I will be arriving in Vienna and want to immediately get on a train to Hallstatt. Obviously, I don't want to prebook my tickets because I don't know when I will land and clear customs. Can I purchase those tickets at the airport/train station? Should I purchase the return trip at that time since I will be more in control of my schedule? I will also be traveling from Vienna to Budapest and back and wonder if I should purchase those tickets at the same time? I am not sure how easy it is to get seats if you wait until day of travel.
Posted by
1895 posts
There are ticket vending machines at every train station, including the one at the airport.
Booking tickets online in advance gives you the opportunity to get cheaper tickets and a seat reservation.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Is there a person there who can help me book the rest of my trip or is it just a machine?
Posted by
Chicago
7808 posts
According to this there is a manned office at the airport
https://www.oebb.at/en/reiseplanung-services/am-bahnhof/bahnhofsinformation.html
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5371 posts
There is an OeBB counter at the airport. Just after you claim your bags and walk through customs, go to your right after exiting.
That said, buying a ticket to Hallstatt on the day of travel from the counter will be 3-4 times the price of an advance purchase ticket. Maybe you just want to give yourself a good cushion and take the risk of buying an advance ticket. Perhaps you want to consider taking the local train into Vienna and then taking the Westbahn train to Attnang-Puchheim. Westbahn tickets can be bought on the train for 24.90 Euro per piece, considerably cheaper than OeBB purchased on the day. At Attnang-Puchheim, you would purchase a regional ticket to Hallstatt, which is a fixed price.
You definitely want to buy your Hallstatt to Vienna and Vienna/Budapest/Budapest/Vienna tickets now! There are only a limited number of low cost tickets on each train, so if you don't buy them in time you will end up spending more money.
Getting seats is not the problem. If you want to ensure that you have a seat, you should also purchase a seat reservation. A seat reservation, however, is not required. If you don't have seat reservation, you just find an empty seat or stand. Trains cannot sell out.
Posted by
Hickory, NC USA
437 posts
Buying ahead has usually worked for us, but even with a 2.5-3 hour cushion, we have twice missed our cheap train tickets because of very delayed flights and had to buy the much more expensive ticket on the spot. Oh well. We still try. Just give a good cushion!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
FYI, Westbahn trains are comfortable, fast -- and the same price day-of. (No reservations)