Transition times between trains from Munich

What is the date of your trip?

Safest would be an early (6:51 am) train direct to Srasbourg, then a connection to Colmar. Even if that train runs late, the connecting trains to Colmar are very frequent, like every 30 minutes.

The very early direct train to Strasbourg is nice, but you can lengthen the stopovers for the later departures if you want to leave later.

Enter Stuttgart Hbf under STOPOVERS at the DB site with :30 minutes stopover time (or whatever minimum time you want.) Then click on SAVE, then ACCEPT.

Times will vary by date. For a random date in May, I used a 30-minute layover minimum and found a 7:47 am departure with a 53-minute layover in Stuttgart and a 36-minute layover in Strasbourg. Arrival in Colmar was at 13:21. Should work.

Also found an 8:19 - 13:21 journey with 33 minutes in Stuttgart and 36 in Strasbourg - using a 20-minute layover minimum.

The railways know that their passengers prefer being on a moving train, rather than a cold platform. So they make these transfers as short as possible. SBB for example will even schedule extra trains if needed in order to be able to keep transfers short.

I would go via Stuttgart, as that is the fastest route. Going through Switzerland will make the route longer, and you are not going through the scenic part of the country.

I would take the route with changes in Karlsruhe and Offenburg. Why? Because on that route there are no trains with compulsory reservations involved, so if you miss a connection you do not need to exchange your ticket. You just wait for the next train. Trains are at least hourly on all the segments. That route is usually also the cheapest.

WengenK, noted on not going through Switzerland. There is a route on my date of travel (May 15) that leaves Munich and stops in Stuttgart for 9 minutes and then goes to Strasbourg. There is one that leaves a little later that goes to Karlsruhe and then to Strasbourg that has 16 minutes in between trains. The one going to Strasbourg is significantly cheaper, so I am prone to choose that one.

I looked at the next train to Strasbourg from Stuttgart after I arrive on that route in case I miss the exchange. It does look as though trains leave every 30 minutes from Stuttgart to Strasbourg. The next one is a 20 minute wait, but added time because it stops in Karlsruhe first. If I had to take that, I guess we could even if we didn’t have a reservation for that route?

Sam, date of travel is May 15. I saw the 6:51am train and it makes the most sense. But timewise, we are a family with three younger kids and, transparently, I think it would be hard to get us awake, fed, and ready in time.

Regarding just taking the next train: This depends on the type of train. If you cross in to France on an ICE or TGV service you need a reservation. So if you miss a connection you theoretically need a new ticket. But I would not miss a train queuing to get my ticket exchanged. Just hop on the next train anyway. Till Strasbourg the crew is DB and these are a lot more flexible than the SNCF staff is. Within Germany you never require a reservation.

If you cross on the RS4 (via Offenburg) you do not need reservations. You also do not have reservations on the TER from Strasbourg to Colmar.

I think the 8:19 am departure with the 30 minute minimum connection time is your best bet. That is a 5 hour trip, not that much longer than the 4 1/2 hour other journeys and it is actually a lower price unless you make it a 7 hour journey with more connections. Assume by "young children" they are 6 to 14 yo.

These train changes seem tight on time, but I'm guessing it generally
works since I'm not the only one making these transitions?

Nine minutes is enough for me in Stuttgart. Depending upon the age of your family members, amount of luggage and if your train is on time, it could be tight. Stuttgart is undergoing a major renovation and it can get pretty crowded at the boarding platforms.

I would not set a default minimum connection time of 30 minutes. That will add a lot of time to an already long trip.

What you can do on bahn.com is for each connection you can click "increase transfer time" and set if you want to arrive earlier or leave later. So for example you can first select the route that has you change only in Stuttgart and Strasbourg, and then on the Stuttgart connection click and select "arrive earlier" and you will be offered an earlier Munich - Stuttgart train.

For Strasbourg leave it as is. Transfers are far to long in France already as they are.

@Sam - I do not see an 8:19 train time for Munich to Colmar or Strasbourg

You see it when you specify 30 minute minimum transfer time.
ICE 1010 dep Munich Hbf 8:19 am, arr Stuttgart Hbf at 10:19 am.
ICE 9584 dep Stuttgart Hbf 10:52 am, arr Strasbourg at 12:16 pm
TER 96277 dep Strasbourg at 12:51 pm, arr Colmar at 1:21 pm.

You could possibly make the TER at 12:21 pm, but with 5 minutes and 3 kids in tow, that could be a stretch.

@Sam I see it now. Thank you for the tip. Will look at this closely.

Another follow up question, is there a train pass that can reduce the costs? We are doing a round trip from Munich to Salzburg over the course of a few days and then from Munich to Colmar a couple days after that. I don't know what may be available on Bahn website that may make it more economical for a family of 5 doing that stretch.

For Munich-Salzburg, you can use the Bayern day ticket: €34 base price + €10 per additional passenger. Children under 15 travel free. Only valid on regional trains and only from 9am (except on weekends). The time loss compared to the long-distance train is insignificant. Do not buy in advance, as it is valid for a specific date and cannot be exchanged. For Munich-Colmar, the only way to save money is to buy a saver fare ticket ("Sparpreis", exchangable for a voucher and a fee of €10, or "Supersparpreis" - not refundable), which ties you to a specific train.

