Austria (OeBB)

Country info: Austria (Österreich)

Rail companies: ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen)

                              WB (WestBahn)

How to Buy Train Tickets in Austria? We have a  Step by Step Guide

Austrian Rail Network Map 

Currency: Euro

Train travel in Austria: train types, tickets, fares, discounts & other useful info

 

National Train Service:

Train types in Austria: Suburban, Regional, ÖBB InterCity, EuroCity/EuroNight, Railjet/ICE & CityNightLine (CNL)

• Suburban (marked as S-Bahn & RSB on OeBB website) – commuter service around major Austrian cities and suburban areas, no seat reservation required
• Regional (marked as R & REX on OeBB website) – local trains, no seat reservation required
• ÖBB-InterCity (marked as OIC on OeBB website) – long-distance trains serving connections between major Austrian cities and towns, seat reservation can be made, but not required
• EuroCity / EuroNight (marked EC/EN on OeBB website) – international and domestic trains long-distance service, seat reservation not required, but can be made (recommended in case of overnight journeys)
• Railjet / ICE (marked as RJ/ICE on OeBB website) - high-speed international trains, seat reservation can be made, but not required
• CityNightLine (marked as CNL on DB website) - international overnight sleeper trains, seat/bed reservations compulsory

Discounts, special offers & ways to save money for passengers traveling by train in Austria:

1. OeBB offers special pass for mini-groups of travellers called Einfach-Raus-Ticket. Einfach-Raus Ticket is a daily group pass for 2-5 passengers traveling together, on weekdays (Monday till Friday) valid from 9 am till 3 am (next day), while on Saturdays, Sundays & holidays validity period is even longer - from midnight till 3am next day. Einfach-Raus Ticket pass is valid for trips in all the ÖBB S-Bahn & Regional passenger trains (meaning R, REX, S-Bahn). Einfach-Raus-Ticket price for two persons is 33 euro, three passenger - 37 euro, four - 41 euro & five passengers - 45 euro. Einfach-Raus Ticket can be easily purchased online via OeBB e-Shop www.ticket.oebb.at (you can also buy it with a help of OeBB ticket vending machines or at the ticket counter)
2. SparSchiene Austria (ÖBB): discounted tickets for journeys within Austria (both direct & those that require a train change). SparSchiene Österreich tickets prices start from as low as 9 euro in 2^nd class or 19 euro in 1^st class, however potential passengers should keep in mind that number of discounted tickets under the condition of this offer is limited per each departure, meaning that cheap sparschiene tickets can get sold out rather quickly, especially for popular connections or peak times. Discounted sparschiene tickets can be booked maximum 6 months & minimum 3 days in advance, such tickets are not exchangeable or refundable. SparSchiene Austria tickets can be purchased only online via OeBB website Ticket Shop
3. In instances when the mentioned above Sparschiene Austria discounted tickets are not available (sold out, not offered, you have trouble buying it etc.), potential passengers can take advantage of a bit more nuanced, but nevertheless totally legit trick allowing to save a lot of money on rail travels in Austria. Trick is about use of discounted international tickets for domestic journeys. Sounds illogic and strange? Maybe, but explanation here is very simple - quota of discounted tickets per each train can be higher for international connections and/or international discounted tickets get sold not as quickly as domestic Sparschiene Austria tickets. E.g. ticket for a very popular rail journey - from Vienna to Salzburg - with Austrian Railways (OeBB) costs 51,90 euro (=standard one-way full fare price), while price for discounted international tickets from Vienna to Munich (via Salzburg) start from only 29 euro. What does it mean? It means that passenger can save more than 20 euro by simply purchasing international discounted ticket from Vienna to Munich instead of more expensive domestic full fare ticket to Salzburg. Might sound absurd that ticket for much longer abroad journey is cheaper, but such trick really works, try it yourself. The only thing left would be to get off your train a bit earlier - in Salzburg. Similar algortihm (buy international discounted ticket, but get off train earlier) can be easily used for cases when passenger needs to travel to Western Austria (Innsbruck, Bregenz, St. Anton am Arlberg, Feldkirch etc.), just look for 29 euro sparschiene tickets from Vienna to Zurich, and so on. International discounted tickets (e.g. Vienna-Munich, Vienna-Zurich etc.) can be easily bought in advance via OeBB website (N.B. We recommend to take advantage of this trick only in case all the domestic Sparschiene tickets for the route you want were already sold out or more expensive, then the international Sparschiene). 
4. Yet another money saving trick also concerns use of international tickets, but not tickets purchased in Austria. The story here is very simple - neighboring Hungarian and Slovak rail companies offer passenger the so-called CityStar tickets to Austria, and these CityStar tickets often turn out to be much cheaper than domestic OeBB tariff on long-distance journeys. So if passenger has chance to visit Slovakia or Hungary before any planned domestic trip within Austria, it might be a good alternative in order to save some money on Austrian rail travels. For instance, CityStar ticket Bratislava-Vienna-Innsbruck-Vienna-Bratislava bought in Slovakia costs only 55,40 euro, while one-way ticket from Vienna to Innsbruck bought in Austria from OeBB costs 69,60 euro or 139,20 euro return. Now compare it with 55,40 euro for the same journey with Slovak CityStar ... probably no comments needed. Slovak or Hungarian CityStar tickets can be purchase till any Austrian station. Such trick with CityStar tickets at times can be so tempting that it might make sense to visit Bratislava (or other Slovak station) from Vienna (return fare Vienna-Bratislava is only 16 euro, while the journey takes one hour) and buy CityStar intentionally
5. If your travel plans might change or you simply don't want to purchase non-refudable train tickets months before the journey, then it might make sense to think about buying Eurail (non Europeans) or Interrail (Europeans) rail pass. Keeping in mind rather high Austrian domestic train ticket prices (stadard full fare) pass can actually make sense even if you plan only couple long-distance trips.
6. For passengers planing multiple journeys in Austria, travels with family or having absolutely no desire to "hunt" discounted sparschiene tickets, another money saving option can be taking advantage of OeBB reduction
   
