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TRAIN TRAVEL

The ten best destinations by direct night train from Austria

Want to explore Austria’s neighbouring countries? Then consider travelling by night train to some of Europe’s most exciting destinations.

Published: 10 February 2022 12:12 CET
Updated: 2 July 2023 14:22 CEST
The ten best destinations by direct night train from Austria
Travellers no longer need to show a 3G proof to enter Austria. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

The return of the night train in Europe has been a welcome development for many people that like to travel but are concerned about the impact of flying on the environment.

Plus, with Austria’s convenient Central European location, there are currently around 30 night train routes in every direction out of the country and from several different Austrian cities. 

As we head into spring, here are ten European cities that can be reached by night train from Austria.

The timetables and ticket prices mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing but could change. All ticket prices are for a one-way journey.

Berlin

The Nightjet overnight service by ÖBB (Austria’s national railway system) has a direct route from Vienna to Berlin in Germany. The service takes around 12 hours departing from Vienna Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) at 10.10pm, arriving in Berlin at around 10am the next morning.

The train travels north east out of Vienna to the border with Slovakia and the Czech Republic, before transiting through Poland and into Germany.

Ticket prices range from €90 for a Sitzwagen (a seated carriage) to €140 for a Schlafwagen (sleeping carriage).

Paris

From Vienna, travellers can reach Paris Gare de l’Est train station in 14 hours with the Nightjet. The service runs on Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 7.40pm and ticket prices range from €110 to €195.

This route travels west out of Vienna and stops at Wien Meidling, St. Pölten, Linz and Salzburg before crossing into Germany.

Rome

The Nightjet runs daily from Vienna to Rome with stops at Wien Meidling, Wiener Neustadt, Bruck, Leoban, Knittelfeld, Friesach, Klagenfurt and Villach. The train leaves Vienna at 7.23pm and arrives in Rome at 9.10am.

Ticket prices start at €40 for a seat and go up to €130 for a sleeping carriage.

ÖBB also runs a Nightjet service from Munich to Rome that picks up passengers in Salzburg at 10.02pm and arrives in Rome at 9.10am. Ticket prices for this route range from €70 to €150.

A woman walks her dog past the Colosseum in Rome on May 8, 2020.

Rome can be reached by night train from Vienna and Salzburg. Photo by: Alberto Pizzoli / AFP.

Zurich

The ÖBB Nightjet service to Zurich in Switzerland operates daily, leaving Vienna at 9.27pm and arriving in Zurich at 8.20am the next morning. Ticket prices range from €45 to €140.

This service stops at several other train stations in Austria, including Wien Meidling, St. Pölten, Amstetten, Linz, Wels, Attnang-Puchheim, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Landeck-Zams, Bludenz and Feldkirch.

Alternatively, Magyar Államvasutak (MÁV) – Hungary’s national rail operator – runs an overnight service between Vienna and Zurich, which leaves Vienna at 11.27pm and arrives in Zurich at 8.20am. There are no sleeping carriages on this route and ticket prices start at €50.

Similarly, a Nightjet service runs daily from Graz Central Station to Zurich. The train leaves Graz at 10.26pm and arrives in Zurich at 9.20am. This route includes the option to load a car or motorbike on the train between Graz and Feldkirch from €39.90.

Brussels

Overnight train services operate between Vienna and Brussels Midi (the main train station in Brussels) on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. The train leaves Vienna at 8.13pm and arrives in Brussels at 9.54am, stopping at Brussels Nord seven minutes earlier.

Before leaving Austria, the service stops at Wien Meidling, St. Pölten, Linz and Wels. The train then travels through Germany before reaching Brussels.

Ticket prices start at €70 and go up to €160.

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Ljubljana

The Nightjet train service from Salzburg Central Station to Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital city, is operated by HŽ Putničkim prijevozom, Croatia’s national rail operator. The final destination is Zagreb in Croatia.

Trains between Salzburg and Ljubljana run daily, setting off from Munich, and the service stops at Schwarzach-St.Veit and Villach before crossing into Slovenia. It leaves Salzburg at 1.40am and arrives at Ljubljana at 6.20am. 

Ticket prices start at €19.90 for a seated carriage. There are no reclining or sleeper carriages on this route.

Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana is just five hours from Salzburg by night train. Photo by: Blaž Gostinčar / Pexels.

Amsterdam

From Kufstein in Tyrol, travellers can take the Nightjet service to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The train leaves Innsbruck at 8.44pm and stops in Kufstein at 9.35pm before crossing into Germany. It arrives in Amsterdam at 9.59am.

Additionally, a daily Nightjet service leaves Vienna at 8.13pm and arrives in Amsterdam at 9.59am. This route stops at Wien Meidling, St. Pölten, Linz and Wels.

