Related Content
Content
Warszawa / Warsaw to Wien / Vienna by train
How to travel by train from Warsaw / Warszawa to Vienna / Wien
When taking this wonderfully epic rail journey between the capital cities of Poland and Hungary, there is a choice between experiencing three countries in a single day on the daytime train, or travelling through the night.
Share
Routes
Option 1: travelling by day
Journey Summary
7hr 30min - 7hr 40min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Wien Hbf
These trains usually depart from Warszawa Centralna at 06:09 and 14:20.
On some timetables the morning departure is named the 'Polonia' and the afternoon train is named the 'Sobieski'.
2 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 60 days ahead of the travel date
Tickets for the train journey from Warszawa/Warsaw to Wien/Vienna are sold by both the Polish express train operator's website, PKP InterCity, and the OBB website provided by Austria's national train operator.
Booking on the PKP InterCity website:
Tickets to Wien/Vienna tend to be cheaper on the PKP InterCity website, but you will need to use a currency conversion took to make the comparison with the OBB website as the ticket prices on PKP are only available in Polish zlotys.
The PKP website can be a tad quirky for first time users, so we have published a guide to what to look out for when using it.
In particular pay attention to the booking screen that's been highlighted here - if you don't tick the box you won't be booking the cheapest tickets available, at the price that will be shown for each departure.
Booking on the OBB InterCity website
Our guide to booking train tickets (and reservations) on the OBB website is available HERE.
Note that the cheapest tickets on the OBB webite, the 'Sparschiene' tickets, can't be refunded or exchanged if you subsequently need to change your travel plans.
Also if you book on the OBB website, you can only obtain your tickets for this journey by printing them off from an OBB ticket machine at a station in Austria, or by taking your booking comnfirmation reference number to an OBB ticket desk at a station in Austria.
Travelling with a rail pass:
If you will be boarding these trains and using an InterRail or Eurail Pass, you will need to make a reservation* prior to boarding.
*According to the Eurail and InterRail websites, the reservation fees still apply to international journeys by these EC trains, despite fees no longer being charged to travel by these DAY trains for domestic journeys within Poland – OR in Czechia and Austria
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| OBB | from €42 | |
| PKP | * | |
| OBB | * |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
These trains cross the city from east to west - so they call first at Warszawa Wschodnia station, which is on the eastern side of the city centre.
If you will be commencing a journey in the vicinity of the old town, you can take tram line/route 13 direct from the 'Stare Miasto' stop direct to Wschodnia station.
They then call at Warszawa Centralna, the main station in the city.
After departing from Warszawa Centralna these trains will then call at Warszawa Zachodnia.
So check the location of the starting point of your journey, to see which of these three stations will suit you best.
Making this comparatively long journey from Warsaw to Wien/Vienna by train is an interesting rather than beautiful experience; you will travel through Czechia as well as Poland and Austria.
So having something to read or look at is recommended, though the Wi-fi on the train is usually temperamental.
Therefore you won't miss out on a stunning travel experience, if you opt to take the alternative overnight train instead.
Option 2: travelling overnight
Journey Summary
11hr 11min
Nightly
Travel Information
Final Destination: Wien Hbf
Polish Railways (PKP) provides this train and it conveys:
- Compartment Seats
- Couchettes; 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Standard and deluxe sleeping cars with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
Departing from Warszawa/Warsaw:
This train commences its journey at Warszawa Wschodnia station, which is on the eastern side of the city centre.
If you will be commencing a journey in the vicinity of the old town, you can take tram line/route 13 direct from the 'Stare Miasto' stop direct to Wschodnia station.
It then calls at Warszawa Centralna, the main station in the city.
After departing from Warszawa Centralna it will then call at Warszawa Zachodnia.
So check the location of the starting point of your journey, to see which of these three stations will suit you best.
1 x train per night
Tickets
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date (usually)
Polish Railways (PKP provides this train and it conveys:
- Compartment Seats
- Couchettes; 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Sleeping cars with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 bed (Delux cabins have showers)
However, this train cannot be booked on the PKP website, but it can be booked on the OBB, Austrian national railways, website; our guide to making this booking is is available HERE.
A plus of booking online is that you will have ensured your place on the train. Your first choice of accommodation MAY be sold out if you don't book before arriving in Warsaw/Warszawa.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be making this journey with a valid rail pass, you must reserve before boarding these trains, but these reservations cannot be booked online.
Reservations can be arranged and paid for at the ticket desk at Warszawa Centalna station - ideally do this when you first arrive in Warszawa on the preceding train on your itinerary.
Or by calling OBB Customer Service (+43 5 1717) or by using the Eurail/InterRail reservation service
Rail pass users can obtain good value for money on this train, particularly if you travel in the couchettes.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| OBB | * |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
The train is usually scheduled to depart Warszawa Centralna station at 19:49 and arrive in Wien Hbf station at 07:00.
For the part of the journey between Warsaw and The Czech Republic, the coaches/sleeping cars heading for Wien are joined to other parts of the train which will be heading to Budapest and Praha
If you can see a train on the departure indicators in Warsaw heading to Budapest or Praha, then this information will also be referring to this train.
When you board in Warsaw you must take up your assigned place on the train as it will be picking up passengers at other stations in Poland, including Krakow..
So what may seem like spare beds, bunks, seats etc are likely to be occupied later in the journey.
If your rail travel itinerary includes Warsaw/Warszawa, and Wien/Vienna, then the overnight train is a comparatively good option.
It's an interesting, but not particularly beautiful journey if you take the day trains; though for multiple reasons, including the fact that they take a more direct route, those daytime trains are much faster.
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.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
