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Wien / Vienna to Budapest by train
How to take a train journey from Wien/Vienna to Budapest
There have never been more trains per day between the Austrian and Hungarian capitals, reflecting that it's typically a very straightforward journey.
Though an unusual feature of taking a train from Wien/Vienna to Budapest is that the evening departures are by overnight trains heading to distant destinations in eastern Europe.
Though you won't have to hop on a bed to travel by then as they also convey coaches with seats.
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Routes
From Wien Hbf/Hauptbahnhof to Budapest Keleti
Journey Summary
2hr 37min - 2hr 40 min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Budapest-Keleti = the Railjets; various destinations - the IC/EC trains
From 07:40 daily the timetable is arranged so that there is an hourly departure, with the service alternating between Railjets (the Austrian trains) and EC / D trains (the Hungarian trains).
The Railjets typically depart in the odd hours, with the IC/EC / D trains leaving in the even hours.
Aside from the fact that the Railjets convey restaurant cars and the IC/EC /D trains don't, there is little difference in the on-board experience, the Hungarian national rail operator MAV tends to use its most modern trains on this route.
The first train of the day is the 'Wiener Walzer' EuroNight train which will be heading to Budapest from Zurich/Munchen
It has 2nd class seats in compartments.
Departing from Wien/Vienna:
The Railjets call at Wien-Meidling station before going on to depart from Wien Hbf
So if your journey in Vienna is commencing in 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 join 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.
If you will be travelling with a rail pass and don't want to reserve seat, then it can be a good idea to board these trains at Wien-Meidling.
Keep out of the way of the passengers who will be leaving the train at its next station call, Wien Hbf, so that when they have left the train, you'll have first pick of the available seats for the journey on to Budapest.
Arriving in Budapest:
These trains call at Budapest-Kelenfold station around 10 mins before arriving at Budapest-Keleti.
If the end point of your journey in Budapest is on Metro Line 4, or has an easy connection from Line 4, then leave the train at Kelenfold station and transfer to the Metro there.
Not only will your journey be quicker overall, the Metro transfer at Kelenfold is much easier than at Keleti station, particularly if you have luggage.
1 x train per hour
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date (usually)
Like most European rail routes between two major cities, it is the demand per departure which impacts on ticket prices, rather than the type of train providing the service.
So on this route, the smarter Railjet trains can be cheaper than the D trains (EC trains) and vice versa.
During the day the timetable is arranged so that in most hours there will be a Raijet train or D train departing, so if you need to depart or arrive at specific times, it won't particularly which type of train you will be travelling by.
Though if it doesn't particularly matter which time of day you will be travelling at, it can pay off to search through the departures to find the cheaper tickets; particularly if you will be booking less than a month ahead.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| OBB | from €14 | |
| Trainline | from €14 | |
| Happy rail | from €14 | |
| Happy rail | from €14 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
This is a particularly dull journey across a featureless landscape, so have something to read or watch with you.
The fact that the only thing which gives any interest to the train ride, is looking at the wind turbines which can be seen by the railway line, says it all.
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