Ticket prices range from €100 to €170.

Split

From June 3rd to September 23, a Nightjet service connecting Vienna and Split in Croatia will operate on Tuesday and Friday, including vehicle transportation. Travellers in Austria can also board the train at Wien Meidling, Wiener Neustadt, Bruck/Mur and Graz.

The route is operated by Slovenske železnice (Slovenian Railways) and offers both seating and sleeper carriages. Ticket prices range from €40 to €120.

Hamburg

Overnight trains between Vienna and Hamburg run daily. The service departs Vienna at 8.13pm and arrives at Hamburg Central Station at 8.50am. The route stops at Wien Meidling, St. Pölten, Linz and Wels before crossing into Germany.

This service offers seating, reclining and sleeper carriages with ticket prices ranging from €80 to €180.

Krakow

A daily Nightjet service runs between Vienna and Krakow in Poland, leaving Vienna Central Station at 10.10pm and arriving in Krakow at 5.46am. Vienna is the only stop in Austria for this route.

The service is operated by Polskie Koleje Państwowe (Polish State Railways). Ticket prices start at €49 and go up to €84.

Essential German words for train travel

Hauptbahnhof – main train station

Zug – train

Sitzwagen – seated carriage

Schlafwagen – sleeping carriage 

Liegewagen – reclining (chair) carriage

Einzelfahrschein – one-way ticket

Rückfahrschein – return ticket

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POLITICS

Austrian government promises massive road and rail expansion amid coalition squabbles

Austrian chancellor Kurt Nehammer has promised €45 billion worth of road and rail improvements across the country as part of a major infrastructure package if his government is reelected - and criticised his own coalition partners for existing delays. 

Published: 23 July 2024 12:37 CEST
Austrian government promises massive road and rail expansion amid coalition squabbles

The plan foresees €21 billion would be spent on rail transport and €11.1 billion on the road network. Ten billion euros would be directed at the energy sector and €2.4 billion would be spent on promoting broadband expansion – especially in rural areas.

This, of course, depends firstly on the party being reelected in the federal elections this Autumn. 

The chancellor announced the plans and emphasised the need for continued improvements in the country’s transportation networks in a Monday press conference in Vienna. He was accompanied by Finance Minister Magnus Brunner – both of the conservative ÖVP. 

More roads planned

Roads were a particular focus of the press conference. 

A further 85 kilometres of roads would be built under Nehammer’s plan, including an extension to the S18 in Vorarlberg to ease congestion at the border with Switzerland.

The chancellor also specifically highlighted the Lobau tunnel, a proposed 8.2-kilometre tunnel that would form a bypass of the nation’s capital, as a project vital to Austria’s continued growth. 

This tunnel has been delayed repeatedly due to ongoing impact studies carried out by the Ministry of Transport, which is currently headed by Leonore Gewessler of the Green Party.

Expansion of rail 

The government has already approved much of the planned rail infrastructure improvements as part of plans announced in November 2023. 

Many projects involve double-tracking routes, as is the case with work along the country’s main east-west line. 

Further doubling of tracks, allowing more trains, will take place with lines connecting cities such as Graz with Slovenia and the Czech Republic. 

However, several projects have been delayed, such as the expansion of tracks to more fully service the country’s south in Carinthia. 

‘We must not block the future’

Parties such as the Greens were singled out as responsible for the delays in road and rail projects during Monday’s press conference. 

Nehammer identified the time spent assessing the impact of new infrastructure as a “delaying tactic that is no longer appropriate for the future“.

He added that it was an “illusion to believe that there will be no more commuters in the future” and “that is why the argument against the road is an argument against the future, against development, against Austria as a business location and against Austria as a place to work.”

“We must not block the future.”

‘Misunderstood the term street campaign’

The responses to Nehammer’s plans were rapid – potentially fueling the crisis within the coalition as it heads towards the polls. 

Transport Minister Gewessler was unaware of the contents of Nehammer’s press conference before Monday, and was quick to defend her record.

She stated: “We cannot continue as before if we want to protect the environment and the climate”, adding, “More roads also means being stuck in traffic jams on even more roads.

“I have changed this paradigm because we are building the infrastructure we need for the future.

“More and more people are taking the train, for example“, she pointed out.

Others saw the press conference as a cynical move prompted by electoral doubts. 

Douglas Hoyo, General Secretary of the liberal NEOS party was particularly biting: “The Chancellor has misunderstood the term street campaign, there is no other explanation for today’s press conference. 

“Instead of finally implementing Austria’s important and urgent reforms, Nehammer is making a plea for road construction and is once again presenting all sorts of government projects that he has not implemented in recent years.”

Sources within the far-right FPÖ told politics blog Fass ohne Boden: “Why are the federal states’ projects only being demanded now?” 

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