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London to Wien / Vienna by train
How to take the rail journey from London to Vienna/Wien
There are three options available for taking a journey by train from London to Vienna/Wien:
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Making the end-to-end journey by day, though due to the current reduction in the Eurostar timetable, completing the journey in a single day is dependent on making a 20 minute connection between trains in Bruxelles.
(So if you don't want to travel on an overnight train, the less risky option is to split the journey into two days of travel and spending a night in either Frankfurt (Main) or Koln/Cologne). -
If you will be leaving London on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, then it's possible to take a Eurostar to Bruxelles and then a night train on from there to Wien/Vienna.
Though due to the current reduction in the number of Eurostar departures, this option involves spending more than five hours in Bruxelles between trains. -
Or if you will be leaving London on the other nights of the week, an option is to make a connection of around 2hr 20 mins in Bruxelles on to Koln/Cologne, where around 4 hours after arriving there, an overnight train will depart for Wien/Vienna.
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Routes
Option 1: travelling by day
Journey Summary
13hr 10min
Daily
Travel Information
It is possible to travel by day by train from London to Wien/Vienna if you depart London at 08:55
Though arriving in Wien/Vienna by the end of the day will be wholly dependent on the 20 mins which will be available to make a connection between trains in Bruxelles/Brussels; and then the connection in Frankfurt (Main) will be around 50 mins.
This is because the 08:55 departure is currently the first train of the day from London to Bruxelles.
However, that 20 min connection in Bruxelles is NOT guaranteed; the ICE train on to Frankfurt (Main) from Bruxelles won't hang back for more than around 5 - 10mins if the Eurostar is arriving late.
Similarly the connection in Frankfurt is also not guaranteed and the connection will be into the final train of the day on from Frankfurt (Main) to Wien/Vienna.
1 x connections per day
Changing trains in: Bruxelles/Brussels and Frankfurt (Main)
Tickets
Eurostar does NOT sell tickets for this journey.
Seat Reservations:
Book a 1st class ticket(s) and your seats will automatically be assigned on all trains.
The tickets will be train specific, but seat reservations are optional in 2nd class on the ICE trains between Bruxelles/Brussels and Frankfurt and between Frankfurt and Wien/Vienna
The 2nd class ticket prices you will initially see on the agents do NOT initially include the costs of the reservation on these trains.
The reservation fee which covers both trains is 2nd class = €4.50.
Reservations are compulsory on the Eurostar and this is included when booking point2point journey tickets – your Eurostar seats will be automatically assigned irrespective of whether you book 1st class or 2nd class tickets.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | from €170 approx |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar is operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Final Destination: Bruxelles-Midi or Amsterdam
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour longer.
Most of the departures between London and Bruxelles will be by the e320 trains, but the e3300 trains are usually used on some departures.
The usual calls at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations, have been been temporarily suspended until further notice.
However as the trains only call at these stations to pick up passengers. these station calls are not included on the departure boards at St Pancras International, or usually announced on the train.
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins before departure; though this time increases to 45mins before departure on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with six distinct phases and highlights:
1: For most of the first 8 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to exit London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
2: Then from the right of the train, there are views of the River Thames marshes and of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge.
3: The third tunnel that the train will pass through is the tunnel under the River Thames.
4: Shortly after Ebbsfleet International station (can only be seen from the right of the train) is the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway.
5: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
6: There is little of note to be seen from the high speed lines in France and Belgium.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
You will have to pass through security checks before boarding these trains and queues can build up at busy times.
Final Destination: Frankfurt (Main)
All trains also call at: Aachen; Koln/Cologne; Frankfurt Flughafen/Airport
This train journey from Bruxelles to Frankfurt is usually a great showcase for 21st century European train travel.
The sleek ICE 3 trains give any journey a wow factor and on virtually all of this route they're either travelling on a custom-built high speed line, or on a conventional railway that has been re-engineered so that the trains can travel faster.
The fastest part of this trip comes between Seigburg/Bonn and Frankfurt Flughafen, when the train will travel at up to 285 km/h on Germany's fastest high speed line.
Train 3
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Wien Flughafen (airport) or Wien Hbf
All trains also call at: Linz and St Polten and Wien-Meidling
Arriving in Wien/Vienna:
Check the location of your final destination in Wien/Vienna.
If you're heading to the south west corner of the city, or the area on the ring road around the Opera House - then it's likely that you'll have a faster and more convenient journey if you leave the train at Wien-Meidling station.
This is a journey of nine distinct phases:
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Between Frankfurt (Main) and Aschaffenburg the railway passes through a string of commuter towns.
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Then east of Aschaffenburg, is a scenic and slow part of the trip as the railway follows a series of valleys.
-
As the River Main comes into view on the right, the train will speed up before bridging the river and entering a tunnel which will link it to the high speed line.
-
The train will spend around 10-15 mins on the high speed line as it nears Wurzburg, just before the station look out on the right for a brief panorama over the river and city.
Because the train will spend such a small percentage of the journey on the high speed line, this hasn't been classed as a high speed trip -
On to Nurnberg the train will be on conventional railway tracks.
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Between Nurnberg and Regensburg the train travels across a rolling landscape of hills.
