Munich Train to Salzburg: A Step-by-Step Guide

You do not need a tour to see Salzburg from Munich, but you do need a plan for the train, the ticket and the way back. This guide covers all three, and it sits among the other tours in germany from munich for the days when you want a guide.

The Best Travel Destinations' count of GetYourGuide listings for Munich on 28 October 2026 found 6 tours that name Salzburg in their title, and 5 of them start in Salzburg itself, so the train ride is yours to sort out. No official page we used gives a walking route or time from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to the old town, so open a map on your phone when you arrive. Nor do the tourist board's pages give a walking time from the station. Salzburg Tourism places Mirabell Garden in the town centre, so it is the first stop to aim for on foot.

Step 1: Pick your Munich train to Salzburg

Take a direct train from Munich Hauptbahnhof to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof. Deutsche Bahn lists about 49 connections a day, and up to 42 of them are direct. The fastest direct train, an EC, takes 1 hour 43 minutes. A Railjet takes 1 hour 54 minutes.

You have two kinds of train to choose from.

The regional line RE 5 is run by the Bayerische Regiobahn. It goes from Munich Hauptbahnhof via Rosenheim to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof. Its timetable runs from 14 June to 12 December 2026. From 28 October to 1 November 2026 the operator lists a schedule change, so look at your date before you go.

What about driving? The official rail and tourism pages give no driving time or distance, so a fair comparison with the train is not possible. The train leaves from the city centre and arrives at Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, which is a clear plus if you do not want to park. Tours are optional on this trip, and any tour shown later lists its rating, reviews and cancellation terms as shown on GetYourGuide.

Step 2: Buy the right ticket

Buy a Bayern-Ticket if you travel on the regional line, and a normal fare if you want the fastest train. The Bayern-Ticket is valid to Salzburg. It works from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 a.m. the next day, and it is not valid on ICE or IC trains.

For one person, a sample normal fare (from €17.98) is cheaper than the Bayern-Ticket. The 2nd class price is €34 for one person and €44 for two. Each extra person adds €10, up to five people. These prices are for a machine or the website, and a Deutsche Bahn counter adds €2.

Normal fares depend on the date. Sample fares on the Deutsche Bahn page start at €17.98 for an EC and €6.99 for a Railjet. We could not confirm the Railjet fare on the Austrian railway's own page, so check the price for your day before you plan around it.

Pro Tip Two people pay €44 for a Bayern-Ticket, which is €22 each, and five people pay €74, or €14.80 each. Compare that with a normal fare for your date before you buy.

So for one person, the normal fare is the cheaper choice on the sample dates, and it is faster. Check the normal fare first. For two or more, the Bayern-Ticket can win, but only on the regional line, which is slower.

The limit is simple. For the fastest train, the Bayern-Ticket is not the right ticket for that journey.

Step 3: Get to Munich Hauptbahnhof

Start from Hauptbahnhof, because that is where the Salzburg trains leave. In the city, use the U-Bahn or walk. Our Munich public transport guide shows how the city tickets work.

From the airport, there is no direct train to Salzburg on the official pages. Take the S-Bahn instead. The airport lists the S1 and S8, which together run about every 10 minutes and take about 40 minutes to Hauptbahnhof. The single fare is €15.10. The Lufthansa Express Bus also goes to Hauptbahnhof, takes about 45 minutes and costs €12.50 online.

Add the ride to Hauptbahnhof, the time you wait, and the 1 hour 43 minutes on the train. Do not book a tight connection on your first day.

Key Takeaway The fastest direct train takes 1 hour 43 minutes, so the Munich train to Salzburg makes a full day trip with time to spare.

Step 4: Spend the day in Salzburg on foot

Walk from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to Mirabell Garden, because it is free and it is the main Sound of Music place in town. No official page we used gives a walking route or time, so follow signs or a map app, and plan the old town from there. Salzburg Tourism says entry is free. The garden is open daily from about 6:00 until dusk. The Hedge Theater and the Dwarf Garden are closed in winter.

The Do-Re-Mi scene was filmed at the Pegasus fountain in the garden. The tourist board also lists the Felsenreitschule and Leopoldskron Palace as Sound of Music places, and it offers a Smart Guide app. With one day, the sights these pages name are the garden, the Pegasus fountain, the Felsenreitschule, Leopoldskron Palace and a concert at Mirabell Palace. If you have only one day, a fair plan is Mirabell Garden and the Pegasus fountain first, then the Felsenreitschule and Leopoldskron Palace, and a concert at Mirabell Palace in the evening. The Mirabell palace staircases are open, per the tourist board, Monday to Saturday, about 8:00 to 18:00, and closed on Sundays and holidays. A full list of old town sights is not on the pages we used.

The best day trips by train are planned backwards from the last train home.

Two short things can fill the gaps between trains.

• The Mozart concert at Mirabell Palace runs 1.5 hours, from €39 per person. The page says it is not suitable for children under 6, and it has free cancellation.
• The Amphibious Splash tour runs 1.5 hours on land and on the river, from €42 per person. It starts at Franz-Josef-Kai 1a, and the price leaves out food and drinks.

Step 5: Decide on a tour and plan the way back

Do the old town on your own, and book a tour only for sights you cannot walk to. A tour is worth it when you want a guide, a bus to places outside the centre, or Hallstatt in the same day. On your own you pay the train fare and nothing else.

The Original Sound of Music tour runs 4 hours in English, from €75 per person. It starts at Hubert-Sattler-Gasse 1, and the price leaves out hotel pickup, entry to the sites and tips. The groups can be large, up to 65 people, so check the page if you want a quiet visit. The Splash tour starts at Franz-Josef-Kai 1a. The concert takes place at Mirabell Palace, which you can walk to. The Hallstatt trip shows no meeting point on our card, and the Splash tour, the concert and the Hallstatt trip show no group size, so check their pages before you book. The concert has free cancellation and is not suitable for children under 6.

Would you rather not plan the day yourself? Compare the options for a Munich day trip to Salzburg. For a bigger trip, the half-day tour to Hallstatt takes 5.5 hours with 2.5 hours in Hallstatt, from €85 per person, and entry fees are extra.

Check the way back before you leave Munich. No official page gives a last train time, so use the Deutsche Bahn journey planner for your date. A Bayern-Ticket stays valid until 3:00 a.m. the next day, which helps if you use the regional line home.

One honest limit: this plan fits Salzburg itself. For the Sound of Music places outside the old town, or for Hallstatt, in one day, the train alone is the wrong tool.