Munich to Italy via the Brenner Pass
Comfortable EuroCity trains link Munich, Innsbruck & Verona every two hours through the day. 2 trains per day (3 on weekdays) extend to & from Bologna, and 1 train per day (2 at weekends) extend to Venice. They're run jointly by DB (German Railways) and ÖBB (Austrian Railways), using comfortable Austrian air-conditioned carriages, although these will be progressively replaced by smart new-generation railjet trains between April & October 2024. EuroCity is a generic term for quality express trains across much of Europe. These spacious and comfortable trains pass through the scenic Brenner Pass between Innsbruck & Verona, see the photos & video below. The journey is a treat, sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the ride.
What are the
EuroCity trains like?
What are the
new railjet trains like?
How to check train times, fares & tickets
Video guide: By train through the
Brenner Pass
Station guides:
Munich Hbf,
Innsbruck Hbf,
Verona Porta Nuova,
Venice Santa Lucia
What are the EuroCity trains like?
Until April 2024, all departures are classified EuroCity (EC) and composed of comfortable Austrian EuroCity cars from the 1990s, with 1st & 2nd class, a refreshment trolley, power sockets at some but not all seats, although there's no WiFi. The trains no longer have a restaurant car, those cars were becoming unreliable on 3kV DC Italian power supply and it wasn't worth upgrading the power system with their upcoming replacement by new-generation railjet trains between April & October 2024.
What are the railjet (RJ) trains like?
Starting 8 April 2024, the 13:34 & 15:34 southbound departures from Munich (trains 87 & 89) and 09:01 & 11:01 northbound departures from Verona (trains 86 & 88) become smart new-generation railjet trains. The remaining departures on this route should become railjets in October.
The new-generation railjets are instantly recognisable as 7 of the 9 cars have low floor centre sections for easy level boarding. They have economy (2nd), first and business classes (in that order!). Business class consists of 4 x 4-seat compartments. There is a redesigned restaurant car with small seating area, some cars have vending machines for tea & coffee operated with contactless bank cards which saves the trek to the restaurant. Naturally, there are power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, as with current railjets, and first and business class passengers can have food & drink orders taken and served at their seat, no need to visit the restaurant unless you want to. Another innovation is luggage racks with built-in cable ties to secure your bags for peace of mind, they are secured with any NFC card such as a contactless bank card. See inside the new generation railjets in this video. See seat map.
New generation railjet at Innsbruck. Note the low-floor section for easy boarding. Courtesy of @SimplyRailway. Interior photos courtesy of ÖBB.
Route map
Travel tips
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Should you go 1st or 2nd class?
2nd class is absolutely fine, there's no need to pay more for 1st class unless you want to. There are no 'extras' in 1st class on these trains, paying for 1st class merely means more leg and elbow room, with seats arranged 2+1 across the car width (in the open-plan cars) rather than 2+2, although that means there are solo seats and face-to-face tables-for-two on one side of the aisle in 1st class which are great if you're travelling alone or as a couple. So study the photos of each class above, what you see is what you get. 1st class is usually quieter with more laptops tapping, 2nd class is often busier than 1st class with more families and kids.
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Business class is available on the new railjets, this costs an extra €15 on top of any 1st class fare which includes a seat reservation and a complimentary drink. Business class on the new-generation railjets consists of spacious fully-enclosed 4-seat compartments, the two seats on each side are offset so you can stretch out your legs without affecting the person opposite. On these new trains business class seats are not so different from first class seats, just a little wider, so if you're solo or a couple I'd suggest sticking with a solo seat or face-to-face table-for-two in first class, but business class is a treat for a family or small group that wants their own space.
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Open-plan saloon or classic 6-seat compartment?
When you reserve a seat you'll see a choice of open-plan saloon or classic 6-seat compartment.
