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TRAIN TRAVEL

Where are Austria’s best train stations?

Austria boasts an extensive network of train tracks, but how good are its main stations?

Published: 7 December 2023 15:59 CET
Where are Austria's best train stations?
Vienna's main train station is considered the best in the country (© ÖBB/Michael Fritscher)

Austria is well-known for its rail transport system, with over 6,000 kilometres of tracks unifying the country. The federal government also prides itself on offering connections abroad and incentives to rail travel – including the Klimaticket, a subscription that provides unlimited journeys throughout Austria for € 3 a day.

But train travel is more than just the tracks – the quality of the stations is just as important to determine how comfortable, safe and effective train travel can be in a country. 

So, how good are Austria’s train stations?

READ ALSO: The spectacular Austrian train routes you can take with the Klimaticket

Vienna Hauptbahnhof

Austria’s largest train station, the Vienna Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Central Station), is also the country’s best – and the second best in Europe, according to a ranking of Europe’s largest railway stations made by Consumer Choice Center. According to the ranking, it stands just behind Switzerland’s central station in Zurich. 

The survey looked into several factors, ranging from ticket office operating hours and waiting times to the number of in-station services, accessibility options, transport connections, free Wi-Fi, railway coverage, and ride-sharing”.

The station earned points for its modern look and its many connections. From there, you can catch the metro, fast trains, ÖBB long-distance trains, and many buses and trams. There are also car rental options and many cabs waiting for you at the entrance. 

It also boasts a 4.4-star rating on Google Maps, with over 3,300 reviews.

One person said: “A modern railway station with connections to all around Austria and nearby countries. All the instructions are well given from the digital screens. It is very easy to find and navigate to the correct platform. Plenty of ticket machines are also available. Toilet facilities and some shops are also available. Trains were very punctual as per my experience. Staff personnel also very nice”.

READ ALSO: The new train routes connecting Austria to parts of Europe in 2024

Vienna Meidling

Another of Vienna’s train stations, the Vienna Meidling, also ranked high in the Consumer Choice Center ranking. Though it has fewer shops and stores when compared to the central station, it has some options and several snack and drinks vending machines. The station also offers connections through long-distance trains, fast trains, the metro and several bus and tram lines.

It’s a smaller station but “always well kept and clean”, said one reviewer on social media. The station is also very well located in Vienna, with many other shops and public transport offers easily accessible.

Salzburg main station – © ÖBB/Konrad Kaiser

No other Austrian rail stations made it into Europe’s top 50 but the country does boast two other stations we think are worthy of a mention.

Salzburg Hauptbahnhof

The central station in Salzburg is also one of the largest in Austria and a major transport hub in western Austria, also serving as a border station to Germany. It has a more historical look and was designed in 1860 – though recent renovations took place in 2014. It has several food and shopping offers, including a supermarket which stays open on Sundays. 

Salzburg Hauptbahnhof provides easy access to the city’s prominent attractions, like Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mirabell Palace, and Mozart’s Birthplace. Additionally, it serves as a convenient starting point for exploring the nearby countryside.

The station has a 4.3-star rating on Google Maps, with users praising it as a “beautiful combination of classic and modern architecture. Friendly and helpful staff”.

READ ALSO: Five European cities you can reach from Austria in less than five hours by train

Graz Hauptbahnhof

Graz Central Station, handling approximately 30,000 daily passengers, is a vital railway hub in Austria. This modern transport centre links regional and long-distance travel within Styria and extends connections beyond the province’s borders. Various transportation options are available for reaching this station, including trams, buses and fast trains. 

This station has a shopping mall with many retail stores and restaurants. The supermarket – which is also open on weekends – is highlighted by travellers, who also praised it for being  “clean and well-maintained”. 

Graz main station – (© ÖBB/Robert Deopito)

The decoration was also noted as one person said: “Very nice train station with an amazing paint job in the main hall. Ceilings or walls are colourful painted red and white. Plenty of little places to eat, and even a Spar supermarket or two.”

READ ALSO: The ten best destinations by direct night train from Austria

Europe’s best and worst stations

If you’re curious about the lowest-ranked entries in the Index, it might not be a shock that all five of the “worst” ones are located in Germany: three in Berlin, one in Munich, and another in Bremen.

The top five are Zurich Hbf, Vienna Hbf, Berlin Hbf, Bern, and Utrecht Centraal.

We’d like to hear from you: what are your favourite (or least favourite) Austrian train stations and why? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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