How to take a rail journey from Wien/Vienna to Salzburg

Travelling by Railjet trains managed by the Austrian national rail operator, OBB.

The faster Railjet services on this route have been re-branded as 'Railjet Express' or 'RJX' services.
These RJX services only make three station calls between Wien/Vienna and Salzburg.
The slower 'Railjet' services make 10 station calls.

Departing from Wien/Vienna:

The Railjets depart from Wien Hbf and Wien Meidling stations.

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.

All of the Railjet Express and most of the slower Railjet trains also commence their journeys at Wien Flufghagen/Vienna Airport station
The Railjets are the only direct trains from Wien Flufghagen/Vienna Airport to Salzburg.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

The train service between Wien and Salzburg is split between these Railjet trains  operated by OBB and alternative trains operated by WestBahn.
On the Trainline website these Railjet trains are shown as 'OBB'.

The limited numbers of discounted 'Sparpreis' tickets for the alternative WestBahn 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 - the 'Sparschiene' tickets can be booked online up until the day of departure.

Though a sliding scale of prices is applied to the 'Sparschiene' tickets, so you can save by booking ahead; the most heavily discounted tickets inevitably remain on sale longer for the slower Railjet services.

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.

Tickets for the trains operated by Westbahn are not available on the OBB ticket booking site and vice versa, tickets for these trains operated by OBB are not available on the Westbahn site, but both services can be directly compared on the Trainline website (see below).

Last minute tickets booked at the station are more expensive than booking the discounted tickets in advance online.
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.

Final Destination: Salzburg or Munchen

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.

Book early and save: Yes

The train service between Wien/Vienna and Salzburg 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.