-
Between Regensburg and Passau the railway line is beside the River Danube, which can be seen on the left.
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The highlight of the journey comes to the south of Passau, between there and the Austrian border, the railway line is by the banks of the River Inn, but on this part of the journey the river is over to the right.
-
Between Wels and Vienna the train will race across the Austrian countryside either side of Linz, this railway isn't a high speed route, but it has been straightened so that trains can travel at around 200 km/h
Option 2: departing on Mon/Weds/Fri and travelling overnight from Bruxelles
Journey Summary
(24hrs 25min)
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Travel Information
If you will be departing London on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, this combination of trains will usually be available:
- Depart London at 11:04; arrive Bruxelles Midi/Zuid at 14:05
- Depart Bruxelles Midi/Zuid at 19:32; arrive Wien Hbf at 09:19.
Changing trains in: Bruxelles/Brussels
Tickets
Online bookings open 6 months ahead
You will need to book each journey separately; which due to the long connecting time between trains shouldn't be an issue, the details of how to do this are included on each of the respective journey guides:
Trainline is offering an end-to-end booking, which involves departing London at 15:04 and then making a 21 min connection into the Nightjet on to Wien/Vienna, but this isn't a guaranteed connection.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar is operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Final Destination: Bruxelles-Midi or Amsterdam
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour longer.
Most of the departures between London and Bruxelles will be by the e320 trains, but the e3300 trains are usually used on some departures.
The usual calls at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations, have been been temporarily suspended until further notice.
However as the trains only call at these stations to pick up passengers. these station calls are not included on the departure boards at St Pancras International, or usually announced on the train.
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins before departure; though this time increases to 45mins before departure on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with six distinct phases and highlights:
1: For most of the first 8 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to exit London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
2: Then from the right of the train, there are views of the River Thames marshes and of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge.
3: The third tunnel that the train will pass through is the tunnel under the River Thames.
4: Shortly after Ebbsfleet International station (can only be seen from the right of the train) is the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway.
5: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
6: There is little of note to be seen from the high speed lines in France and Belgium.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Wien Hbf
The train also calls at: Linz and St. Polten and Wien-Meidling.
Bruxelles/Brussels has rejoined the European night train network, thanks to the restoration of a direct overnight train to Wien/Vienna from the Belgian capital.
The journey experience is dependent on the type of accommodation you choose to travel by on the train - click the 'Nightjet' button above to discover the available options.
Option 3: taking a night train on from Koln/Cologne
Journey Summary
(24hrs 25min)
Nightly
Travel Information
If you will be departing London on Tuesday, Thursday or at weekends, this combination of trains will usually be available:
- Depart London at 11:04; arrive Bruxelles Midi/Zuid at 14:05
- Depart Bruxelles Midi/Zuid at 16:25; arrive Koln Hbf at 18:15
- Depart Koln Hbf at 22:16; arrive Wien Hbf at 09:19.
Changing trains in: Bruxelles/Brussels and Koln/Cologne
Tickets
Online bookings open 6 months ahead
You will need to book each journey separately; which due to the long connecting time between trains shouldn't be an issue, the details of how to do this are included on each of the respective journey guides:
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar is operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Final Destination: Bruxelles-Midi or Amsterdam
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour longer.
Most of the departures between London and Bruxelles will be by the e320 trains, but the e3300 trains are usually used on some departures.
The usual calls at either Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations, have been been temporarily suspended until further notice.
However as the trains only call at these stations to pick up passengers. these station calls are not included on the departure boards at St Pancras International, or usually announced on the train.
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins before departure; though this time increases to 45mins before departure on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with six distinct phases and highlights:
1: For most of the first 8 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to exit London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
2: Then from the right of the train, there are views of the River Thames marshes and of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge.
3: The third tunnel that the train will pass through is the tunnel under the River Thames.
4: Shortly after Ebbsfleet International station (can only be seen from the right of the train) is the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway.
5: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
6: There is little of note to be seen from the high speed lines in France and Belgium.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Essen/Dortmund/Koln
All trains also call at: Aachen
The trains travel on high speed lines between Leuven and Liege and between Liege and Aachen.
Final Destination: Essen/Dortmund/Koln
All trains also call at: Aachen
The trains travel on high speed lines between Leuven and Liege and between Liege and Aachen.
Train 3
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Wien Hbf
The trains also calls at: Linz and St Polten
It's still possible to travel through the night from Koln/Cologne to Wien/Vienna - you don't have to take the daytime trains.
This train is USUALLY scheduled to depart at around 21:21 and arrives in the Austrian capital at around 08:19.
The journey experience is dependent on the type of accommodation you choose to travel by on the train - click the 'Nightjet' button above to discover the available options.
The coaches heading to Wien will be joined to another part of the train, which will be heading to Innsbruck
If you see a train heading to Innsbruck on the departure screens then the info will also apply if you are travelling to Wien.
Don't be concerned about boarding the wrong part of the train, your reservations will be in coaches that will be heading to Innsbruck.
The train manager will also greet travellers who have booked to travel in the couchettes or sleeping cabins.
Our guide to travelling on European overnight trains is available HERE.
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