How to travel from München/Munich to Wien/Vienna by train

Final Destination: Budapest or Wien

These trains also call at: Linz, St Polten, Wien-Meidling*

*Check the location of your final destination in Wien/Vienna.

If you're heading to the south west corner of the city, or the area on the ring road around the Opera House - then it's likely that you'll have a faster and more convenient journey if you leave the train at Wien-Meidling station.

Wien Meidling is connected to line U6 of the Vienna Metro, which serves the western side of the city centre.

It can be particularly worthwhile comparing prices on the national ticket agents for this journey, becasue when the cheapest tickets have sold out on the DB (German railways website), they can still be available on the OBB (Austrian railways wesite) and vice versa.

The OBB website also tends to offer additional, generally cheaper options, which involve changing trains.

Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date - but this period of time is shorter when looking up journeys in August to October.

A choice of tickets

Four types of tickets are available:
Two types of discounted tickets, which will be cheaper the further ahead you book - Sparpreis Europa and Super Sparpreis Europa
Two types of non-discounted ticket - Flexpreis Europa and Flexpreis Plus Europa.

A key difference between these types of tickets is refunds:

• Super Sparpreis tickets are cheapest, but they can't be refunded at all.
• Sparpreis tickets can be refunded for a fee, but the refund will be in the form of travel vouchers to be used for alternative / future journeys.
• Flexpreis Europa and Flexpreis Plus Europa tickets can be refunded at no additional charge.

The other key difference is that both types of Sparpreis tickets are only valid on the specific departures selected when booking, but both types of Flexpreis tickets live up to their name, as they can be used on any departure on your travel date.

Note that none of the tickets can be exchanged to a different departure.
There's no need for this to be available for Flexpreis Europa tickets, as they aren't train departure specific.
If you book a Sparpreis Europa ticket and want to travel by a different departure you can refund it and then use the travel voucher towards the cost of the new booking.
Super Sparpreis Europa tickets can't be exchanged or refunded.

The Sparpreis, Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in Munchen city centre and Munchen Hbf.

Seat reservations

Seat reservations are optional on Railjet trains - take note if you will be using a rail pass.
They cost €4.90 when travelling in 2nd Class and €5.90 when travelling in 1st class.
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans - you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.

They are included within the cost of booking 1st class Flexpreis tickets and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.

When booking Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and 2nd class Flexpreis tickets, you have the option of purchasing seat reservations later.
It can be worth re-looking up a journey a week or two ahead of travel, because the DB website will indicate how busy a departure will be.

Booking on the DB website

You can find these direct trains more easily by making a proactive selection of 'Direct Trains Only'.

To see all the combinations of trains and journey options, some of which may be cheaper, take off the 'fastest connections' default.

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so if you can be flexible with your departure time use the 'best prices' tool - at the top right on the list of journey options.

Final Destination: Wien-Westbanhof

Note that these trains arrive at a different station in Wien/Vienna to that used by the Railjets.

These trains also call at Wien Hutteldorf which has an interchange with line U4 of the Vienna Metro, which makes multiple stops on the southern side of the city centre, including at Karlsplatz.

Departing from Munchen/Munich:

These trains also call at: Munchen Ost

The alternative Railjet services do not call at Munchen Ost, but if your starting point is located by Marienplatz or Isator stations in Munchen/Munich city centre, you will save around 20 mins by making a connection from these local cross-city trains at Munchen Ost instead of at Munchen Hbf

Book early and save: Yes

The daytime train service between Wien/Vienna and München/Munich is now split between Railjet trains operated by OBB and these trains operated by Westbahn.

The two train services have similar journey times;, the difference is generally less than 10 mins compared to OBB's fastest services), but the Westbahn trains depart from a different station in Wien/Vienna

Tickets for the trains operated by Westbahn are not available on the OBB ticket booking site and vice versa, tickets for the trains operated by OBB are not available on the Westbahn site, but both services can be looked up and booked on Trainline.

Though on this route when travelling on Monday to Thursday limited numbers of WESTsuperpreis tickets will be available for €23.99, they must be booked in advance and are only valid when travelling on the selected departure.

Last minute tickets booked at the station are more expensive than booking in Advance.

Differences in ticketing terms to travelling by Railjet:

• For these cross-border journeys Westbahn offers complimentary seat reservations when booking online
• Tickets can be cancelled/refunded up to one day before the travel date
• Book any ticket and you can take up to four children who are family members and aged 14 and under for €1 per child.

Final Destination: Budapest

Note that this train departs from München Ost station and not the city's main rail station, München Hbf, though the connections from the city centre are similar when heading to either station.

This train is usually scheduled to depart at around 23:35 and arrive in at around around 06:30 - note the exceptionally early arrival time.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open:
6 months ahead of the travel date on OBB
3 months ahead of the travel date on DB Bahn

'Kalaman Imre' is the name given to this train that is provided by Hungarian Railways (MAV) - the train will is heading to Budapest.

It comprises
- Compartment Seats
- Couchettes ; 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Sleeping cars with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins (there are no deluxe sleeping cars with showers in the cabins available on this route).

Click the train button above for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:

Using rail passes:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding this train.

However, these rail pass reservations can NO longer be booked online the DB website.

If you want to reserve seats, berths in couchettes or beds in the sleeping cabins before you arrive in Germany, the best option is to pay a booking fee and use the Eurail or InterRail reservation services.

Or you can avoid the booking fees by arranging the reservations when you arrive in Germany, by purchasing them at a Reisezentrum travel desk, which you will find in any hauptbahnhof.

Though it's best to do this at the first hauptbahnhof (city centre station) that you will arrive at, the later you leave booking your accommodation, the more likely it is that your preferences will be sold out.