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Has anyone traveled from Vienna to Krakow via car or train?

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Hello fellow travelers, I am planning a Vienna, Krakow, Budapest trip for this October and we are getting the furthest stop out of the way first, which is Krakow. We are flying into Vienna and it looks like the quickest form of travel is by car, but we have never rented cars in Europe. The train is 7-9 hours from what I am seeing so I’d love to hear from anyone that made this route (Vienna to Krakow).

Update: Thank you all for the tips so far. We were locked into flying into and out of the same airport so I chose Vienna. We will make the journey to Krakow and back then take the train for the remainder of our trip. The big hurdle is getting to and from Krakow. We wanted to avoid the airports for this stop because if they are anything like the states, it will soak up close to the same travel time with transfers and waiting etc. That is what led me to looking into the train but then saw that driving was potentially shorter. We haven’t rented a car in Europe and to be honest sometimes it’s a hassle in the states!

Best
Michele

Posted by
8126 posts

On the ground, it's about 285 miles to Krakow from Vienna. And the roads appear to be tough so it's a 5-6 hour drive.

The option would be to fly non-stop on Austrian Airlines or Ryanair (budget carrier).

Posted by
1210 posts

HI Michele. Sounds like a great trip. Have you already booked a round trip to/from Vienna? If not, or if it can be changed, I suggest fly into Krakow; then easy 1 hour flight to Vienna, then train to Budapest, fly home from there. Or vice versa. Flight between Vienna and Krakow is easy 1 hour non-stop on Austrian Airlines; easy local train connection to airports on both ends. Between Vienna and Budapest, train is good way to go. Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
5372 posts

RyanAir has a direct flight from Vienna to Krakow which is very cheap and very fast. Renting a car in Austria and dropping it off in Poland will be hella expensive.

Posted by
393 posts

Last December we took an overnight train from Krakow to Vienna. Killed two birds with one stone, as we got a sleeper car. Worked out very well. Left Krakow at 11PM, arrived in Vienna at 7 AM

Posted by
168 posts

Sidesteptours.com will be starting a Prague or Vienna route to Krakow. They told me it would be announced in March. This company includes a few sightseeing adventures along the route, giving you more travel experiences on an otherwise boring trip.

Posted by
699 posts

This is a bit similar and again not, but my husband and I drove from Salzburg to Budapest, but we stayed one night in Sopron, Hungary to break it up. On our drive from Budapest to Krakow we broke it up with a stay in Zakopane.
All four segments were a bit long although the scenery is stunning. I think with what you want to accomplish, I would look into the suggestions to change your flight itinerary or figure out if the train would be easier.
With a car, you also need a vignette for Hungary (available at kiosks at the border) can’t remember about Slovakia or Poland. That may have changed as our trip was in 2018.

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