How to take the rail journey from Wien/Vienna to Villach

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Wien / Vienna to Villach by train

Villach is a major railway junction in southern Austria, it's where the route from Wien/Vienna to Italy crosses the railway which links Salzburg to Slovenia and on into Croatia.
So it's possible to connect in Villach for multiple destinations including Lesce-Bled, Tarviso, Udine and Spittal.

Routes you can take to go from Wien / Vienna to Villach

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections?

Journey guides for travel to Wien / Vienna

Route Information

Station Guides

Wien Hbf/Hauptbahnhof Rail Station Guide

How to use the main railway station in Villach

Villach Hbf Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

4hr 21min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

6 x Railjet trains per day
3 x IC trains per day

Travel Information

Final Destination: Villach or Venedig/Venezia or Lienz

All trains also call at: Wiener-Neustadt and Bruck an der Mur

These trains also call at these Wörthersee resort towns:
Velden am Worther see
Portschach am Worther see
Krumpendorf am Worther see

Departing from Vienna/Wien:

Trains depart from Wien/Vienna in even hours.

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.

A few of these trains commence their journeys at Wien Flufghagen/Vienna Airport station.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

A side view of a Railjet train - the top tier OBB trains

ÖBB Railjet (RJ/RJX) (Austria/International) Train Guide

Exterior view of a train used for IC services in Austria

IC (Austria) Train Guide

Journey Features

Scenic - YesLandscape (Hills / Mountains)Lake viewsNot High Speed

Also from the left of the train are views over the lake between Klagenfurt and Villach

The ascent up to Semmering begins when the train crosses the River Schwarz

Crossing a viaduct between the tunnels on the Semmering Pass

The view from one of these viaducts on a grey day

Beginning to descend after Semmering station

Following the river Mur heading south of Leoben

Looking right as the train heads further south

Most of the best views between Leoben and Klagenfurt are on the right

It is charming train journey across southern Austria

The Hochosterwitz Castle is on the left north of Klagenfurt

The view over the Worthersee

One of the most spectacular parts of the journey is the passage on the The Semmeringbahn Railway, between Payerbach-Reichanau and Murzzuschlag.

So wonderful that it's a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site - though that's partially due to the construction methods and not just because of the scenery.
Though as the train travels over the Semmering Pass, the trackside vegetation tends to block the views, except when the trains are crossing the multiple viaducts

The best views can be seen from the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) between Wiener Neustadt and Murzzuschlag.
This video gives a sense of the journey experience, on a grey day, it was filmed travelling in the opposite direction, towards Wien/Vienna.

This Semmering part of the route has led to this part of the journey being included on Far And Wide's list of the Most Remarkable Train Journeys in Europe.

However, its easier to appreciate the stunning landscape when the train travels between Leoben and Klagenfurt.

This is our favourite part of this train ride, there are sweeping vistas across valleys - some of which can be seen on the right....

...while other fabulous views are over on the left.

Other scenic highlights back over on the left of the train include he view of the beautiful Worthersee between Klagenfurt and Villach.

The general guide to Austrian rail travel Discover what's good to know about riding the trains, using the major stations, booking tickets and travelling with Eurail and InterRail passes

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.

It can pay off to take a look at the guide to Austrian train tickets - it should help you save time and money and confusion.

Exchanges

No tickets sold for journeys by Railjet trains within Austria can be exchanged in the typical sense, instead the policy is that the more expensive type of tickets can be refunded - and then having done so, you can re-book for an alternative departure.

Refunds

Standard-Ticket Gruppe; the most expensive type of ticket = You can also cancel and obtain a full refund at any time pre-travel date.
Sparscheine Komfort tickets; mid-priced tickets (typically offered as an upgrade to Sparscheine tickets) = can be cancelled free of charge up to 15 days ahead of the journey, but if you cancel it with 15 days left to go, you'll receive up to* 50% of what you paid for it
Sparscheine tickets; lowest priced, heavily discounted tickets = cannot be refunded at all.

Seat reservations

Seat reservations are optional, they have to be proactively added as an upgrade when booking tickets.

Child tickets

When booking 'Sparschiene' tickets each adult (aged 15 and over) can take up to four children aged 14 and under for free!
These children will still require tickets, but there will be no charge for them.

When not booking 'Sparschiene' tickets;

Children aged 5 and under travel for free
Children aged 6 – 14 travel at half-fare

Bike tickets

You will need purchase both a bike ticket AND a reservation for your bike prior to boarding; more info on how to do this is available on the [bikes on trains guide](/travel-info-and-tips/taking-a-bike-on-a-european-train/).

Dog tickets

If your dog is too large to be taken in a pet carrier you will need to add a dog ticket when making your booking;

Rail pass users

Rail pass users don’t have to make reservations.
However, in SMTJ's experience, it's a good idea to reserve when:

departing from Wien between 08:00-10:00 and 16:00 -18:00 Monday to Thursday
on Fridays
Saturday mornings
Sunday afternoons/evenings.

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