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Vienna-Salzburg From Budapest

We plan to visit Vienna-Salzburg independently after our RS Tour ends in Budapest in May, 2018. We are thinking of going from Budapest to Salzburg (four days), back to Vienna (four days) and then fly home. Our reasoning is we can fly out of Vienna rather than traveling to Munich. Is this a good plan or should we do Vienna first and then on to Salzburg? Travel by train or shuttle service between areas? Any suggestions are welcome!!

Posted by
16893 posts

The trains are fast and easy, so no need to look at other types of transport. If you do go to Salzburg first, that ride takes 5.25 hours on the direct RailJet and then you double-back 2.5 hours, which is only slightly longer than a train to Munich. Ticket booking may already be open for your travel dates at www.oebb.at, although the site doesn't take all US credit cards. If you have trouble, try using PayPal or setting up extra security with Verified by Visa or the similar MasterCard SecureCode.

Posted by
26829 posts

Check airfare flying back from both Munich and Vienna, because there may be quite a large difference.

Posted by
1875 posts

Travel times for the fastest trains available between the respective main train stations:

Budapest - Vienna 2:42 hrs
Vienna - Salzburg 2:22 hrs
Salzburg - Munich 1:30 hrs

Air fares are usually cheaper going via Munich than via Vienna.

Best search engine for flights: https://www.kayak.com/flights

One more question about this train. Budapest to Salzburg

If we purchase tickets on the ŒBB web site, can we print them at home and use them in Budapest? The FAQ is kind of vague about that option. Thanks so much for answering.

Posted by
1875 posts

If we purchase tickets on the ŒBB web site, can we print them at home and use them in Budapest?

For sure. I have never done it, but I presume that there are apps for your mobile phone to store your tickets, i.e. you just show the QR code to the conductor, so no printing is necessary. (Personally, I like the paper ticket, having experienced unforseeable troubles with my mobile phone.)

If you are travelling between two countries, you have the choice between the two respective railway companies, i.e. you could also buy the tickets from MAV, the Hungarian Railway. It is always a good idea to compare the prices.

thanks wmt1 Im assuming you can also, but looking for someone that knows for sure. I never had good luck with qr codes and cell phones, so would prefer to have a paper ticket. Plus it will help my wife with her Schengen visa application showing that everything is already paid for. The tickets from the Austrian site are available now, while I would have to wait another month for the MAV site to offer them

Posted by
3 posts

Hello! We just returned from our River Cruise from Nuremberg to Budapest.
We stayed in Prague for 3 days prior to our cruise and took a bus to Nuremberg. DO NOT TAKE A BUS! For some reason the $30 euro to me was worth it....WRONG!!! Take the RailJet train!! And reserve your seats in 1st class! How do I know? Because the bus was filled with exhaust, the driver was a MANIAC and the vending machines (for bottle water) only took Euro coin....exact change. I was SO sick by time we got to Nuremberg!

OK then after our cruise we took the RailJet train from Budapest to Vienna for 3 days. MUCH BETTER! And we took the same from Vienna back to Budapest for 3 days before flying home. (yes a trip of a lifetime for sure...the Christmas Markets are a MUST do once in your life)

Yes you can print your tickets at home from the OEBB website. You might want to try looking at https://www.raileurope.com also. Definitely get the 1st class over the economy. I didn't see the Business Class car, but the train station in Vienna had a Business Lounge & 1st class lounge, which got us out of the cold. Budapest only had a Business Class lounge...but the man inside was kind enough to let me stand inside to warm up and was EXTREMELY helpful to my 2,000 questions. :)

DO pick your seat, I think it was another $6 Euro for the 2 of us. I had overheard someone who hadn't gotten a reserved seat and wasn't happy where she had to sit. Having the table was nice. If you get motion sick, do make sure you pick a forward facing seat.

We had a table for the first train and didn't for the second, but the seat in front of us had a tray table like on an airplane, but much bigger and roomier. Bring a Europe plug converter as every seat has a plug. I had my portable chargers. Oh and there is WiFi on the bus & trains.
One thing that is worth mentioning the car # is on a digital sign in the window next to the door. It can be confusing if you don't know where to look. They also have Economy, 1st class & business class CLEARLY painted on the side of the cars, so if you're running to the other end of the train like we had to do, just jump on.

They come around to take food orders (not in economy, but you can go to the car that does have food). I was quite surprised that the sandwich we had was VERY good!! It came with a drink and chips or something....it was like $7 Euro.
Well, now that I've written a short novel, I hope I helped some. Have a WONDERFUL time! And DO bring Rick along for the ride in his books and download his tours!!

Posted by
3 posts

Flights:
Yeah we were going to fly to Amsterdam for a few days....REALLY CHEAP!! BUT...our luggage wasn't so cheap. They charge for size and weight....it was insane.

Honestly, the train was fun as you went through towns and saw a lot of the countryside. That would be missed on a plane. just my 2 cents worth.

Posted by
1875 posts

Take the RailJet train!! And reserve your seats in 1st class!

There is no need to go 1st class given the comfort of RailJet trains. I recommend to buy a seat reservation, though. Otherwise you have to walk through the cars carrying your luggage to find a spare seat.

Posted by
1875 posts

we were going to fly to Amsterdam for a few days....REALLY CHEAP!! BUT...our luggage wasn't so cheap. They charge for size and weight....it was insane.

Low cost airlines offer their tickets without luggage to a show the lowest price possible. You must order the luggage transportation when booking the ticket. If you miss this, you will be charged a premium price when checking in at the airport.

Posted by
5697 posts

Actually, Westbahn just started using Wien Hauptbahnhof as well as Westbahnhof -- we took it in December. Great train, with level-in cars.

Posted by
3941 posts

You have probably already made your decision, but today I was booking similar tickets on oebb.at for July (6mo out). I booked Vienna-Budapest with seat reservations just fine and was able to print. I could have booked Budapest-Salzburg but could not make a seat reservation. And it was too early for MAV. Since we have a group of 14, I opted to wait on MAV (mostly for lower prices).

I checked out the way the MAV website worked using a random closer date, though, and found you cannot book the RJ I wanted Budapest-Salzburg. Did a search on this site, which mentioned the man in seat 61 - and the advice there was to book Budapest-Munich and just get off in Salzburg. Price seemed to be the same. I would never have known.....