Wien / Vienna to Villach by train

How to take the rail journey from Wien/Vienna to Villach

Villach is a major railway junction in southern Austria, it's where the route from Wien/Vienna to Italy crosses the railway which links Salzburg to Slovenia and on into Croatia.
So it's possible to connect in Villach for multiple destinations including Lesce-Bled, Tarviso, Udine and Spittal.

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Routes

From Wien Hbf/Hauptbahnhof to Villach Hbf

Journey Summary

Travel Time
4hr 21min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

Final Destination: Villach or Venedig/Venezia

All trains also call at: Wiener-Neustadt and Bruck an der Mur

These trains also call at these Wörthersee resort towns:
Velden am Worther see
Portschach am Worther see
Krumpendorf am Worther see

Departing from Vienna/Wien:

Trains depart from Wien/Vienna in even hours.

If your journey in Vienna is commencing in 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 join the train at Wien-Meidling station.

Wien Meidling is connected to line U6 of the Vienna Metro, which serves the western side of the city centre.

A few of these trains commence their journeys at Wien Flufghagen/Vienna Airport station.

1 x train every other hour

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

The discounted tickets are the 'Sparscheine' tickets and they can be booked online up until the day of departure , but they can't be booked at stations, so booking last minute at the station is always more expensive.

Though you'll usually need to book the 'Sparscheine' tickets at least a couple of days ahead to obtain them at the cheapest possible price.

Trains departing at different times can also be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
OBB from €19

OBB Guide

OBB is the national rail operator and its booking service offers journeys by express trains within Austria, as well as international journeys which don't involve making a connection outside of Austria.

It pays off to book online, as the discounted 'Sparscheine' tickets are only ever made available on the website, and when making international journeys to and from Austria, these Sparscheine tickets tend to be cheaper.
OBB can offer particularly good value for money when travelling with children on international rail journeys, but something to watch out for when travelling between Austria and Germany on daytime trains, is that reservations are an optional extra; but if you book 1st class tickets with the Germany railways website DB, the reservations are complimentary.

OBB often takes a unique approach to its booking path, but a key thing to keep in mind is that the first price you will see for any journey is that of a Second Class seat.
The costs of upgrading to first class, a reservation, or a sleeping cabin etc, is then added to this price.

Trainline Österreich from €19

Trainline Österreich Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesMountain viewsLake viewsNot High Speed
Also from the left of the train are views over the lake between Klagenfurt and Villach Also from the left of the train are views over the lake between Klagenfurt and Villach
The ascent up to Semmering begins when the train crosses the River Schwarz The ascent up to Semmering begins when the train crosses the River Schwarz
Crossing a viaduct between the tunnels on the Semmering Pass Crossing a viaduct between the tunnels on the Semmering Pass
The view from one of these viaducts on a grey day The view from one of these viaducts on a grey day
Beginning to descend after Semmering station Beginning to descend after Semmering station
Following the river Mur heading south of Leoben Following the river Mur heading south of Leoben
Looking right as the train heads further south Looking right as the train heads further south
Most of the best views between Leoben and Klagenfurt are on the right Most of the best views between Leoben and Klagenfurt are on the right
It is charming train journey across southern Austria It is charming train journey across southern Austria
The Hochosterwitz Castle is on the left north of Klagenfurt The Hochosterwitz Castle is on the left north of Klagenfurt
The view over the Worthersee The view over the Worthersee

One of the most spectacular parts of the journey is the passage on the The Semmeringbahn Railway, between Payerbach-Reichanau and Murzzuschlag.

So wonderful that it's a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site - though that's partially due to the construction methods and not just because of the scenery.
Though as the train travels over the Semmering Pass, the trackside vegetation tends to block the views, except when the trains are crossing the multiple viaducts

The best views can be seen from the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) between Wiener Neustadt and Murzzuschlag.
This video gives a sense of the journey experience, on a grey day, it was filmed travelling in the opposite direction, towards Wien/Vienna.

This Semmering part of the route has led to this part of the journey being included on Far And Wide's list of the Most Remarkable Train Journeys in Europe.

However, its easier to appreciate the stunning landscape when the train travels between Leoben and Klagenfurt.

This is our favourite part of this train ride, there are sweeping vistas across valleys - some of which can be seen on the right....

...while other fabulous views are over on the left.

Other scenic highlights back over on the left of the train include he view of the beautiful Worthersee between Klagenfurt and Villach.

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