I am finishing Rick Steve's East Europe trip on Tuesday,Sept.2 in Bled, Slovenia and want to know the best train connections (I assume) through Villach and Salzburg to Munich . Can I do it all on Sept.2 or will I need to stay over in Salzburg on Sept.2 and get the train to Munich Hbf on Sept.3 ? Jim N.
Use the German Rail (Bahn) website to find schedules.
The Bahn shows three 5½ hour connections from Lesce Bled per day. One is a direct EC leaving Bled at 10:02, arriving Munich at 15:41. The other two have one change of trains at Villach. No need to stay overnight in Salzburg if you don't want to.
You can buy the discounted tickets from DB starting three months before the travel date. However, these international tickets have to be delivered by mail (not as e-tickets) and if lost in the mail, they may not be replaceable.
It's a peculiarity in the Bahn's reservation system, but connections with a change outside of Germany cannot usually be booked, or if they can be, require mailed tickets. In the case of the train from Lesce Bled to Munich, it is one continuous train, but it changes number in Villach, so tickets cannot be purchased from Lesce Bled without being mailed. However, from Villach to Munich, the train keeps the same number, and you can get the ticket for that part of the trip online.
Buy the ticket from Villach to Munich online and buy the ticket from Bled to Villach (11:02-11:58) in Bled.