's entrance building, which was rebuilt in a plainer post-war style between 1955 and 1960.
- A second S-Bahn tunnel is being bored beneath Munich Hauptbahnhof, with three new underground stations including one at the Hauptbahnhof itself; construction restarted in June 2025 and the joint venture building it is now working toward 2033.
- A separate, longer-term project (ABS 38) is electrifying and double-tracking 145km of the alternate Munich-Muhldorf-Freilassing line, aimed at easing congestion on the wider Munich-Salzburg rail corridor - a different physical alignment than the Rosenheim line this particular EC/Railjet service runs on.
Salzburg station
Departs from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, which first opened in 1860 and was reconfigured into an island station between 1907 and 1909; sections were destroyed in WWII bombing and later rebuilt, and the building seen today is the product of a 2008-2014 renovation layered on top of more than 150 years of continuous alteration.
Munich station
Arrives at Muenchen Hauptbahnhof's main hall, home to platforms 11 through 26 under a four-aisled iron trainshed rebuilt after WWII bomb damage; it's a short walk or one S-Bahn stop to Marienplatz.
Train vs. other options
At only around 117km, there's no scheduled flight route between Salzburg and Munich. Driving via the A8 autobahn takes about 1h15m-1h30m without traffic - similar to the fastest EC/Railjet's 1h30m - but the train saves you Munich's stop-start city traffic on arrival and the need for an Austrian motorway vignette if you'd driven the Austrian leg instead.
Booking tips
- DB Sparpreis and OBB Sparschiene fares on the joint EC/Railjet service are both released months ahead - book early on bahn.com or oebb.at.
- If cost matters more than speed, regional RB/REX trains cover the same 117km in about 2 hours and are usually cheaper than the express EC/Railjet fare.
- Compare bahn.com and oebb.at directly for the same joint departure - the two national carriers' own portals don't always surface each other's cheapest fare for an identical train.
Good to know: Unlike a typical no-refund budget fare, OBB's Sparschiene can still be refunded free of charge right up until the day before travel - after that it locks in as fully non-refundable. DB's own Sparpreis, sold for the same joint train, follows different and generally stricter change rules, so which carrier's site sold you the ticket affects your flexibility.
While you're in Munich
Marienplatz and the Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus, seen from the tower of Peterskirche.
Photo: Diliff / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Between the Gothic spires of Marienplatz, a beer garden with 7,000 seats under the Chinese Tower, and a produce market that's been trading since 1807, Munich earns its reputation without needing Oktoberfest to prove it.
Full Munich travel guide →Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Salzburg to Munich take?
The fastest Railjet and EuroCity services take around 1 hour 30 minutes. Regional trains with more stops take closer to 2 hours.
How much does the train from Salzburg to Munich cost?
Fares start from around 9 EUR on regional trains. Advance fares on the faster Railjet/EuroCity services are generally higher, often from around 20 EUR when booked well ahead.
Do I need my passport crossing from Austria into Germany by train?
Both countries are in the Schengen Area, so there's no routine passport control, though Germany has intermittently reintroduced spot checks at its Austrian border.