[[File:lucerne-munich.png|400px|right]]
If you decided to bypass Innsbruck and go straight to Munich, the train ride from Lucerne via Zurich to Munich takes about 6 hours. An alternative is to take the train to the airport in Zurich, and take a short 1 hour flight from there into Munich. The total travel time is probably about the same.
=== Salzburg ===
Instead of stopping in Innsbruck, you could also take a connecting train to continue from Innsbruck straight to Salzburg. Salzburg is worth a full day at least, you have to see downtown with Mozart's birth place, the park gardens and take the elevator up the hill to the castle. Salzburg has nice Austrian charm, so make sure you stay downtown. I don't have a hotel to recommend in Salzburg, since we always go there just for day trips.
There are frequent train connections to move on from Salzburg to Munich, so don't worry about reservations there. The train from Salzburg to Munich takes about 90 minutes.
As with any of the train connections, make sure you don't take the slow train connections that stop on every village. There are fast (and really fast) trains, but local trains may take quite some time to cover a distance.
Another way to stop in Salzburg is to go to Munich first (see above, direct connection from Lucerne to Munich), and after your visit in Munich take a regular train to Salzburg. You stay in Salzburg for the day, and then board the same night train to Budapest that originates from Munich in Salzburg instead. The night train arrives in Salzburg around 1:20AM, but doesn't leave until 3:30AM. You're still allowed onto the train when the train arrives, this way you can board your cabin and sleep, while the train is being recombined.
=== Next stop ===
[[Southern_Germany,_Munich,_Passau|Munich and the surrounding area ]] is next.