Austria – Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest by train

Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest by train.

I had a 3 city trip planned – Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Travel between the three cities was undecided as there was no flights between Vienna and Bratislava (they are so close to each other) and then somewhat complicated airport trips to Bratislava and from Budapest airports. I looked at buses but decided the reports of traffic jams and city traffic holdups were too often reported on reviews. I decided on train travel between all three cities. It was the best option in my opinion and here’s my experience of those inter-city, international train trips 

So, my little adventure of a 3 city trip by train starts after I had spent a few days in fascinating Vienna. (Vienna review click here).

I was wanting to see more of Vienna as although it is not a huge city it has so much more to see than I imagined. It is an absolute must of a city for a culture vulture like me and after seeing the baroque churches, majestic palaces and huge number of museums it left me wanting more.

Sadly it was not to be as I had tickets booked for my train journey to Bratislava where I was to stay for a few days, soak up the culture and explore one of the smallest capital cities in Europe. To see review of Bratislava click here.

Vienna main train station – Wein Hauptbahnhof

We boarded our train in the resplendently modern new central station – Wien Hauptbahnhof. It was a huge glass and steel structure that was cavernous and impressive in its size and design. However, whilst there was definitely no feeling of an overcrowded terminus it did feel a bit cold and clinically structured  and lacking in warm colour tones and restfulness.

It was for sure a nod to the business of mass transport in a modern style, and I had no complaints of the ease of use , cleanliness and pure efficiency of the building.

Modern, sleek Austrian trains zip between the two cities in 1 hour 6 mins and cost approx’ 14 Euros. No need to pre-book and I even heard that you can’t reserve seats anyhow. On the day I travelled it was a simple matter of buying the ticket, taking yourself to the platform from the huge easily read destinations board, train pulls in and on you get to plenty of seats. Easy!

They depart roughly every hour each way and are an incredibly cheap method of travel for the comfort and swiftness that you receive . Yes you can take a coach for around 5 Euros but have to gamble that there is no delay from traffic or border problems. Time of journey/frequency is about the same.

Passports are checked on the train

Passports are checked on the train and the crossing of the border is unannounced or even noticed out the window until you begin arriving at Bratislava station (see review of Bratislava here). It was strange that in these days of international travel and constant border checks what happened on the train . On both border crossings an inspector comes through the carriage checking on passengers. It was funny on both occasions when I handed my passport to the inspector he was only interested in my train ticket. He casually glanced at my passport but gave my ticket a good check over.

Bratislava to Budapest train

At Bratislava we are on half way through my blog on how to take the train from Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest. We stayed in Bratislava for a couple of days and saw what we could of this small city during a continuous pour down of rain for the whole stay.

At least the onward trip to Budapest was going to be easy as the train departed from the same station and it was only a 10 mins walk up a main street from our superbly located hotel. Bratislava station. The station however was a bit run down with lots of people “hanging around” the entrance and small plaza in front which gave it a slightly dishevelled feel. There were limited refreshments /amenities at the station.

The ticket offices were manned by more poker faced/less customer friendly assistants than the Vienna station but they understood our English. At only around 18 euros for a ticket bought on the day, the 2 hr 20 – 3hr 20 journey – depending on which service you take – it was very cheap so I can’t complain. Trains ran about once every 2 hours to Budapest (see Budapest review here)  and there was a noticeable difference in age with these trains.

They were more dated but still clean and comfortable with actually a huge amount of legroom at the seats which meant we could stretch out and enjoy the views through the windows. An endearing feature was the trolley that came round several times with drinks and food items at cheap prices served by a waiter in waistcoat and tie that saved us getting up to find the café car. I loved the at seat service and got coffee at least twice during the journey!

See info on train schedules Bratislava to Budapest here

Scenery was mostly flat arable land criss-crossed by several rail bridges over rivers. Every now and again the train pulled into an old Soviet looking 1930’s station near a small town and views into small farming communities in both Slovakia and Hungary gave us an insight into the less affluent part of society in these countries. Many houses were wooden structures from the 1920’s and many in need of repair but still forming a small community with the obligatory tractor or pick up truck parked outside their door.

The approach into Budapest was a slow and interesting one as we saw the gradual transformation from old, somewhat worn down country houses, to 1950’s Stalinist block of apartments , to more modern buildings that were showing the increasing affluence of the areas as we neared the centre. Arrival at Budapest Keleti station (I understand train now arrive at Nyugati station) was on time. Our hotel , deliberately chosen as it was a 15 mins easy walk from the station was a great introduction to this busy, majestic city.

If you are travelling between these three cities I would definitely recommend the train. I hope reading this will inform you on how to take the train from Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest. It’s inexpensive, comfortable, gives good views onto what is unfortunately a fairly flat but somewhat interesting look out (especially the townscapes as you pass by them). It’s easy to buy tickets, although Bratislava and Budapest stations (unlike Vienna) have limited cafes/amenities and are a little more run down in older but majestic buildings. You go city centre to city centre and if you plan your hotel right, as I did, often involves only a short walk to get there. Thus it saves money (no taxi fare) and time, and in good weather gives you a visual insight into the city that a taxi may not give.

Yes, there are buses for less and similar frequencies but the possible traffic delays always put me off and they are less spacious with no café area like a train.

Flying would be even longer. There are not flights between Vienna and Bratislava anyhow, as they are so close to each other. In fact they are the closest capital cities in all of Europe! For Bratislava to Budapest planes would also be longer and much more expensive. By the time you get to airports, add in security and check in and contingency times and the same at the other end you will have spent far more time than hopping onto a less stressful train.

Do I recommend taking the train between theses cities? Most definitely yes!

If you have enjoyed reading my post on how to take the train from Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest and found the info helpful, let me know. If you have found anything has changed since it was written please contact me here also.

Austria – Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest by train blog post

30Aug 2014.

All info revised and now correct as of Feb 2015

Austria – Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest by train.

Austria – Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest by train