Also, how old are the kids?
And are you planning any other trains in Germany after Colmar? There is something called a Trial Bahncard25, which costs 19.90 EUR per adult age 26 to 64. It gives 25% discount on long distance trips. Since part of your Munich to Colmar trip is in France, it does not give the full 25%, only the part in Germany. It is valid for 3 months, and must be cancelled 4 weeks before expiration, or it turns into a subscription that automatically gets renewed.
https://int.bahn.de/en/offers/bahncard/trial-bahncard25-2nd-class

So for just Munich to Colmar, it is probably a wash, with no net savings. But if you have other long distance travel in Germany, it might be worth a look.

@Sam They are ages 7-11. We are only going to and from Salzburg from Munich, which sounds like the Bayern-Ticket is the way to go there . And then the Munich - Colmar leg. We are going to Switzerland after that.

Hi! I live in Germany and use Stuttgart Hbf often. I would not expect you to be able to make a 9 minute transfer in Stuttgart, and a 4 minute transfer under most conditions anywhere. Trains operated by Deutsche Bahn are frequently delayed. German trains are really the laughingstock of Europe at this point, and any time I'm riding a DB train that's actually on time, I take photos to send to the family group chat. If that tells you anything. I ride the trains on a near-weekly basis with multiple changeovers and it's rare not to have a 5-10 minute delay on at least one.

It also takes a certain amount of time to get off the train (and keep in mind usually you're waiting for everyone else to get off the train along with you) and orient yourself with regard to the train platforms, even before you start walking from Train Platform A to Train Platform B. I've certainly managed to make it from one train to another in four minutes or less, but: (1) I am familiar with the station layouts because I use them often, (2) In fact, I usually know which end of the train I should be on, to exit the train closest to the stairs, (3) I don't travel with more luggage than a backpack, and (4) I'm in good physical shape and can sprint.

IMHO, give yourself at least a half hour of breathing room. Even an hour would be fine, if you wanted to give yourself some time relax and to walk around. You can exit Stuttgart Hbf to the Schlossgarten in Stuttgart, which is reasonably pleasant, or you can walk around the exhibits showing Stuttgart 21, one of the most infamous ongoing construction project boondoggles in German history!

One thing you have going for you is that both the 8:19 am train originates in Munich, and the 10:51 am train originates in Stuttgart. If you are late arriving in Strasbourg, there is a connecting TER train to Colmar every 30 minutes.

Besides the tickets, will you also buy seat reservations?

The 8:19 fom Munich to Colmar with a 33-min layover in Stuttgart will improve the odds of staying on schedule AND of keeping seat reservations on the train to Strasbourg. Journeys with only 9-15-minute layovers will result in forefiture of seat resrvations if a small delay causes you to miss that 2nd train.

I am not convinced Colmar is worth the trouble. I suggest staying in the Black Forest instead.

Munich> Gengenbach, 9:02 - 13:03, 1 change of train in Karlsruhe. €71.98 total for 2 + 3 kids under 14. No seat rez needed or lost on that 2nd train since it's regional.

https://www.schwarzwaldhotel-gengenbach.de/(cms)/media/resize/size=1024x768%2Cscale=crop%2Cinterlace=1%2Cquality=75/1834200
https://www.orte-bw.de/grafik/uploads/10557_2010_1040.JPG

G'bach is on the scenic Black Forest Railway. A free rail pass (Konus card) is provided to all guests there. Take short day trips to nice places nearby... Triberg, Schiltach, Gutach (open-air museum + summer bobsled), Freiburg... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkgzMXQ7blQ

@Russ I don't know much about Black Forest, but will look at it. Colmar is going to the base. We have a couple days there and plan to visit Strasbourg and Basel, plus whatever we can see in Colmar the day we get there.

@Schwartzwälder Kirschtorte Good to know on Stuttgart and I love a good boondoggle. That one 8:19 train that @Sam mentioned has a 30 min. layover there so I should be okay.

In that case, here's a wonderful and informative Stuttgart 21 video you can watch! But don't worry, it's already out of date, because the opening has been delayed again, past 2026... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XQtdKU5D_4

Colmar is going to the base. We have a couple days there and plan to
visit Strasbourg and Basel, plus whatever we can see in Colmar the day
we get there.

I was advocating for dropping Colmar altogether... Base in Gengenbach. Do 1 daytrip to Black Forest places. Do 1 daytrip to Strasbourg (easy from Gengenbach.)

I am not saying Colmar and Basel are worthless. I do think Strasbourg + Colmar + Basel is too aggressive.

What kind of activities do you have in mind on these days?? I do not know what your goals are in Colmar or Basel, particularly, but I do think... a) G'bach + is more family-oriented and easier with kids than Colmar and Basel, and b) G'bach is similar to Colmar anyway.

And as mentioned, your day trips from G'bach - as well as your final train journey from G'bach into Switzerland via Basel - could be done free of charge ('cept for the rt leg from the border to Strasbourg, which is pocket change - €12.80 total - w/ a "europass family 24h mini" ...)

https://www.ortenaulinie.de/,Lde/startseite/fahrkarten/europass.html