The Inaugural European Rail Odyssey: Part 4

After two rainy but glorious days deep within the imperial calm of Vienna, the clock was ticking. Our logistical schedule demanded we get moving—a necessary return to the world of tickets and train platforms. (Catch up on the high-altitude train drama in Part 3: Venice to Vienna.) We had relocated from the elegant Hotel Bristol to the polished new Courtyard Vienna Prater Messe near the banks of the Danube River the day before. There we experienced a different side of Vienna, full of gleaming new buildings near the University. We left the comfort of our hotel that chilly morning and navigated the commuter rush back to Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Hbf). This leg of the journey was crucial; it had to move us efficiently across Austria and Southern Germany while delivering us to the planned scenic detour of the Rhine.

Although Deutsche Bahn can take you there in just under eight hours with one change, our journey required three changes. That was a necessary logistical nightmare so we could access the best scenery. For this leg, we got to experience two types of trains that were new to us. The first segment used the reliable Austrian Railjet (RJ) service, a comfortable, high-speed train built for domestic and regional international travel. This first segment took us across the whole of Austria from Vienna to our first major stop at Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, Mozart’s city. We would eventually get the chance to spend time there in 2019. You can get a peek at that trip on our first blog Reviewsteak.com. The scenery transitioned from the alpine villages near Vienna to the wide, fertile fields of the west. This was also where we had our first successful major rail change of the trip. With a mind-blowing 8 minutes to make the change, we had to be swift and focused, moving from one platform to another to catch our connection almost immediately. Thankfully, I had relentlessly studied the station maps and felt confident we would succeed! The knot in my stomach relaxed when we jumped aboard with only a few minutes to spare.

From Salzburg our chariot was again a Eurocity (EC) train like the one we became so familiar with in our eight-hour journey into Vienna. It transported us across the Austrian border into Bavaria. This time we were on board a mere hour and forty minutes before reaching the critical hub of München Hauptbahnhof (Munich Hbf). Successfully navigating this enormous, busy hub required every bit of the planning strategy we had developed in Post 1 (The Planning Blueprint). Once again we were in a race against the clock to make the connection, this time in 12 minutes! Thankfully German organization assisted us - the platform numbers were pre-determined and printed on the tickets. We darted off the train, racing from platform 12 to platform 22, dodging fellow travelers leisurely strolling for the exits. Looking back, I would never schedule such tight connections knowing what I know now. This was our first rail experience, however, and although it created some stress, we were able to accomplish our required transfers, thanks in part to our light, carry-on-only luggage.

The third leg shifted us entirely onto the German high-speed network. We boarded the iconic white and red Intercity-Express (ICE) train. Unlike the blunter-nosed Railjet and Eurocity trains, the ICE cut through the landscape with its wedge-shaped profile and streamlined design—form following function when we clocked it at 209 mph! The ICE trains are distinct: aside from speed, they are futuristic and whisper-quiet, offering a seamless travel experience that is pure technological efficiency. As we were whisked from Munich up to the major interchange point of Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (Frankfurt Hbf), we had three hours to relax onboard this machine. After stowing our bags, we found the bar car and enjoyed some German Bitburger Premium Pils while watching the hops fields rush by. It was amazing to watch the landscape blur past at that speed, yet the beer on our table sat perfectly still. We glided through Nuremberg, taking in the tall flat fronts of the buildings under steeply pitched roofs. Finally, we reached our fourth and final leg of the day in Frankfurt, the launch point for the scenic detour.

The Scenic Climax: The Rhine Valley Detour

With an ample 40 minutes, the Frankfurt transfer was complete, and we settled in for the highlight of the trip: a deliberate detour away from the fastest German high-speed routes to take the historic path along the Rhine River Valley. Our precise route took us through Frankfurt Airport and then Mainz Hbf, where we crossed the Rhine before heading north, marking the start of the truly scenic segment. This choice was purely visual, sacrificing an hour of travel time for a spectacular payoff. After reading about this particular journey, I ensured our seats were on the right side of the car, facing the direction of travel. From there we were directly above the flowing river. This paid off when the train slowed down considerably, traveling low along the riverbank as we ran through stops like Koblenz Hbf and Bonn Hbf.