   card called VORTEILScard. The card gives 45%/50% discount from full fare price on all the domestic train tickets in Austria. VORTEILScard also includes RailPlus option - 25% discount for international tickets all over Europe. The card is valid for one year and can be obtained from any OeBB ticket counter. Standard VORTEILScard price for adults is 99 euro, but for youth (<26) and families it cost only 19 euro, for seniors only 29 euro, so basically it can pay off only after one journey from Vienna to Salzburg. Interested? More info about VORTEILScard can be found here 
7. Some time ago on the most popular Austrian rail connection (Vienna to Salzburg via St.Pölten, Amstetten, Linz, Wels and Attnang-Puchheim) appeared new private rail company - WestBahn. WestBahn operates new Stadler Kiss double-decker EMU and the full standard ticket fare is much cheaper if compared to the similar OeBB (state owned Austrian Railways). For instance, ticket for WestBahn train from Vienna to Salzburg costs only 25,50 euro, while the same journey with OeBB would cost you 51,90 euro. And the best part is that passenger don't need to purchase WestBahn tickets in advance. At the same time potential passengers should keep in mind that OeBB offers mentioned above discounted sparschiene tickets, which can be cheaper then standard full fare tickets for WestBahn trains (e.g. 19 euro promo with OeBB vs. 25,50 with Vienna to Salzburg with WestBahn)

If case you still have any questions concerning use of the discounts or international (discounted) tickets for rail travel in Austria please address our Forum

 

International Train Service:

a) Regular discounts

TEE PreiseSystem (special international tickets betwen Austria, Germany and Switzerland)

b) Special offers (SparSchiene)

Ticket offers with limited number of tickets per each departure (purchase in advance required):

