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Wien / Vienna to Innsbruck by train
How to take a train journey from Wien/Vienna to Innsbruck
No two major Austrian cities are a further distance from each other than Vienna/Wien and Innsbruck, but the railway which links them has been enhanced over the passed decade.
A high-speed railway hasn't been constructed, but the improvement works has enabled the trains to complete the journey in the fastest ever time.
Train services operated by Westbahn, a private company, now compete with the trains provided by the national rail operator, OBB, on this route.
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Routes
Option 1: taking the Railjet trains
Journey Summary
4h 15min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Bregenz or Zurich or Innsbruck
Some of the Railjets between Wien and Innsbruck are joined together with Wien to Munchen Railjets for the part of the journey between Wien and Salzburg.
So double check that you're in the right part of the train, particularly if you have hopped on board with a rail pass and therefore don't have a reservation.
All trains also call at: Salzburg
Some trains also call at: Kufstein and Worgl
The fastest Railjet trains on this route have been re-branded 'Railjet Express' and will be shown as 'RJX' on timetables and departure screens, but the on-board experience is the same as the standard Railjet trains.
Departing from Vienna/Wien:
Most of these Railjet trains between Wien/Vienna and Innsbruck commence their journeys at Wien Flufghagen/Vienna Airport station.
The Railjets are the only direct trains from Wien Flufghagen/Vienna Airport to Innsbruck.
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.
up to 14 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings 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.
Though you'll usually need to book the 'Sparscheine' tickets at least a couple of days ahead to obtain them at the cheapest possible price.
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
formation/6-austria) to Austrian train tickets - it should help you save time and money and confusion.
Seat reservations are optional, but they're particularly recommended for this journey.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| OBB | from €24 | |
| Trainline | from €24 | |
| Happy rail | from €24 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Comparing the Railjet and Westbahn services:
Departure stations in Wien/Vienna
Railjet Express and Railjet = Wien Hbf and Wien Meidling
Westbahn = Wien Westbahnhof and Wien Hutteldorf
Final Destinations:
Railjet Express = Munchen; Zurich or Innsbruck or Bregenz
Westbahn = Innsbruck
The on board experience:
The Railjet trains offer three levels of service and the Westbahn trains have two levels of service.
A key difference between the two services is catering:
Railjets = a bar car offering hot and cold food to all passengers PLUS a restaurant service.
The restaurant menu is also available as an at seat service in first and business class
Westbahn = vending machines which sell hot/cold drinks, sandwiches, snacks; plus a catering trolley with no hot food available, which provides an at-seat service in the equivalent of 1st class and may also be available in 2nd class.
Ticketing Summary:
Trainline sells tickets for both train services, though except when promotions are running, the Westban tickets are a fixed price.
The limited numbers of discounted 'Sparpreis' tickets for the alternative Westbahm trains, are cheaper than the discounted 'Sparschiene' tickets which are made available by OBB for these Railjet trains.
However, those Westbahn 'Sparpreis' tickets can sell out faster than the 'Sparschiene' tickets, so taking the Railjets can be the cheaper option.
If you will be buying tickets last minute you will likely save by taking the Westbahn, also on the Westbahn trains you can pay a €1 surcharge to buy a ticket from the conductor.
Instead of building an entirely new high speed railway, the decision was taken to upgrade and straighten the main Western Railway which crosses Austria.
So between Wien/Vienna and Linz the train will travel at up to 230 km/h (close to the high speed threshold).
Then between Worgl and Innsbruck a new line that's mainly in tunnel, saves around 20 mins on the old route.
However, the tunnels take the train away from what had been the scenic highlight of the journey.
Though the trains still travel by the banks of the River Inn near Kufstein and it's this view by Kuftstein which has been pictured above and showcased in this video.
Option 2: taking the Westbahn services
Journey Summary
4hr 21min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Innsbruck
The Westbahn trains leave from alternative station in Wien/Vienna to those used by the Railjets, they commence their journeys at Wien Westbahnhof.
Unlike Wien hbf the Westbahnhof is served by line U3 of the Vienna Metro which calls at city centre stations with no direct link to the main hbf station including Volkstheater
The Westbahn trains also call at Wien Hutteldorf a station not served by the Railjets, 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](https://goo.gl/maps/dmWp6sQi1QsWD
3 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
The train service between Wien/Vienna and Innsbruck is split between Raijet 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.
The limited numbers of discounted 'Sparpreis' Westbahn tickets are cheaper than the discounted 'Sparschiene' tickets which are made available by OBB for the Railjet trains.
Like those ''Sparschiene' tickets, the 'Sparpreis' tickets for these Westbahn trains, are specific to the departure you select when making a booking.
However, these Westbahn 'Sparpreis' tickets can sell out faster than the 'Sparschiene' tickets, so the taking the Railjets can be the cheaper option
Last minute tickets booked at the station are more expensive than either of these discounted tickets.
Though if you want to leave booking tickets until the day of travel, it's highly likely that you'll save by taking the Westbahn trains.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Westbahn | * | |
| Trainline Österreich | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
It's a pleasant, but unremarkable train journey between these two cities, with distant views of mountains to be seen from the left hand side of the train after it has departed from Linz.
Instead of building an entirely new high speed railway, the decision was taken to upgrade and straighten the main Western Railway which crosses Austria.
So between Wien/Vienna and Linz the train will travel at up to 230 km/h (close to the high speed threshold).
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