The EC named "Mimara" connects Villach in the Alps with Munich, Stuttgart and Cologne as well as other cities in the Ruhr region all year round. This means you can travel comfortably to your holiday or back without changing trains.
Journey time
Departure of the EC114 in Klagenfurt is 08:42, in Villach 09:16. Arrival in Munich 13:41, in Cologne (Deutz) 19:27, the train continues to Dortmund Hbf (arrival: 20:57) Thus the journey time from Villach to Munich is 4.5 hours (from Klagenfurt 5 hours) and to Cologne 11 hours (from Klagenfurt 11.5 hours).
The timetable may change by a few minutes depending on the day, and it may also be slightly different in the next timetable year, usually only by a few minutes. In the Timetable information you will find the corresponding journey times for your respective travel day by entering the start and destination.
Timetable information EC114.
UPDATE 2024: The train now runs as ICE114
UPDATE 2025: Even in summer, the train often only goes as far as Salzburg or Munich, where you have to change trains. But that's not a bad thing, because the train only uses the slow routes in Germany anyway and you can often reach your destination faster by changing trains
Ticket
Tickets are conveniently available on the Deutsche Bahn website.
Prices start at EUR 37.90 for the complete journey in the economy fare. The Flex price (full price) is around EUR 180. Discounts are available on shorter sections of the journey and with a Bahncard (25% on saver fares, 25-50% on flex fares, depending on the Bahncard).
1st class tickets start at EUR 59.90.
Reservation
Reservations are optional, i.e. not obligatory. You can either buy them on their own or together with your ticket. Again very convenient with Deutsche Bahn.
Reservations on the EC train were sometimes marked with small slips of paper.
Interrail
A seat reservation is possible, but not obligatory. This means that with an Interrail ticket you are basically travelling here at no extra cost. If you do want to make a reservation: it's best to do so now here at Deutsche Bahn.
My journey from Villach to Munich
The train departs from Klagenfurt (the first stop) at 08:42.
The train leaves the station in Villach at 09:16. This provides a short but convenient connection to the night train from Belgrade, which arrives here at 09:08. You can also continue your journey from Ljubljana (departure at 07:27) by changing to this train.
Various displays tell you the platform and carriage order in advance, which is particularly relevant if you have a reservation.
The train arrives in Villach shortly after 09:15.
The train sets off a few minutes late. It's from the "Intercity 1" generation, which are carriages that are actually a bit older, but you can't tell by looking at them. It is well attended, but not full to the last seat, so I get a seat even without a reservation. The train is a classic "passenger train", as I call it. An intercity, with "real carriages" and a maximum speed of 200 kilometres per hour. It has both compartments and (mainly) open-plan carriages. The comfort of the seats is comparable to those on the ICE.
UPDATE: The train has been running with the ICE4 series since 2024 anyway
A seat reservation has cost EUR 5.20 since 2025. You can make them at the counter or Buy online from Deutsche Bahn (either together with the ticket or afterwards if you already have a ticket). You can even choose your preferred seat online, which should also be possible at the ticket counter, but the staff don't always point this out to you. I recommend this option for families in particular. There are also cosy 4-seater tables in the open-plan carriage, where you can spend the journey playing a game or simply spread out your things in a spacious area.
Here is the aforementioned four-seater suite with table on the Eurocity/Intercity train.
As a special feature, this Intercity (IC) also has a very good dining car. The newer IC2, for example, no longer has this.
Dining car in the Eurocity.
Of course, there is also a first class. This also has a few more compartments, which, unlike the second class compartments, only have four seats instead of six.
There are also additional luggage compartments for large suitcases throughout the train. Trains are often criticised for having too few luggage compartments. However, I see time and time again that those that are available are not used enough. If you stow large suitcases there properly and smaller suitcases in the upper compartments, there are still spaces between two chairs leaning against each other (which are also available 2-3 times per carriage) and, as my insider tip, the space under the chairs, which is often forgotten.
Luggage rack in the EC at the end of the carriage.
Das letzte „Feature“ ist das Informationshef. Im Informationsheft finden sich alle Haltestellen mit Fahrplanzeiten, dazu alle Anschlusszüge für Weiterreisende. Leider wird dieses Extra seit 2021 nicht mehr angeboten. 🙁
The Deutsche Bahn travel plan for this train.
Of course, the train can also be used by wheelchair users, there is a barrier-free toilet (which also serves as a nappy-changing room) and barrier-free seats. However, as boarding is more difficult, the journey should be booked in advance so that wheelchair users can get help getting on and off the train.
Last but not least, the ride itself is of course also quite beautiful - after all, it is a true Alpine panorama ride. The white peaks are really something, but my personal highlight is this castle here:
As I often took long train journeys on holiday as a child, I'm sure that even the long journey time of around 10 hours from Cologne to Klagenfurt is bearable! Apart from that, there are many other holiday destinations on the way. For example, Gastein or the Hohe Tauern National Park (Mallnitz-Obervellach stop).
You can find all stops along the way here.
Here are a few more impressions from the journey through the Alps:
The panoramic journey then winds down a little from Salzburg. The train stands there for a few minutes, according to the timetable it would continue at 12 noon sharp. We are able to reduce our current delay of around 15 minutes. Even after that, you can still see the Alps on the left. The train stops in beautiful Traunstein and at Lake Chiemsee before reaching Munich at 13:41. There you have a connection to the ICE in the direction of Hamburg via Berlin and Erfurt (where you can change to Leipzig and Dresden, for example). There is already a blog about this journey on raildude!
You can get tickets for this train quite simply with Deutsche Bahn. With a Bahncard 25 there is a 25% discount, with a Bahcard 50 even 50% (but only on Flex fares). Prices start from as little as EUR 37.90 for a single journey. If you use our booking links when buying your ticket, we receive a small commission from rail.cc and you support our free content such as this one. The price remains the same, of course.
If you are still looking for accommodation in Villach or Munich, then take a look at Booking.com pure.
Hast Du noch Fragen zu Deiner bevorstehenden Bahnreise oder Interrail-Tour? Dann schreibe einfach einen Kommentar unter meinen Reisebericht und du bekommst eine Antwort und Hilfe! Ich danke Dir fürs Lesen meines Blogs und würde mich freuen, Dich bald wieder auf RailDude begrüßen zu dürfen! 🙂
Important links
Timetable / journey time from 04:30 hours: German railway
Buy train tickets from 37,90 EUR: German railway
Book a hotel: Booking.com
DE 
AR 
BG 
DA 
EN 
ET 
FI 
FR 
EL 
IT 
JA 
KO 
LV 
LT 
NL 
NB 
PL 
PT 
RO 
RU 
SV 
SK 
SL 
ES 
CS 
TR 
UK 
HU 
