Taking The Train From Salzburg To Vienna

a train station with people walking on the tracks

I’ve got a ton of posts to crank out on our family vacation to Sicily and Salzburg.  I’m hoping to get my butt in gear.  Here’s a quick peek at what I expect to cover:

Our final stop on our trip was Vienna.  Flying home from Vienna meant a nonstop flight on Austrian Airways versus some awkward connections from Salzburg.  Business class award availability sealed the deal for us.

The train ride from Salzburg is a bit over 2 hours if you take the express train, just under 3 hours for the regular train.  We chose Westbahn, one of a couple of carriers that serves the route.  We paid a bit less than $30 per adult ticket, which seems to be pretty close to the walk-up price.  Charlie was free since he was under 6 years old.  Catherine was 10 and cost us 1 Euro.  Not a bad deal.

One of my readers (thanks, DCK) was nice enough to point out in the comments why you might want to choose OBB, the other company providing train service on this route.  If you want to travel to Hauptbahnhof, the airport or Budapest, OBB trains can take you that far, where Westbahn stops at the Westbahnhof station.

The main train station in Salzburg is less than a 10-minute walk from the Sheraton Grand.  Trains to Vienna leave fairly frequently, multiple times an hour during our visit.  We figured out which track our train was on and headed down to board.

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Since we were boarding early, we had our choice of seats.  The train ended up being less than half full.  The seats themselves had plenty of legroom.  I was able to fit my rolling carry-on completely under the seat in front of me and still have plenty of room for my feet.  The tray tables were sizable and strong enough to hold my laptop.  There were two power outlets conveniently located under the armrest in between the seats.

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

The train had a standard snack car with tables to eat at.  The bathrooms were typical of a European train and were sparkling clean.

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Technology was great.  It was easy to pay for food onboard using a mobile device the staff had.  We ordered a few sandwiches and some drinks.  And, onboard Wifi was perfectly reasonable for most of the journey.

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Train From Salzburg to Vienna

Once we arrived in Vienna it was an easy walk into the main station.  We ordered an Uber and were at the Park Hyatt Vienna within 15 minutes.

The Final Two Pennies

We would travel with Westbahn again and highly recommend them.  OBB Railjet is another provider on the same route.  No idea what their service is like.  GoEuro will sell you tickets ahead of time, but it’s also possible to get tickets at the station.  With the number of trains traveling on the route, I don’t think you’d be taking too much of a risk to buy tickets last-minute.  Happy to answer any questions!

Does anyone have experience taking the train between Salzburg and Vienna?

The post Taking The Train From Salzburg To Vienna was published first on Pizza in Motion

2 Comments

  1. Just to clarify one point. Westbahn trains terminate at Vienna’s Westbahnhof (West Train Station).

    The main train station, the Hauptbahnhof, is the station used by OBB’s trains from Salzburg. Depending upon which OBB train caught, it can end at the Hauptbahnhof, continue on to Vienna’s airport, or end its journey in Budapest. For travelers wishing to connect directly from Salzburg to Vienna’s airport, OBB is the service to use.

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