On the EuroCity trains you'll normally find both open-plan saloon and compartment cars in both 1st & 2nd class. If you don't know what saloon and compartment means, look at the photos above, these show both types. I personally prefer open-plan saloons when travelling solo or as a couple, they are more light and open, you get a better view out because you can see out diagonally through other windows than just your own, you can see out easily on both sides of the train and luggage storage is easier as you can slide bags between the seat backs. On the other hand, if you are travelling in a group or family of 5 or 6 people, occupying a whole (or almost a whole) 6-seat compartment can be great fun, the 6-seat compartments have a sliding glass door between the compartment and the corridor which you can shut (but not lock) giving you your own space.
On the new-generation railjets economy class is almost entirely open-plan, but there are several 6-seat compartments if you prefer. First class is all-open-plan. Business class is in 4-seat compartments, of which there are just four. See new-gen railjet seat map.
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Quiet zone, family zone
On the railjets, you can book seats in a quiet zone if you want a peaceful journey, or in the family zone if you have young kids. See seat map.
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Seat reservation is usually optional on these trains
Reserving a seat costs a few extra euros on top of the fare. If you choose not to reserve a seat you sit anywhere you like in any unreserved seat. A small tag above each seat shows whether or not that seat is reserved. Reserving a seat for a long journey is a good idea, I might not bother if travelling solo mid-week in February, but I certainly would reserve a seat if travelling on a Friday or Sunday afternoon or if travelling as a small group of 4, 5 or 6 people who want to be sure of seats together, or at busy times such as Easter, Christmas or the summer holidays.
If you've already bought your ticket, but want a reserved seat, you can make a seat reservation separately for a few euros at either the German Railways website int.bahn.de for journeys to or from Munich (look for the Book seat only link under the red search button) or the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at, using the Seat reservation only (no ticket) link to run the enquiry.
Note: Seat reservation is now compulsory for cross-border journeys to/from Germany between June & September.
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Which side of the train has the best views?
It makes relatively little difference, but in the open-plan cars the best views are arguably on the right hand side of the train going south, left hand side going north. as the valley is mostly on that side as is the little church at Jodok. You can sit where you like, but if you choose to reserve a seat you cannot specify a side as the reservation system doesn't know which way round the carriage will be.
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First class lounges in Munich or Innsbruck
If you have a 1st class Flexpreis fare for these trains (but not a 1st class railpass or Sparpreis or Super Sparpreis fare) you can use the DB Lounge at Munich Hbf with with complimentary wine, beer & free WiFi.
If you have any sort of 1st class ticket or railpass (except a DB Super Sparpreis fare) you can use the ÖBB Lounge at Innsbruck Hbf before or after your journey, with complimentary refreshments & free WiFi.
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Station information
See the station guides for Munich Hbf, Innsbruck Hbf, Verona Porta Nuova, Bologna Centrale, Venice Santa Lucia, with tips on station layout and good places for a beer, coffee or meal.
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Boarding your train
There's no check-in, just be on board the train a minute before departure time when the doors close. At German & Austrian stations there is free & easy unhindered access between street, concourse, platform & train. At major Italian stations there may be a simple ticket check before accessing the platform area.
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Luggage
Like any European train, you take your bags into the train with you and stick them on any suitable rack near your seat. There are overhead racks above your seat which take anything up to backpack size, or in the open plan saloon cars you can slide bags into the gap between back-to-back seats, see the photo below. Nobody weighs or measures bags, so no worries, if you can carry it, it's fine.
An innovation on the new railjets is that luggage racks come with built-in cable ties to secure your bags for peace of mind. The cable is locked and unlocked with any NFC card such as your contactless bank card.
Munich Hbf & Venice Santa Lucia are termini with easy level access from street to concourse to platforms without steps, so no problem with wheeled luggage from street or taxi rank to train. Innsbruck Hbf and Verona Porta Nuova have lifts or escalators to all platforms, so no major problem there either.
