Munich to Verona Railway

Passing through three countries - Germany, Austria and Italy - this Railjet service allows you to have Breakfast in Munich and dinner in Venice and some of Europe's finest scenery in between. The train weaves through the fairytale landscape of Bavaria and the breathtaking vistas of the Austrian Alps into the rocky peaks of the Italian Dolomites. Travelling south, the journey begins in Munich through to Innsbruck in Austria. From there, it takes the scenic Brenner Pass on its way to Verona in northern Italy, which is reached mid afternoon. At Verona, travellers have multiple choices - stay in Verona, head east to Milan, south to Bologna or west to Venice. Decisions, decisions.

The mountainous, three-country route passes through some of the most beautiful mountains, steep cliff faces, green pastures, roaring rivers and alpine villages in Austria, Germany, and Italy.

Munich to Verona to Bologna or Venice via Innsbruck
Highlights: Breakfast in Munich and dinner in Venice

Munich to Innsbruck:
from 1 hr 45 mins, 30 departures daily

Innsbruck to Verona:
from 3 hrs 30 mins, 17 departures daily

One train a day runs direct from Munich to Venice, leaving Munich at 11:38 am arriving Venice Santa Lucia on the banks of the Grand Canal itself at 6.10 pm. There are two excellent direct sleeper trains from Munich to Italy operated by Nightjet, one leaving Munich at 8.10 pm for Milan Centrale (arriving 9.10 am), Florence SMN (arriving 6.07 am) and Rome Termini (9.22 am), and another leaving Munich at 11.36 pm for Venice Santa Lucia (arriving 08.34 am). Accommodation offered: 1, 2 or 3 bed sleepers; 4-berth sole occupancy couchettes; 5-berth couchettes (shared). The only drawback with the sleeper trains is you miss all that wonderful scenery.

Eurail pass holders pay reservation fee but travel is included in the pass. As the Munich to Verona train goes through three countries, you would need at least a 3 country Eurail pass should you choose to travel on this train journey.

Important: Arrive at the train station at least 20 minutes prior to your departure time to allow ample time to print your tickets and board your train.

The Journey

Munich to Innsbruck

The train journey from Munich, Germany, to Innsbruck, Austria, is one where you pass a lot of really interesting places on the way, but most people who make the trip never stop to check them out. As the journey straight through takes less than two hours, there is plenty of time to make a day's journey out of it, and call in on some of the places on the way. Doing that would involve making an overnight stay in Innsbruck. As the train is a regional service, you don't have to make reservations, and since, with a rail pass, you can get on and off a train as much as you like, it's the perfect journey to make in stages over a day provided you are happy to carry your luggage with you. When we made the trip, we didn't want the hassle of dragging our luggage around with us throughout the day, so we went straight through to Innsbruck in the morning, checked into our hotel there then traveled back down the line - minus our luggage - to a couple of places we wanted to visit, making our way back to Innsbruck later in the day. If you are doing the full journey from Munich to Verona, catch the Innsbruck to Verona train the next day.

Innsbruck

Innsbruck, the capital city of Tyrol in western Austria, is one of the country's 'must see' destinations. This city of 120,000 people lies about halfway between Munich in Germany and Verona in Italy, and it is the railway service between those two cities that we took from Munich to reach there. Innsbruck is an internationally renowned winter sports centre, and hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics as well as the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics. Innsbruck also hosted the first Winter Youth Olympics in 2012.

Innsbruck to Verona

From Innsbruck, the train winds its way through the dramatic Italian Dolomites. One of the most visually stunning sections of railway in Austria is through Brenner Pass (1371 metres), a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. Passenger trains travelling between Innsbruck and Verona in Italy traverse the pass. From Innsbruck up to Brenner, trains climb over 1,000 metres as it twists and turns, along with the motorway that links Innsbruck with Italy.

Brenner Pass is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has the lowest altitude among Alpine passes of the area. Dairy cattle graze in alpine pastures throughout the summer in valleys beneath the pass and on the mountains above it. Many of the high pastures are at an altitude of over 1,500 metres; a small number of them stands high in the mountains at around 2,000 metres.

A four-lane motorway and railway tracks connecting Bozen/Bolzano in the south and Innsbruck to the north traverse the central section of Brenner Pass. Brenner station is situated at the border between Italy and Austria on the Brenner Railway. It is the major line connecting the Austrian and Italian railways from Innsbruck to Verona, climbing up the Wipptal (German for Wipp Valley), passing over the Brenner Pass, descending down the Eisacktal (German for Eisack Valley) to Bolzano/Bozen, then further down the Adige Valley to Roverto/Rofreit, and along the section of the Adige Valley (Vallagarina in Italian) to Verona, Italy. After Brenner Pass, the scenery is dominated by vineyards, mountains and castles.

If you travel the pass by road, be sure to stop at the McDonald's at the village of Brenner. It has what must be the most spectacular view from any McDonald's restaurant in the world.

Tip: If travelling by train, make your way to the very back of the train, behind the cycle storage area, for spectacular views out of the rear window of the train as it climbs from up to the summit.

Verona

The setting for Shakespeare's famous 'Romeo & Juliet,' Verona offers many more sights and activities than those related to the ill-fated couple. The impressive 2,000 year old Roman arena is a must-see sight year-round, and especially so during the summer when the city's opera performances take place inside. Verona is a beautiful and walkable city with a scattering of interesting churches to visit, and along the way there are marble-paved streets linking several lovely piazzas that almost beg you to stop and have a coffee.