We'll be visiting Salzburg for three days in late May and were wondering if a day trip to Innsbruck by rail was worth doing and can it be done at a "reasonable" cost. Based on the weather forecast, we'd likely purchase Second Class tickets at the Salzburg train station the day before any travel. What kind of round-trip fare should we expect and would it be a worthwhile trip? Thanks for any information you can provide.
Posted by
1918 posts
There is a direct express train (RailJet) every hour between Salzburg and Innsbruck; the ride is about 1:46 hours. So if you go with an early train to Innsruck and with a late train back to Salzburg a day trip is feasible. You may e.g. go up the Nordkette mountains (Hungerburgbahn first, then cable car) for a magnificent view of the Inn river valley and its surrounding summits.
To buy the train tickets at the train station one day before is the most expensive way to travel, because you will get then a regular fare ticket which is about €47 one-way.
If you buy the tickets in advance you can get the "Sparschiene" bargain ticket for €19 one-way. This kind of ticket is available online only in limited quantities, and the price will rise the closer you come to the departure date and the more people book tickets for that train. This ticket is bound to the train you have chosen for your trip.
As you want to make your decision dependent on the weather, you may check every day whether the cheap tickets are still available to buy them as close as possible.
There is no need to consider travelling first class, given the comfort of modern RailJet trains.
Posted by
OP
Metro DC, USA
8 posts
Thanks again for the help. We'll see if any Sparschiene tickets are still available a day or two ahead of time. If not I'm sure we'll have plenty of other things to see in and around Salzburg.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32809 posts
If you decide to make that trip be quite sure that you know exactly what you want to see, and that what you want to see is more important than what you might miss where you started.
The reason I say that is that I was vastly underwhelmed by Innsbruck. I've been through several times to visit my hilly village of Seefeld in Tirol and never been impressed. Sorry.
You may like it better than I do. That's why I say to know exactly what you want there.
Posted by
Minneapolis
1216 posts
I would second Nigel's thoughts. That's a lot of travel and many parts of Innsbruck are industrial / nothing special. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Oregon
650 posts
If you would like a mountain experience near Salzburg without the two hour trip to Innsbruck, consider the Untersberg Cable Car. https://www.salzburg.info/en/sights/excursions/cable-car-untersberg It is on the same local bus route as The Hellbrunn Palace. The ride is spectacular and so are the views at the top. https://www.google.com/search?q=untersberg+mountain&client=tablet-android-samsung&prmd=minv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTmZO5n9TZAhVH7mMKHelzBIAQ_AUIEigC&biw=768&bih=1024 There may be better mountain views in Insbruck, but not so easily accessable from Salzburg.
You could hike from there if you wanted. We didn't. But we did both take the cable car and see the trick fountains in a single morning.
Posted by
OP
Metro DC, USA
8 posts
The mountain scenery on the train trip was one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Innsbruck but the Untersberg Cable Car seems to be a good option...if nobody in the group has a fear of heights. Thanks again to everyone for the guidance.
Posted by
1918 posts
You might consider visitng the "Kristallwelten" (Crystal Worlds):
https://kristallwelten.swarovski.com/Content.Node/wattens/index.en.html
There is a shuttle bus departing from Innsbruck main train station.