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Train advice: Munich-Innsbruck & Innsbruck-Florence

Train advice: Munich-Innsbruck & Innsbruck-Florence

Old Apr 12th, 2015, 09:18 PM
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Train advice: Munich-Innsbruck & Innsbruck-Florence

Hi Everyone,
I'm tying off some loose ends on my Holiday in June and need some help with the following train travel:
1. On May 28, I will take the train from Munich Airport to Innsbruck; do I need to make a reservation and/or buy my ticket in advance? Will I pay more if I wait to buy my ticket on the day of travel?
2. On June 2, I will take the train from Innsbruck to Florence; do I need to make a reservation and/or buy my ticket in advance? Will I pay more if I wait to buy my ticket on the day of travel?
Thanks in advance!
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Old Apr 12th, 2015, 09:50 PM
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From Munich Airport to the mainline trains you take the S-Bahn (city transport), for which you buy a ticket from the machine on the platform. You can get to the mainline train for Innsbruck from the Hauptbahnhof or the Ostbahnhof (a little nearer the airport), and those trains you definitely do need to book in advance. They get busy and you will be advised to reserve a seat as well (I'm in the throes of doing so at the moment for late June) and I believe the cost will go up the longer you leave it. But I can see that it can't be guaranteed that you'll arrive at a time for a specific train. Allow plenty of time between the scheduled landing time and the train departure: or stay a night in Munich (there's plenty to see).

I have no direct experience of trains from Innsbruck into Italy, but I would imagine the same applies there too.

Play around with www.oebb.at and www.bahn.de and see what happens!
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 02:57 AM
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From Innsbruck to Florence, there is a night train, leaving Innsbruck at 23:05, and arriving to Florence at 7:02. Otherwise, you have to change somewhere, such as Padova or Bologna. It's at least a 6-hour trip, so you might prefer to take the night train, unless you have trouble sleeping on a moving train.

You can buy these tickets at http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD

In spite of the fact that so many people denigrate the Italian train site, I find it easier to use than the Austrian site. You can print the tickets at home. I think that includes the ticket from Innsbruck to Italy, but it's too complicated to determine that, requiring that I pretend to buy a ticket, with credit card information and all.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 03:12 AM
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We have used that route often as we have traveled from Munich to Verona. I would DEFINITELY get a seat reservation.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 04:18 AM
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From Innsbruck to Florence, there is a night train, leaving Innsbruck at 23:05, and arriving to Florence at 7:02. Otherwise, you have to change somewhere, such as Padova or Bologna.>

No - the best connection in day takes about 5.5 hours and requires a change of train in Bologna - try to get that train as other trains are slower and require up to three changes. This is the train you should take - or the overnight train - save time and the cost of a hotel.

Check www.seat61.com for great info on online discounted tickets - and these sites for general info on European trains - www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

If not on a stravation budget for a long train ride first class is significantly more relaxed than second class, which as Dukey says can always be pakced to the gills - if you have luggage it is a lot easy to manage it in first class where there are often ample empty seats.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 04:24 AM
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Sample of the change in Bologna trains (from www.bahn.de/en - German Railways web site which to me is the easiest to use for schedules of trains all over Europe).

Innsbruck Hbf Th, 16.04.15 dep 09:27 3 EC 81 Eurocity
Bologna Centrale arr 14:07
Transfer time 13 min.

Bologna Centrale Th, 16.04.15 dep 14:20 ES 9533 EuroStar Italia
Subject to compulsory reservation

you may need to make two train reservations - one on Austrian rail site and other on either of two competing Italian sites - check both for the cheapest fare and you may want to build in more than 13 minutes to transfer in Bologna - trains can always be late.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 04:30 AM
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There should be absolutely no difficulty in making the Munich-Innsbruck segment reservation and buying the tickets which you can print out on line at the Bahn.de site. We use it all the time for trains originating in Germany.

For the Austria-Italy portion you can also use the Italiarail.com site which charges the same amount as does Trenitalia but adds a small surcharge. Some find this site easier to use than the Trenitalia site.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 05:07 AM
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If you want flexibility Munich to Innsbruck then you can use the bargain Bavarian Lander Pass or whatever they call it - use any regional train to the Bavarian border and buy a cheap supplemental ticket from there (probably Mittenwald??) to Innsbruck - take any regional train anytime.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 07:23 AM
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Wow, thanks everyone for you responses, will check the referenced websites.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 09:51 AM
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Trenitalia does not care about international passenger services over the Brenner pass, so the innsbruck-Verona or Bologna daylight service is managed by OeBB (Austrian railways) and DB (German railways) as a joint venture. (Trains are actually driven in Italy by a Trenord engineer but you do not need to know this). Tickets and reservations are available from OeBB or DB. You have to connect either in Verona or Bologna (most OeBB-DB trains arrive in Verona, one per day goes to Bologna).