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Food & drink
Since summer 2022 a restaurant car is no longer attached to the EuroCity trains. The restaurant cars were becoming unreliable on the 3kV DC Italian power supply and it was not worth upgrading them as they are being replaced by shiny new railjets. There is a refreshment trolley serving drinks and snacks.
The new-generation railjets have a restaurant car with small seating area, and there are vending machines for tea, coffee and snacks in several cars. In first and business class, a steward takes food & drink orders and serves them at your seat, so no need to trek to the restaurant car.
You are of course free to bring your own food and drink along to eat & drink in your seat, even a beer or bottle of wine if you like.
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Order food & drink & check the train's progress on your phone - on the new railjets
In first & business class on the new railjet trains food & drink orders are taken at your seat. But you can short-circuit this process by logging onto the railjet's free WiFi, the ÖBB portal opens up (railnet.oebb.at) with an option to order food for delivery to your seat. You order from the online menu, enter your car & seat number, and hey presto, the steward shows up shortly afterwards with your order. You pay him when he arrives or can pay online with a bank card.
You can find the current restaurant menu at www.oebb.at/en/.../im-zug/bordservice - please let me know if that link stops working.
The intranet also allows you to keep track of the train's speed and whereabouts on your phone, and check arrival times.
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WiFi & power outlets: There are power outlets at all seats. There's free WiFi on the new railjet trains, but not on the EuroCity trains.
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Distances: Munich to Verona is 446 km (277 miles) by train. Munich to Venice is 565 km (351 miles).
Fares & how to buy tickets
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Fares from Munich to Verona or (by direct train) Bologna or Venice start at €37.90 in 2nd class or €69.90 in 1st class.
Fares vary like air fares, so book early and avoid popular times or dates for the cheapest fares. Booking now opens up to 6 months ahead, but is sometimes less than that.
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Buy tickets at the German Railways website int.bahn.de.
This can book tickets in either direction between Munich and Verona, Bologna or Venice, you simply print your own ticket or show it on your laptop or phone. I recommend registering when prompted, so you can log on at any time and check or reprint tickets. You can also book at www.thetrainline.com.
www.thetrainline.com can book tickets in either direction between Innsbruck and Verona, Bologna or Venice. You print your own ticket. You can also book at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at.
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If your journey involves an onward connection within Italy (for example between Munich and Milan, Florence, Rome or Naples in either direction), the best way to buy tickets between Munich and anywhere in Italy is as one seamless transaction at www.raileurope.com: Enter Munich to or from any destination you like in Italy. Click More options, enter Verona (any station) and set stopover duration to 45 minutes. Then run the enquiry and it'll source both tickets seamlessly through it's connection with both the German and Italian ticketing systems. Raileurope.com can be used by anyone from any country, all international cards are accepted, you can pay in Ł or €. There's a small booking fee. You print your own tickets or show them on your phone screen.
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Interrail & Eurail passholders must pay a small surcharge for these Brenner pass EuroCity trains to/from Italy, it is not sufficient to make a normal seat reservation, see here for details.
Scenery & sights on the Brenner route
Between Munich and Innsbruck, the train runs through the Tirol on a broad valley between imposing mountains. Leaving Innsbruck, the train climbs steeply towards the Brenner Pass. snaking through a steep and narrow valley between the peaks parallel with the impressive Brenner pass highway on your right. Watch out for St Jodok, where the train makes a 180 degree turn in a pretty valley, around the village and its church then through the Jodok spiral tunnel, climbing all the way. The summit of the line is reached at Brenner station, 1,371m (4,498 feet) above sea level, the highest point on both the ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) & Trenitalia standard-gauge networks. Brenner station is also of course where two dictators met and conferred in 1940, see this Pathé News video. South of Brenner, the valley widens out, with plenty of vineyards in evidence. Look out for hilltop castles and forts, including the large one built in 1838 at Fortezza, just south of the station on the left hand side when going south. Uniquely, in this part of Italy you'll find both Italian and German languages used. You can read more about the Brenner Railway at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenner_Railway.
