Proud as I am of my home town, Europe obviously has one or two other cities also worth a visit. But what are the distances and travel times from Vienna to Budapest, Prague or Venice, for example? See below for answers.
- Closest foreign cities include Bratislava, Budapest & Prague
- Find & book a day trip* out of Vienna
- See also:
All times are rough estimates for the actual journey time from Vienna to help you plan: don’t forget you may have to add on delays for peak traffic, slower trains, check-in, buying tickets, etc..
Common destinations
(The river in Salzburg)
Services change, so you can get up-to-date journey times yourself using the links at the bottom of the article.
Day-trip friendly
These towns and cities are doable in a day from Vienna…
Bratislava
The capital of neighbouring Slovakia is remarkably close just over Austria’s eastern border.
- Air distance (km / miles): 55/34
- Car: 1 hour
- Train: 1 hour
- Bus: 1-1.5 hours
- Plane: too close to deserve scheduled flights
You can also reach Bratislava on a boat excursion from Vienna, since the Danube river connects both cities.
Graz
Austria’s second-largest city lies to the south and has a slightly alternative vibe to it.
- Air distance (km / miles): 145/90
- Car: 2 hours
- Train: 2.5 hours
- Bus: 2-2.5 hours
- Plane: 35 mins
Hallstatt
The famously Instagrammable historical village built into a lakeside mountain.
- Air distance (km / miles): 215/135
- Car: 3.5 hours
- Train: no direct rail link
- Bus: no direct bus link but available on a day trip* from Vienna’s old town
- Plane: nope
Budapest
Capital of Hungary and one of the Habsburg triumvirate of cities alongside Vienna and Prague.
- Air distance (km / miles): 214/133
- Car: 2.5 hours
- Train: 2.5 hours
- Bus: 3 hours or available as a day bus tour* from the centre of Vienna
- Plane: 50 mins
Salzburg
Mozart’s birthplace with its gorgeous centre makes for an excellent day trip by train: I have recommended options for getting there and what to do in the city.
- Air distance (km / miles): 251/156
- Car: 2.75-3 hours
- Train: 2.5 hours
- Bus: I can never find scheduled bus services direct to Salzburg from Vienna. This is possibly (?) because the train service is fast, frequent and not too expensive
- Plane: 50 mins
Other destinations
Prague
Plans exist for a fast rail link from Vienna to the capital of Czechia (and Berlin) which will cut train journey times in half, but don’t expect it until the 2030s.
- Air distance (km / miles): 251/156
- Car: 3.5 hours
- Train: 4+ hours
- Bus: 4 hours
- Plane: 50-60 mins
Zagreb
The capital of Croatia.
- Air distance (km / miles): 268/167
- Car: 3.75-4 hours
- Train: 6.5+ hours
- Bus: 5 hours
- Plane: 50 mins
Munich
Just over Austria’s border with Germany but well west of Vienna.
- Air distance (km / miles): 356/221
- Car: 4-4.5 hours
- Train: 4+ hours
- Bus: 5.5-6 hours
- Plane: 60 mins
Venice
A city that needs no introduction.
- Air distance (km / miles): 427/265
- Car: 5.5-6 hours (you cannot actually drive into Venice itself, of course)
- Train: 7.5+ hours
- Bus: 9.5-10 hours
- Plane: 70 mins
Belgrade
The capital of Serbia.
- Air distance (km / miles): 492/306
- Car: 5.25-6 hours
- Train: ?
- Bus: 8.5 hours
- Plane: 70 mins
Berlin
A bit of a journey by anything but plane, sadly.
- Air distance (km / miles): 524/326
- Car: 7-7.5 hours
- Train: 8+ hours
- Bus: 9 hours
- Plane: 70 mins
Paris
A city needing even less of an introduction than Venice.
- Air distance (km / miles): 1035/643
- Car: 10.5-12 hours
- Train: 10+ hours
- Bus: 18+ hours
- Plane: 120 mins
Useful links
- For driving and travel time estimates: Google Maps
- For train schedules and tickets: Austrian Railways
- For bus schedules and tickets: Flixbus
- For flight information: Vienna Airport