Dusseldorf to Salzburg

Are you spending any time in Dusseldorf? We went there due to our flight itinerary and ended up enjoying the city very much. It’s very walkable with great outdoor pubs and many good restaurants.

"I'm joining a RS tour in Salzburg (mid June) and need to get there from Dusseldorf in a single day."

I made this exact trip last June. It takes around 8 hours on the trains. We left in the morning, stopped over in Munich for a meal, and got to Salzburg in the late afternoon. But there are other ways to do this trip that might suit your situation better. What do you mean by "a single day?" What's the earliest you could possibly leave D'dorf, and what's the latest you could arrive in Salzburg? Are you flying into DUS from abroad that same day? Are you planning to overnight in Düsseldorf? If so, you might instead leave D'dorf in the PM, schedule a hotel stopover somewhere else, and continue on the same ticket the next morning, thus breaking up the long trip and arriving earlier, if needed. If you can be more specific about the your time parameters, you might get some inventive options that will help.

To clarify, I'll have been in Dusseldorf for eleven days prior to my going to Salzburg. (The purpose of the entire trip is pleasure, not business. I will be in Dusseldorf for opera, and will be taking day trips around the region during off days.) However, I cannot depart Dusseldorf before the morning of the day I need to be in Salzburg. Thus: all travel to Salzburg will be in a single day.

I think I will have to get a very early morning train in order to get to Salzburg by late afternoon. I need to arrive at the hotel by 5:00. Now that I'm putting it into words, it sounds somewhat exhausting. I really thought it was about six hours, tops, but I must have misread something. I may have no choice, because all other arrangements are firm.

Is the train trip at least interesting? I do appreciate comments already made. Thank you for any further help!

Becky, I'm glad to hear how much you enjoyed your visit to Dusseldorf. Undoubtedly I will cover a lot of territory in 11 days, and I'm looking forward to it! Thanks, Linda

Actually, I'm seeing an 8:52 departure from D'dorf's main station that arrives at 16:00 in Salzburg after a 43-minute layover and change of train in Stuttgart. Better than I'd expected.

The alternative could be to break up your trip by cancelling your last night in D'dorf, traveling to Munich (17:21 - 21:06 for example) for an overnight hotel stop near the station, spending half a day more or less in Munich, and continuing to Salzburg at anytime you like (well, before 15:30, since you have to be there by 17:00.)

I wouldn't count on terrific scenery for any of this, really, although you'll find it pleasant enough once you're about an hour out of Munich and an hour or so from Salzburg. Take a good book and pack your favorite lunch and beverages.

If I were meeting a cruise or a package trip, I would not make a plan that is so close to failing before it starts. There are too many unknowns and uncertainties. We usually fly to a cruise or tour the day before we have to be there. One hour is not enough leeway.

Hi,

If you have never done this route before, take the day train.

If you don't care that much for the scenery, then you have the night train option, which is direct to Munich, then change next morning to Salzburg.

I've taken this route a number of times on the NJ night train Düsseldorf to Munich, as Munich is a junction point and hub for the NJ night trains in several directions, including to Italy. I never bothered with flying this route either.

Russ, now that I've taken the time to study the train schedules I found even earlier departures that will take me directly to Munich in five hours where I might possibly do exactly what you did last year, have a nice meal. The departures from Munich to Salzburg are many, and I can book one that gets me there in plenty of time to find my way to the meeting place. I think it will be fun. Thanks for your ideas.

Tim, I absolutely agree with you. Like you I always arrive early when I have a group commitment, but in this case I am hemmed in by an earlier commitment. Besides, after the 5pm start at a Salzburg hotel the tour doesn't leave town for another 36 hours. I thought it would be worth taking the chance. I think it will work out fine. I've heard the trains in Germany are wonderful! Thanks for your comments.

Fred, thanks for confirming that flying is not particularly preferred. I will do the day train. This is my first time in Germany and I want to see everything, even the suburbs!

"I found even earlier departures that will take me directly to Munich in five hours where I might possibly do exactly what you did last year, have a nice meal."

Tip: you do not have to book two separate tickets to do a lunch stopover in Munich. You can purchase one D'dorf - Salzburg "saver fare" for the whole journey and save some Euros. As long as the Munich-Salzburg train you have scheduled is an "M" train or other regional train, this last leg of your trip is FLEXIBLE.

Example - Let's say you have a ticket for the 7:27 ICE train from D'dorf, arrival in Salzburg at 14:42, and your travel schedule calls for arrival in Munich at 12:27 with change of train there to the M train at 12:55. That's certainly not enough time for a nice meal! But DB does not care which M train you take that day. You can use the 13:55 or the 14:55 train instead of the 12:55, and no one will even blink. The only train you MUST be on is that 7:27 train to Munich - the high-speed train.

Tip #2: Pick a D'dorf - Salzburg journey that has only one change of train (in Munich of course.) You will see others with 2 or 3 changes but each change of train enhances the possibility that you will be thrown off schedule by a delayed train before you reach Munich.

@inmbarret...You're welcome.

Well, since you are seeing Germany for the first time, you should really do this ride by day to see the lovely countryside. I would too. I believe the ICE has direct day connections Düsseldorf to Munich.

I love the tips and encouragement! Thank you all so much for your input. I’m looking forward to my trip and in fact can hardly wait! It’s really so helpful to know the rules for boarding the different types of trains, I do appreciate your sharing with me. Many thanks!