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Wien / Vienna to Zürich / Zurich by train
How to take the rail journey from Wien/Vienna to Zürich
Despite the distance between the Austrian capital and Zurich, there are multiple daily departures to select from, plus unusually there are two overnight journey options.
If you'll be travelling by day by train from Wien/Vienna to Zurich, efforts at setting off early will be rewarded by a stunning journey, with a wonderful climax as the train approaches journey's end
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Routes
Option 1: travelling by day
Journey Summary
7hr 50 min
Daily
Travel Information
Departing from Wien/Vienna:
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.
Final Destination: Zurich
All trains also call at: Buchs and Sargans; connect at Buchs for Landquart and Chur.
5 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
Trains departing at different times can 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.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| OBB | from €39 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
On Monday - Saturday the first train of the day won't arrive in Zurich until 13:20 and on Sundays you will not get there until 15:20.
So if you need or want to be there sooner, you can take the overnight train.
Journey description:
It's worth setting off on one of the first trains of the day from Vienna/Wien.
This is one of Europe's most epic train journeys, but the best of the scenery kicks in around 5hrs into the journey, once the train has passed Kufstein.
Except where indicated, all of the videos were taken on a train travelling in the opposite direction.
Between Kuftstein and Innsbruck the journey isn't usually as scenic as it once was, as most departures are now diverted into lengthy tunnels.
Though between Kufstein and Worgl the railway runs beside the River Inn.
The only section of the journey in which the best of the views are on the right is to the west of Landeck-Zams station.
Between St.Anton and Feldkirch, the train threads the stunning Arlberg Pass, though in summer the trees can get in the way.
Then between Feldkirch and Buchs, the train will travel through Liechtenstein.
After departure from Sargans, the train will travel by a series of beautiful lakes, virtually all the way to Zurich.
The first of which is the stunning Wallensee; and this video was taken from a train heading in this direction, towards Zurich.
...and then 20 mins later, the train will be travelling by the Zurichsee.
Sit on the left (when facing the direction of travel) on departure from Vienna/Wien.
The best views of The Arlberg Pass are from this side of the train.
The Swiss lakes are on the right, but the train will reverse direction on departure from Buchs.
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Option 2: travelling overnight
Journey Summary
8hr 55min - 10hr 53min
Nightly
Travel Information
Final Destination: Zurich
These trains also call at: Buchs (connect for Landquart and Chur)
2 x trains per night
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.
Click the train guides below for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
Travelling with a rail pass:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding either of these trains.
However, these rail pass reservations can be purchased without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).
Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence the step-by-step guide.
If you'd rather not book online, rail pass reservations can be arranged and paid for at the ÖBB Reisebüro desk in Wien Hbf; ideally do this when you first arrive at Wien Hbf on the preceding train on your itinerary.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| OBB | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
The OBB Nightjet train is the slower of the two services.
It is usually scheduled to depart from Wien Hbf at 21:27 and arrive in Zurich at 08:20.
The Euronight (Kalaman Imre) train typically doesn't depart from Wien Hbf until 23:27, but it also arrives in Zurich at 08:20 - it is joined to the OBB Nightjet train during its journey.
Both the OBB Nightjet train and the Euronight train convey;
- Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
- Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
but the OBB Nightjet train also conveys Deluxe sleeping cars with showers in the cabin.
If you wake early there are some fabulous views over lakes from the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) for the final hour of the journey.
Though if the timings suit this is a spectacular journey on the daytime trains.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
