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I will be traveling by train from Munich to Vienna with a connection in Salzburg. Is it easy to make this connection?

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    That depends on the time of the trains, in Europe we usually have more than one train per day on each line. Please add the times to your question for a useful answer.
    – Willeke ♦
    Mar 14 at 15:25
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    Salzburg is not an especially large or complex station and there are many options should you miss the next train so I would say the connection counts as “easy” (see Michaelyus's answer for more detail on the timing). If you have never used trains in Europe, know that it will feel more like a subway or suburban train in the US than airport travel but Austrian stations are modern and well sign-posted (certainly the case in Salzburg).
    – Relaxed
    Mar 15 at 10:23
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    It would be helpful if you stated why you think you might have problems. Do you have much heavy luggage? Do you or a companion have mobility issues? Are you travelling with young children? What time of day are you planning to travel?
    – mdewey
    Mar 15 at 12:32
  • What do you mean by "easy" ? If you're asking about the physical movement from one train to the other, no one can answer without knowing which trains you're asking about, when they arrive and depart, and how much time separates them.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Mar 15 at 14:19
  • If your question is about navigating the station / finding the platform your train to Vienna leaves from, easy or not depends a lot on your experience with public transport making your question basically unanswerable.
    – Sabine
    Mar 15 at 20:48

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A quick look on the TheTrainline.com indicates the following for the 2023 timetable (as viewed in mid March 2023) for Munich station > Vienna station (München Hbf > Wien Hbf):

  1. Taking 4hr 15-17min: There are DB services leaving Munich at 16 past the hour, which arrive into Salzburg at 59 past; there are subsequent Railjet trains from Salzburg to Vienna that leave at 7 past, scheduled to arrive at 32 past. This gives you a transfer time in Salzburg of only 8 minutes. This is feasible only if you have decent-to-good mobility, don't get [very] lost in Salzburg station, and if your inbound train is on time.

  2. Taking 4hr 36-37min: There are DB services leaving Munich at 55 past the hour, arriving into Salzburg at 42 past the hour, with connecting Railjet services from Salzburg to Vienna that leave at 7 past. This gives a transfer time of 25 minutes, which is a much more feasible connection.

  3. Taking 4hr 44min: Westbahn service leaving Munich at 48 past, arriving in Salzburg at 21 past; Railjet service leaving Salzburg at 7 past (same as above). This gives a transfer time of 46 minutes.

Note late night and early morning services have different durations, including adjusted transfer times (e.g. the 19:55 departure from Munich, falling into the second category above, has a 15min transfer instead).

There are also direct services with no change in Salzburg (which can be as fast as just over 4h, or as slow as over 6hr for overnight services).

There is also an option to go to St. Pölten for the transfer: a total of 4h 18m with a 15min transfer or 4h 36m with a 31min transfer.

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  • (+1, excellent answer) @DavidSupportsMonica Shouldn't that be a comment to the question? The ticket being sold by a single provider is not always crucial in rail transport in Europe, tickets can also be sold without a specific connection.
    – Relaxed
    Mar 15 at 10:20
  • @Relaxed Fair enough, thanks. I'll delete, edit, and add my observation as a comment to the question.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Mar 15 at 14:18
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Short transfers are a normal and expected feature of a well run railway. Transferring trains does not take a lot of time. You only need seconds to get of a train, and you have up to the last second to get on the next train. And even a bit more. The conductor is not going to close doors while people are still boarding. The platforms of connections are usually announced, so you will know where to go.

So be happy that the railway doesn't waste your time with long transfers. Don't worry and enjoy the trip.

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  • This isn't always true, although I can't speak particularly for Salzburg. Doors are sometimes closed a couple of minutes before departure, particularly on express services. If you need to transfer from platforms at opposite ends of a large station, that can take a few minutes, especially if there are crowds or the station is busy. This is the sort of information that would make a good answer. You should also indicate your sources and familiarity.
    – Stuart F
    Mar 17 at 13:54
  • Doors closing before departure is something a properly run railway does not do. When the doors are closed the train has "left" from the point of view of passengers. The departure time listed on the timetable should be the time the train leaves. It is my personal experience that short transfers are not an issue in Austria, neither are they in Switzerland or even Germany. You should not add unneeded extra buffer in your trip. Short transfers are how those railways remain competetive.
    – Krist van Besien
    Mar 28 at 16:15

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