• Belgium: seats from Vienna to Brussels starting from 71 euro (daytime via Frankfurt), from Linz to Brussels (from 61 euro)
• Denmark: seats from Vienna to Copenhagen (or any other destination in Denmark) starting from 79 euro (daytime via Hamburg)
• Germany: from Vienna to Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Leipzig, Cologne, Düsseldorf etc. (seats from 29 euro, couchettes from 39 euro, sleepers from 59 euro) or from any Austrian station (OeBB<200km) to any German station (DB<250km) - e.g. Linz - Nuremberg, Innsbruck - Munich etc. - tickets start from only 19 euro
• Netherlands: from Vienna (or Innsbruck) to Amsterdam starting from 69 euro (daytime via Frankfurt)
• Italy: from Vienna to Venice and Milan (seats from 29 euro, couchette from 49 euro, sleepers from 69 euro), from Vienna to Florence and Rome (seats from 39 euro, couchette from 59 euro, sleepers from 79 euro), from Innsbruck to Italy (seats from 19 euro), from Salzburg to Venice (seats from 29 euro, couchettes from 49 euro, sleepers from 69 euro). As well special offers for ÖBB IntercityBus from any station of Austrian Carinthia (e.g. Klagenfurt, Villach etc.) to Italian Udine for only 9 euro (incl. seat reservation) or 19 euro to Venice
• Croatia: seats from Vienna to Zagreb from 29 euro or OeBB<110km and any HZ station for as little as 19 euro
• Poland: seats from Vienna to Katowice, Krakow or Warsaw from 29 euro, from Vienna to Gdansk from 49 euro, Poland from Klagenfurt, Graz or Salzburg (seats from 39 euro)
• Luxembourg: from Vienna to Luxembourg (seats from 69 euro, daytime via Koblenz)
• Switzerland: from Vienna, Graz, Villach to Zurich (seats from 29 euro, couchettes from 59 euro, sleepers from 79) or any Austrian station to any Swiss - from 19 euro (OEEB<305km and SBB<150km); from 29 euro (OEEB<305km and SBB>150km and OEEB>305km and SBB<150km); from 39 euro (OEEB>306km and SBB>150km)
• Slovakia: from 19 euro (OeBB<300km - Bratislava or other destinations in Western Slovakia) or from 29 euro (any station in Austria - Central/Eastern Slovakia, e.g. Poprad-Tatry, Kosice etc.)
• Slovenia: seats from Vienna to Maribor or Ljubljana (OeBB<110km and any SZ station) for as little as 19 euro
• Czech Republic: from Vienna to Brno (from 9 euro), from Vienna or Linz to Prague (from 19 euro), from Salzburg, Graz or Klagenfurt to Prague (from 29 euro) 
• Hungary: from Vienna & Graz to Budapest (or any other trip OeBB<100km and MAV unlimited) seats from 19 euro, while in case OeBB leg > 100km, then discounted tickets start from 29 euro
• Serbia: seats from Vienna to Belgrade from 39 euro

EURegio (4 days validity period):

• Slovakia: from Vienna to Bratislava return is only 16 euro (ticket valid for 4 days + on the first day it can serve as city transport (MHD) pass in Bratislava) or 38 euro (weekly ticket); from Kittsee or Marchegg to Bratislava return - 5 euro; from Gänserndorf or Siebenbrunn - Leopoldsdorf return - 7 euro; from Bruck a.d. Leitha or Neusiedl am See return - 8 euro

• Hungary: from Vienna to Mosonmagyarovar return is 19 euro; from Vienna to Györ return is 23 euro; from Vienna to Tatabanya return is 28 euro; from Vienna to Szombathely (via Sopron) return is 27 euro; from Graz to Szombathely return is 25 euro, from Graz to Budapest return 40 euro, etc.
• Slovenia (called ÖBB Slovenia ticket): from Graz to Ljubljana return is 40 euro; from Graz to Maribor return is 19 euro; from Klagenfurt to Ljubljana return is 30 euro; from Villach to Ljubljana return is 24 euro; from Villach to Jesenice, Lesce Bled, Bled Jazaro return is 15 euro;  from Klagenfurt to Maribor return is 20 euro, etc.
• Czech Republic: from Vienna to Ceske Budejovice/Český Krumlov return is 34/35 euro; from Gmünd to Ceske Velenice return is 2 euro; from Vienna to Znojmo return is 20 euro; from Vienna to Mikulov return is 23 euro, from Linz to Ceske Budejovic return 20 euro, etc.

c) CityStars

Not issued

 

When knowing all the options and discounts offered by OeBB passenger can travel relatively cheap to almost any destination abroad. Even in cases when you missed cheap discounted tickets (like Vienna to Prague sparschiene for 19 euro), but still have no intention to overpay buying standard full fare ticket (return for >120 euro) you can always use for instance 34 euro EURegio ticket from Vienna to Ceske Budejovice and combine it with relatively cheap Czech domestic ticket from Ceske Budejovice to Prague (from 165 CZK) or travel via Bratislava (with Vienna to Bratislava 16 euro return ticket + CityStar from Bratislava to Prague for 38,10 euro) etc. In case you still have any questions concerning use such and alike tricks, discounts or international tickets for travels to/from Austria please address our Forum

How to Buy Train Tickets in Austria:

Austrian Railways (OeBB) online ticket system works pretty well, so you can easily purchase national and almost all the international tickets online directly via OeBB website. Once you in Austria, besides buying tickets via tickets counter passengers also can purchase travel documents (tickets, reservations etc.) via ticket vending machines or on board of the train (NB: OeBB charges 3 euro fee for that, while WestBahn doesn't make you pay any extra fee)

Step by Step Guide on How to Purchase Tickets via OeBB Online Ticket Shop - europetrainsguide.com/Advice/How-to-Buy-Train-Tickets/Austria-OeBB.html

 

Do you still have further questions or want to share your own travel experience? You are welcome on our Forum page

 

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