Train vacation with children

Route through Austria and Germany

In this blog, I’ll tell you all about our train trip with kids to Austria and Germany. During the autumn break, we traveled by train through Germany and Austria using an Interrail Pass.

Austria is such a wonderful destination for a family holiday. There’s so much to do for both young and old — climbing, cycling, hiking, pony rides, mountain playgrounds, lakes, kayaking, and swimming. Autumn is a beautiful season to explore Austria’s wild nature. The grass seems just a bit greener, the air a bit cleaner and bluer, and the warm glow of the autumn sun shines just a little brighter. Experiencing all this on a train trip with kids makes it even more adventurous!

We had only booked the first 2 nights and then planned to see how things would go. The travel days by train are truly days to enjoy the views. You glide quietly through the most beautiful landscapes, from gentle alpine meadows to rugged mountain ranges with only a wild river beside you. Truly enjoyable!

This blog is written by Ingrid.

Tips for a Train Vacation with Kids

Buying train tickets

For our train trip with children, we bought a Global Pass from Interrail, which allowed us to travel on five days within one month. There are also other passes available, which you can easily order through the website van Interrail. You only pay for the adults; children up to 12 travel for free.
With the Global Pass, you are allowed one trip within the Netherlands to leave the country and one trip back. We chose to park the car in Venlo (we live near Eindhoven) and take the regional train from there to Düsseldorf. From Düsseldorf, we transferred to the ICE to Munich.

Limit your transfers

Try to avoid too many transfers and stay flexible — trains in Germany can be delayed too. We spent our first two nights at Tirol Lodge in Ellmau. Using the Deutsche Bahn app, we found the most ideal train route to Wörgl in Austria, from where we planned to take a bus to Ellmau. We expected to arrive in Austria in about 7 hours. Easy, right?
Unfortunately, our very first train from Venlo had a major delay and ended up not departing at all. That meant we also missed our ICE train in Düsseldorf, and the rest of our travel day took a completely different turn. We also missed the bus in Wörgl, which only runs every 4 hours. So — be flexible!
Luckily, with all the available apps, it’s easy to find new connections quickly — but as we said before, stay flexible and see it as part of the adventure. That’s actually one of the biggest advantages of the Interrail Pass: it’s valid on (almost) all trains and offers a lot of flexibility. If you book a cheap “Supersparpreis” ticket for the ICE instead, be aware that it’s only valid for that specific train journey.

Handy apps for your train vacation with children

Always reserve seats for the ICE and international trains through the Deutsche Bahn app. It costs little for families but provides a lot of comfort! You can do this last minute, so it’s not a problem if you suddenly take a different train. The Interrail app and the websites/apps of Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB, and VVT (both Austria) are a must!

The route of our Train Vacation with Kids

Ellmau Austria

The accommodation in Ellmau, Tirol Lodge, with its heated pool and comfortable family rooms, was delightful! It’s located in the Wilder Kaiser area, which is a paradise for families, with a fantastic playground on nearly every mountain peak.

The Tirol Lodge is located right next to the lift, but you can also hike up the mountain, which is what we did. It’s a total hike of 12 km. The last part is a bit challenging, but it’s manageable for sporty kids. The hiking trails in the mountains work just like ski slopes: blue routes are easy, and red routes are more difficult and steep. At the top of Hartkaiser lies Ellmi’s Zauberwelt, a playground paradise for the kids, complete with trampolines, a playground, and a water play area. And a delicious Kaiserschmarrn at the mountain restaurant is always a nice reward after such a hike! We rested our legs and enjoyed the warm mountain sun on our faces.

Salzburg Austria

From Ellmau, we took the bus to St. Johann in Tirol, where we caught the direct train to Salzburg, which takes 2 hours and 20 minutes. This train journey through the Salzburgerland is truly beautiful. We were lucky to have a sunny day. Every minute of the journey was stunning!

In Salzburg, we were there for just one day, but we would definitely go back. It’s a lovely city to wander around. We quickly decided to take the hop-on hop-off bus. In hindsight, it was way too expensive for what it offered. Our tip would be to explore the city center on foot and maybe rent bikes for a day to venture a bit further outside the city, for example, to Schloss Hellbrun. There is also Hellbrun Zoo there. Additionally, Salzburg has a nice toy museum. Or you can take the cable car at Hohensalzburg Fortress.

What struck us in Salzburg is how clean, tidy, and safe it is—just like everywhere in Austria. We also found it to be a romantic city, with its pastel-colored houses, narrow streets, and cozy terraces. It has a lovely, relaxed atmosphere!

Berchtesgaden Germany

After Salzburg, we traveled on to our bucket list destination, Berchtesgaden in Germany. We actually wanted to stay longer in Austria, but this was more practical in terms of our travel route. The Berchtesgaden National Park, located at the southernmost tip of Bavaria, is incredibly impressive in terms of natural beauty.

We took the bus to Königssee. It’s a tourist attraction, but definitely worth it. Although we think it gets very crowded during the peak season. First, we did the Malerwinkel circular walk to the viewpoint Rabenwand. It’s a short walk of about 30 minutes. You start on the left, along the boathouses. From the viewpoint, you have the most beautiful view over the Königssee!

We sailed to St. Bartholomä on an electric boat. Tip! Book your tickets online in advance! This boat trip will be a special experience in any season. With the autumn colors, it was beautiful. The most unique part of the boat trip is that halfway through, the roof of the boat opens, it gets very quiet, and the guide plays a tune on the trumpet… when the trumpet music echoes back from the mountains a few seconds later, it really gives you goosebumps!

München

After Berchtesgaden, we traveled to Munich. We discovered that there are fewer ICE trains running on the weekend. That’s why we were glad to be in Munich early to ensure we wouldn’t miss our ICE. It was generally busier on the weekend, and we couldn’t reserve seats for all the trains anymore. In Munich, we played the tourist in the city. We cruised around the city on rented scooters! The kids loved it!

About Ingrid

Hi! We are Arjan and Ingrid, and together with our kids Casper (10) and Nova (8), we prefer to be outdoors, in nature. Or staying active! Nature has always drawn us on our travels. With and without kids, exploring Norway, Italy, South Africa, or New Zealand. By car or by train. As long as it involves phenomenal landscapes, being active or sporty, and a bit of adventure, we are absolutely happy!

In recent years, we have mainly been found in the mountains. In the mountains, we find peace, relaxation, and feel incredibly at home. The magic of nature in our European alpine countries captures our hearts every time. In winter, we go skiing and snowboarding (this coming winter, we’re even going for an extended period!), and in summer, we explore new areas on foot, by bike, or by car.

Our children (and we too, of course) really recharge from adventures in the mountains. Happiness hormones are produced non-stop by being active in nature. And even though they sometimes mention sore legs, they want to head out every single day.

The Dolomites have been on our list for a long time, and this coming summer we are going there. Additionally, we would love to go to Iceland and Canada.

Follow Ingrid on Instagram: @peaksofplay