Scenes along the Rhine

Amazingly the daylight lasted, and we were able to take in the seemingly endless procession of history. We entered the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Upper Middle Rhine Valley". On one side, we watched barges and cargo ships navigate the wide, winding river. On the other, the steep hills of vineyards rose dramatically, topped almost constantly by ruins of fortresses and medieval castles, some of which are hotels now. Every few minutes, a new piece of history appeared, including the famous Lorelei Rock, which, depending on whose version you follow, was either named for a siren who lured sailors to their demise, or the beautiful Lore Lay who plunged to her death after believing she saw her love in the Rhine. Watching this procession of history from the comfort of our carriage, we hardly felt the ten or so hours we had traveled. It was clear the decision to skip the faster route had been completely worth the extra time. I regretted not having more time so we could spontaneously get a room in one of the ancient castles and explore the area, but was also looking forward to the next 36 hours in Cologne.

Arrival in Cologne

The journey concluded as the train pulled into Köln Hauptbahnhof (Cologne Hbf). The station itself is a spectacle—it is located directly beside the massive, UNESCO-listed Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom). Stepping off the platform, the sheer scale of the Gothic structure is overwhelming and offers one of the most dramatic station arrivals in all of Europe. After the quiet contemplation of the Rhine, the immediate re-entry into this buzzing, modern German city reenergized us for the evening ahead.

Although we had just completed our longest day of travel, we were compelled to stop at a local watering hole and have our first Kölsch beers in Cologne. If you aren't familiar with Kölsch, it is a light beer with a protected geographical status similar to Champagne from France, and must be brewed within thirty-one miles of the city. Our time in Cologne was short (just two nights), but our purpose was clear: position ourselves for the final link while experiencing the local rail culture through Kölsch beer traditions.

After settling into our room at the Courtyard by Marriott Cologne, we set out to find an authentic brauhaus. Nearby we located Max Stark, a brewpub that was packed and very lively for a Wednesday night. We had seen the Kölsch drinking process on Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown" and couldn't wait to experience it for ourselves. Immediately after sitting, the server arrived with her special tray filled with small glasses of Kölsch high over her head. She dropped two coasters in front of us and topped them with two glasses and away she went retrieving empty glasses and replacing them with full ones, making a tic mark on the coaster as she did. With so few servers managing so many patrons, I still can't understand how they keep the amount of drinks a customer had straight. We were tired from the long day, and after enjoying a meal of steak and roasted vegetables, we reluctantly placed our coasters on top of our glasses, signaling we were done.

We made the most of our time in the city. We woke up the next day fully acclimated to an overcast, but thankfully dry, day. We spent our remaining time exploring the city's historic center. We walked along the Rhine and took a cable-car ride to the other side. From there (with my heart pounding), we got to take in the whole of the city from above, where the spires of the cathedral rise high into the sky. Then we walked around Skulpturen Park, a bizarre collection of contemporary sculptures set against the beautiful fall leaves of the forested park. We had lunch with a fantastic view of the iconic cathedral, which was still imposing but not quite as looming in the daylight.

Final Thoughts: A Logistical Triumph

The journey from the imperial heart of Austria through the German Rhine valley was a rewarding logistical triumph that proved the success of our point-to-point ticketing strategy. On this leg I had purchased Vienna to Frankfurt tickets, then Frankfurt to Cologne tickets separately to ensure we got the scenic route. For those that are curious about border crossings, there are no border checks at train stations on these journeys. Once our passports were shown in Vienna to board our original train, we moved from train to train easily. Often, but not always, there is a ticket inspector that will check if you are riding legally. One of our trains actually stopped just before the German border and ejected a group of young people riding without tickets. We had successfully navigated two countries, three difficult station changes, and earned ourselves the visual prize of the Rhine Valley before spending a memorable day in Cologne.