The section between Verona or Bologna to Florence is managed by Trenitalia. Trains to/from Verona stop in Florence at Campo di Marte station (not as central as SMN station); trains to/from Bologna stop at SMN (also Italo services available between Bologna and Florence).
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 10:00 AM
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Tickets for the Innsbruck-Italy are most DEFINITELY available on the Italiarail site as I stated above regardless of who is managing or driving the train. There is IMO no need to confuse the OP as to ticket availability or the sites from which they can be obtained.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 10:02 AM
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Where did you find that schedule, Palenq? There haven't been any Eurostar Italia trains for years now. That train you indicate is now a Frecciarossa, and there's no way the Eurocity could make a 13-minute connection with a Frecciarossa.

Have you been in the Bologna station since the restructuring? The Frecciarossa trains now leave from their own section of the station, several levels below the other tracks. Trenitalia shows the train from Innsbruck connecting with a 14:53 train, arriving in Florence at 15:30, for a total time of six hours and 3 minutes.

You really should go to the official source when looking for train schedules.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 10:11 AM
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I found that on www.bahn.de AS I MENTIONED ABOVE - they tend to call all international trains EC and fast trains in Italy for some reason ES - which was the name for years and they have not changed it much ado about NOTHING - but the schedule is right on I can assure you - right on or do you dispute that - in fact I can't see what the heck you are disputing - I did say leave more than the 13 minutes change time bahn.de has - and www.bahn.de is always always corrrect IMEZ so why would I go to some site that is not nearly so easy to work. Get off your high horse please!
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 10:15 AM
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Oh, I see where you got the schedule. Well, one more reason to use the Trenitalia site rather than the Bahn.de site.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 10:30 AM
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You really should go to the official source when looking for train schedules.>

which I did - that train Innsbruck to Bologna is as said above run in concert with the German and Austrain Railways and thus I go to the source instead of trenitalia.com - so just what is your complaint!

I was not really concerned with the onward train from Bolgona - there are so so many - just kept it there to show the quickest connection.

I think you charge is bogus and unwarranted and rather perplexing as you excoriate me for not going to the source which is exactly what I did.

?????????
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 10:51 AM
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I think your contestation of my original post is bogus. I can't see what you were contesting, unless it was the estimate of 6 hours for the trip, which is what it would actually take.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 11:14 AM
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You really should go to the official source when looking for train schedules.>

This is what you said and it is exactly what I did - go to www.bahn.de/en because it in part runs those trains - I really do not know what you are harping at - really - what information did I give that was wrong - none - and then to be excoriated for doing exactly what you said I should do.

Enough said. I stand by that schedule as being accurate, at least for the random days searched.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 11:28 AM
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Oh, I give up.

If you want to buy tickets online to save money Kaneohe, don't buy a ticket with a 13-minute connection in Bologna to a Frecciarossa train, because it would be physically impossible to get to the Frecciarossa section of the station in 13 minutes.

The Bahn.de site might be always, always right for German trains, and maybe even for Austrian trains, but I've seen other examples when it's wrong for Italian trains.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 01:00 PM
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I gave that thing for a schedule only - you cannot even buy tickets on www.bahn.de for Innsbruck to Florence - so where do you come up with I say to buy tickets - it was for schedules only - sample scehdules - I never meant to imply to buy tickets - it was ONLY for schedules - trying to be helpful and get the Italian Inquisition. It was only for schedules - lose the attitude please! And again note I said I'd try for a longer connection than 13 minutes. Please read what I write and not what you think I meant - never said to buy on bahn.de and it is not possible even to do so that site says.
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Old Apr 13th, 2015, 01:34 PM
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For the Austria-Italy portion you can also use the Italiarail.com site which charges the same amount as does Trenitalia but adds a small surcharge. Some find this site easier to use than the Trenitalia site.>

All trains - tomorrow, a month, two months, three months from now on Italiarail.com have gthe exact same price - $104 first class and $65 2nd class for Innsbruck to Bologna. No discounts that I could see.
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