Salzburg to Klagenfurt by train

How to take the absolutely stunning rail journey from Salzburg to Klagenfurt

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Routes

From Salzburg Hbf to Klagenfurt Hbf

Travel Information

Final Destination: Klagenfurt

The trains also call at these resort towns on the shore of the beautiful Worthersee:
Velden am Worther see
Portschach am Worther see
Krumpendorf am Worther see

Trains depart from Salzburg in even hours.

Some of the departures will be by Railjets, but there also IC/EC trains between Salzburg and Klagenfurt, which will have commenced their journeys in Germany.

1 x train every other hour

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

The discounted tickets are the 'Sparscheine' tickets and they can be booked online up until the day of departure, but they can't be booked at stations, so booking last minute at the station is always more expensive.

Trains departing at different times can also be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
OBB from €9

OBB Guide

OBB is the national rail operator and its booking service offers journeys by express trains within Austria, as well as international journeys which don't involve making a connection outside of Austria.

It pays off to book online, as the discounted 'Sparscheine' tickets are only ever made available on the website, and when making international journeys to and from Austria, these Sparscheine tickets tend to be cheaper.
OBB can offer particularly good value for money when travelling with children on international rail journeys, but something to watch out for when travelling between Austria and Germany on daytime trains, is that reservations are an optional extra; but if you book 1st class tickets with the Germany railways website DB, the reservations are complimentary.

OBB often takes a unique approach to its booking path, but a key thing to keep in mind is that the first price you will see for any journey is that of a Second Class seat.
The costs of upgrading to first class, a reservation, or a sleeping cabin etc, is then added to this price.

Trainline from €9

Trainline Guide

Trainline from €9

Trainline Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesRiver viewsLandscape (Hills / Mountains)Lake views

Good to Know

The coaches to Klagenfurt on the EC trains can be joined to coaches heading to Zagreb; the train separates at Villach.
So when boarding check that you will be in the part of the train heading to Klagenfurt.

Don't be overly concerned about this, the conductor will verify that you're sat in the correct part of the train when they inspect your ticket.

Journey Description

This is one of Europe's most stunning railway journeys.

The best of the views are from the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel); though the approach to Bad Gastein is best seen from the left.
The highlight of the journey is the stretch between Bad Gastein and Villach.

Views over a lake can also be seen from the right of the train between Villach and Klagenfurt (the video was taken from a train heading south from Klagenfurt).

Between Salzburg and Bad Gastein Between Salzburg and Bad Gastein
From the right, shortly after departing Bad Gastein From the right, shortly after departing Bad Gastein
Between Bad Gastein and Villach #1 Between Bad Gastein and Villach #1
Between Bad Gastein and Villach #2 Between Bad Gastein and Villach #2
Between Bad Gastein and Villach #3 Between Bad Gastein and Villach #3
Between Bad Gastein and Villach #4 Between Bad Gastein and Villach #4
The Wothersee is on the right of the train between Villach and Klagenfurt The Wothersee is on the right of the train between Villach and Klagenfurt

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This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

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