Train to Vienna

Hi John. Very easy to get to Kelenfold, just take the metro.
If you go to Austria section of this website, there is a long post about this started by Mr. Jones. People have different opinions. :) My two cents worth:
I rode this train a few weeks ago - OBB train, but bought my ticket from https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en; it will likely be cheaper than OEBB website. You can pick your seats from the seat map; including a designated quiet car if you like; just specifically click on the choice to pick your own seats. We were on an 11:40 am train on a Thursday, 2nd class. It was very quiet and comfortable, plenty of room for our luggage on the rack above, and definitely nobody standing in the aisle or any sense of overcrowding. Just one data point; I'm not questioning that overcrowding probably occasionally occurs. To each their own, and happy travels to all!

Let’s start with company. The Regiojet trains will be less expensive. The reviews I have read on that particular route (and I think the route makes a difference) have been no better and no worse than the national trains. If Keleti were open, I would say use the national trains because its a great old station.

You may read where I complain about late trains from Vienna. I have been looking at a website that shows the arrival and departure boards at Keleti. Late arrivals from Vienna are pretty much the norm about half the time. Late departures are less common, but I haven’t tracked down the Vienna arrivals board to see if they leave on time but arrive late. I would still plan on arriving 30 minutes late or you might be among the half that arrives on time.

Keep your papers handy. On some trains the Austrians do checks at the border. But again, not all.

From a cost perspective RegioJet is the cheapest, then MAV tickets (https://jegy.mav.hu/ is one click faster to buy tickets) then OBB is generally the most expensive.

As for crowding on the trains. Again, its a route issue most likely. But while I have encountered it and met two others that have in the past few months, I am also not saying its every train. But when you look at the train costs, there is absolutely nothing crazy about buying first class and knowing you wont have to deal with it. I just looked at the 11 September 9:55 train with MAV & OBB and the 7:58 train on RegioJet.

• MAV: 24 euro 2nd Class or 37 euro 1st Class (only 3 carriages with seats available on MAV, one of those carriages only has 3 seats available on MAV).
• OBB: 52 euro 2nd Class or 84 euro 1st Class (seirously? wow!)
• RegioJet: 15.90 / 16.90 / 18.90 euro 2nd Class or 24.90 euro 1st class. (Hundreds of seats available)

Under the circumstances (not many seats left so there may be those standing) I would get 1st class on the national train or the 18.90 2nd class on the RegioJet, but I really dont want to travel that early. The next train on regiojet is 11:58 which is a bit late for me.

Now, let’s get you to Kelenföld (kel en fuuuuld).

• Taxi: - Download the City Taxi App and click for a pickup. About 20 minutes and 5.000ft https://citytaxi.hu/

I am guessing you are staying along the M1/ Andrássy út corridor so let’s start with either a walk or the M1 to Deák Ferenc tér and then:

• Public Transportation: Take the M3/M4 option if you are in a hurry. Or the 47 Tram option if you want to see Budapest one last time: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jFrbh8sksVgqkZeQ7. Free cause you are over 65 or because you bought a 15 day Budapest Pass https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/prices/15-day-budapest-pass/ (add 5 minutes on to the times shown + 5 min for the M1 or 10 min for the walk to Deak)

Thanks both for the info!

So how did you find out how many seats were available?

So how did you find out how many seats were available?

Notice I said "is available on MAV". I put it that way because I don’t know if OBB and MAV both sell all the same seats. I suspect yes, but without comparing the two, I don’t want to say what I am not certain of. But to answer your question, I just went through the booking process on the MAV site. You will reach a point where you get some options, and one is to see a graphic plan of the carriages and you get to pick a seat just like on an airline booking.

For the train in question MAV will sell you 2nd class seats in carriages 22, 23 and 24 which have available 3, 58 and 21 seats [the carriages have between 70 and 75 seats each]. Two other carriages are shown but not selectable which makes me wonder if those you can buy from OBB.... don’t know. But one of those only has 4 seats. Oh, on MAV you will be charged in HUF, the EUR price is approximate, so the fare is 8.400 ft and the seat is 800 ft, so, 9.200 ft total (today about $27.00 or 24.00€.)

Okay, I looked at OBB, because I was curious about seats. To start with that 24.00€ ticket at MAV will cost you 55.30€ with the seat reservation on the OBB site. Interesting that OBB charges more for the ticket and more for the seat reservation than does MAV. OBB offers seats in carriages 21, 22, 23 and 24 which have 56, 0, 58 and 18 seats. So, OBB has one more carriage with seats available. Sounds like quite a few seats are available. MAYBE.

I remembered a few of the Germanic locals on the forum insist that locals only buy their tickets the day before, or even at the train station, because the trains never sell out and presumably they don’t mind the higher price. So I looked at tomorrow’s 9:40am train to Vienna. There is one seat available on the OBB site. NO, this is not a sell out because OBB will keep selling tickets to those who want to stand in the aisles and beat those in the seats with their backpacks.

Just to be sure that the previous wasn’t some sort of anomaly, I looked on the OBB site to see the seats on today’s 9:40 train today and tomorrow’s 9:55 train to Vienna. Why those two trains. It what I would take. Late enough to have breakfast and get to the station without rushing and early enough to for a half day in Vienna.

Today: Four 2nd class carriages. 2 seats available, 2 seats available, 10 seats available, 2 seats available. Expect folks standing.

Tomorrow: Four 2nd class carriages. 25 seats available, 5 seats available, 21 seats available and 0 seats available. So, 2 carriages with two thirds + of the seats sold one fully sold and one about to become fully sold. I would suspect that tomorrow it will be sold to the same level as today’s train. Expect some folks standing.

And finally, and I am sorry, but this is intresting to me. So I complain that the trains from Vienna are late. So I found a web page with the arrival and departure boards for most the train stations in Europe.

The trains from Budapest to Vienna yesterday all arrived within 8 minutes of on-time. The average late was about 4 minutes, so not bad. BUT, the arrivals in Budapest from Vienna is a different story. Most of it being late departures out of Vienna.

11:19 (+18)
13:19 (+11)
15:19 (+71)
17:19 (+7)
19:19 (+7)
22:19 (+27)
23:19 (+21)

OK...so trains are finally booked! Lots of great info!
I ended up going with RegioJet for both Budapest to Vienna and Vienna to Prague a few days later. I planned things around our lodging allowing us in at 3PM. That gave us great options to have breakfast in both locations, get to the train, and not be in a hurry. It's nice when your life isn't on a set schedule some of the time! :)

Trains in the US suck, so when I hear 4 or 8 minutes for a long distance train, I pretty much think that's the norm. Local train systems like in New York or Atlanta have trains so frequently that if one is too late it will crash into the next one, so they are pretty good. But again, it's all about having to be on a schedule.

Speaking of schedule, time to schedule a couple of tours!

I think you chose well. European trains are better than in the US, but they are still plagued by being government run.

When you get your accommodations if you want directions to the station. Let me know (or use Google LOL)

Watch for a PM i will send in a minute.