We are going to be traveling from Zurich to Salzburg by rail. Can we get on a slow train in order to see all the scenery or is the Euro Rail the only option? The Euro Rail takes a little over 5 hours. Will it be stopping at all the towns? Can we get off the train and get back on whenever we want?
Posted by
Paradise
6939 posts
Take the slow trains if you like. You'll change 3 or 4 times.
Use this scheduling page and stipulate "only local transport" for slow trains under "means of transport".
German Railways scheduling site
Posted by
Texan in CA
4412 posts
The 'fast' trains aren't bullet trains - the passing scenery won't be a blur. I'd go by the fast train in this case - it's already at least 1/2 of your day getting to the train station, riding the train, getting from the station to your hotel. It's also no connections (the RailJet train at 8AM on Aug 26 for example); some of these schedules show up to 5 transfers!!! YIKES!!! And those trains will be stopping at ALL of the little towns - many more than you want to!
If you go to
http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml
then type in your from/to cities, date, and desired time of departure you'll get a schedule for that day. You can then look at 'Earlier' or 'Later' times to see what's available. If you click on the arrow at the left of the departing city (in this case, Zurich), it'll give you more info on the route; if you click on 'Show Intermediate Stops' you'll see every town the train will stop. Pay close attention to the column headings 'Date', 'Duration', Chg (# of train changes), and 'Products'. Here you'll see if reservations are required, etc.
You can purchase tickets that will allow you to stop along the way - do you have a place in mind? The examples I've looked at (of course, not knowing your itinerary) might be best done by clicking on 'Further Search Options' on the first page (where you put in your 2 cities, date, etc.). The blank titled 'Via' is where you'd put your stopover city (let's say Innsbruck) and the time you want to LEAVE Innsbruck. To find out what time that particular schedule gets TO Innsbruck, just choose the 2 cities and 'Show Intermediate Stops'. On Aug 26, the 8:40 AM train arrives in Innsbruck at 12:09 PM. Figure how much time you want to stay there, then put THAT time in the space next to the 'Via' (Innsbruck).
If you just want to get off and wander the little towns along the way, it's going to be a VERY long day. Most of these trains require reservations; you can't hop off and on those trains.
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