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How to Take the Train From Venice to Salzburg—the Scenic Route!

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If you want to know how to take the train from Venice to Salzburg, be sure to book the SCENIC route! This is what I did last year on my Europe rail trip, and it was such a beautiful view as the train goes through the Brenner Pass, passing the Alps at the Italy-Austria border.

Also, a hat tip to The Man in Seat Sixty-One because I’m pretty sure he’s the one who helped me learn about this route trick!

How to Book the Scenic Route (Brenner Pass via Innsbruck)

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do book the scenic route:

Step 1: Go to the OBB website (official Austrian railway)

train from venice to salzburg: OBB website

Step 2: Type in “Venezia Santa Lucia” as your departure and “Salzburg HBF” as your destination.

train from venice to salzburg- step 2

Step 3: Click “Via” and type “Innsbruck”

train from venice to salzburg - click via

train from venice to salzburg - click innsbruck hbf

train from venice to salzburg - Stopover time

Step 4: Click “Done” and then click to continue on to see your ticket options

train from venice to salzburg- step 4

train from venice to salzburg - step 5

Step 5: Try to get a train with ONLY an Innsbruck connection to reduce travel time.

This is the exact train time and route I purchased:

  • Departing Santa Lucia Station at 13:50 (1:50pm)
  • Arriving at Salzburg Hbf at 21:04 (9:04pm)

train from venice to salzburg - step 5b

Step 6: Click “Add to basket.”

train from venice to salzburg - add to basket

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    Step 7: Enter personal information and payment details.

    After you click “Add to Basket,” you’ll fill out traveler details and payment info.

    train from venice to salzburg - personal information

    train from venice to salzburg - payment details

    Step 8: Be sure to get your ticket!

    After you submit payment, you should receive an email from OBB with your a PDF of your receipt. The email will be in German. Please note that this email is NOT your ticket!

    train from venice to salzburg OBB email confirmation

    To get your ticket for your journey, you must

    1. Get it printed at the station
      OR
    2. Access it via the OBB mobile app on your smartphone.

    I used option 2. Just be aware that if your phone malfunctions or you don’t have access to Internet/data and can’t load it, you’ll be in trouble.

    What It’s Like to Ride the Train From Venice to Salzburg

    The seats are organized into compartments with 6 seats each with a door. You walk through the hall and find an available compartment/seat:

    Venice to Salzburg OBB train compartments

    Be SURE to check the little labels on each compartment door. If it says “Reservierung,” do NOT sit there. It is reserved for someone else.

    Train from Venice to Salzburg Reservierung Reserved seats

    The compartments are pretty cozy with arm rests. There are luggage racks above the seats.

    Train from Venice to Salzburg seats in a compartment

    There are outlets for you to charge your electronics (but if you’re from the U.S., don’t forget an adapter!).

    Train from Venice to Salzburg outlets

     

    Train from Venice to Salzburg outlets with adapter

    You can also pull out a little desk/table next to your seat.

    Train from Venice to Salzburg - Table is hidden in the side of the window

    Train from Venice to Salzburg window table

    Train from Venice to Salzburg Window table fully extended

     

    There’s also a dining cart. Here’s a view of the menu items:

    Train from Venice to Salzburg dining cart menu 2

    Train from Venice to Salzburg dining cart menu 1

    Train from Venice to Salzburg dining cart menu 3

    Train from Venice to Salzburg dining cart menu 4

    Now, for the Venice to Salzburg train, it’s the ONLY train we took where they did have authorities check our documents. Shortly after the train ride began, Italian police opened our compartment doors and checked our passports and train tickets. Later, we stopped at the Italy-Austria border and Austrian police came onboard and checked our passports and train tickets. So make sure to have both of these documents handy during your train ride.

    Oh, and of course, be sure to enjoy the view outside your train window!

    Train from Venice to Salzburg Brenner Pass view from the window 1

    Train from Venice to Salzburg Brenner Pass view from the window 2

    Train from Venice to Salzburg Brenner Pass view from the window 3

    When you get to Innsbruck Station, you’ll have about 20 (?) minutes to get out and peruse the shops inside the train station before you have to catch your train to Salzburg.

    Train from Venice to Salzburg - Innsbruck station

    This isn’t much time, so hurry! There are a LOT of meat shops:

    Train from Venice to Salzburg - Meat shop inside Innsbruck station

    But I recommend going to the supermarket deli and getting a sandwich. I had the BEST salami sandwich of my life there.

    Train from Venice to Salzburg - Closeup of the best salami sandwich

    Train from Venice to Salzburg - Best salami sandwich

    When you arrive in Salzburg Hbf Station, there is a Spar grocery store inside. This is a great place to drop in and buy some snacks for your time in Salzburg.

    Train from Venice to Salzburg - Spar grocery store inside the Salzburg train station

    So there you have it! That’s how to take the train from Venice to Salzburg. I hope that was helpful, as I know booking foreign trains can be really stressful. Enjoy your trip!

     

    Things to Do in Salzburg

    When you arrive, here are some things to do in Salzburg:

    *Below are affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you choose to purchase through my links (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting this site!*

     


    Read next: My 2-Week Eastern Europe Train Itinerary

     

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    How to Take the Train From Venice to Salzburg - The scenic route!

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