Wien / Vienna to Bratislava by train

How to take a train journey from Wien/Vienna to Bratislava

No two European capitals are closer in terms of distance than Wien/Vienna and Bratislava, hence them being linked by a frequent service of regional trains, on all but two departures by day.
So it's a basic, but straightforward journey by train.

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Routes

From Wien Hbf/Hauptbahnhof to Bratislava hl.st.

Journey Summary

Travel Time
1hr 6 min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

Final Destination: Bratislava Hlavná Stanica (hl.st)

All trains also call at: Wien-Simmering for connection with line U3 of the Vienna Metro.

There are two train services between Wien Hbf and Bratislava and they both depart hourly during the day.

However, one service (this service) terminates at Bratislava hl.st station and the other terminates at Bratislava-Petrzalka station.

So it's worth checking which station in Bratislava is closest to your final destination.
It’s likely to be Bratislava hl.st. as it’s closer to the old town and the main tourist destinations.
Bratislava-Petrzalka station is on the opposite bank of the River Danube.

You might expect quality express trains would cover the shortest distance between two European capital cities, but the regular train service is provided by Austrian commuter trains that operate over the border into Slovakia.
There is a Slovakian IC train heading for Kosice, which typically departs Wien Hbf at 14:42 and the Railjet train between Wien and Bratislava is usually scheduled to depart from Wien Hbf at 20:42

1 x train per hour

Tickets

Book early and save: No

Tickets will cost the same price if purchased at the station immediately before departure.

If you do want to book online, then on the OBB ticket booking service, look for the trains that terminate at Bratislava hl.st. and avoid those that terminate at Bratislava-Petrzalka station (unless your final destination is to the south of the city centre).

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
OBB *

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.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

The trains also take different routes from Wien/Vienna, but these trains to Bratislava hl.st also call at Wien Simmering station, which has an interchange with line U3 of Vienna's Metro (U-Bahn) system.

Line U3 runs through the city centre and calls at stations that don’t have a Metro/U-bahn link with Wien Hbf, including Volks-theater and Wien Mitte.

So if the starting point of your journey in Wien/Vienna is near a line U3 station, there's no need to divert to Wien Hbf.
It will be often quicker and easier to join the train to Bratislava at Wien Simmering station.

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