Train Travel in Austria

Austrian trains are an efficient way of seeing the country with frequent connections between the major cities and international destinations like Budapest, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Venice, Basel, Prague and Munich. Most of the busier services are operated by the state-run ÖBB (Österreichischen Bundesbahnen; website www.oebb.at), although private railways operate many of the smaller routes.

When you take a trip over 101km you can break your journey at various stations en route taking up to two months to complete the trip, however shorter trips must be completed on the same day.

If you're going to some small village on a slow local train you may need to push a button to alert the driver to stop at the next station.

As in Germany train stations are often abreviated Bf (bahnhof) and Hbf (hauptbahnhof) on maps and signs. Arrivals and departures are indicated on signs within the station - Ankunft is arrival and Abfahrt means departure.

Austria's convenient location in the heart of Central Europe means that it's included in many different rail passes including both Eurail and Interrail. Austria also has its own railpass, which is a good value travel option if you want to explore Austria in depth.

If you want to save money on individual tickets, the Vorteilscard €99.90 (€19.90 if you're under 26) allows you to travel at a 45% discount over a one-year period.

AUSTRIA RAILPASS

The Austria Railpass allows between three and eight days of travel within a 15-day period. This pass is valid for either first or second-class travel and is good value if you want to explore the country in depth.

BUY THIS RAILPASS ONLINE