Wien / Vienna to Zürich / Zurich by train

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

Despite the distance between the Austrian capital and Zurich, there are multiple daily departures to select from, plus unusually there are two overnight journey options.
If you'll be travelling by day by train from Wien/Vienna to Zurich, efforts at setting off early will be rewarded by a stunning journey, with a wonderful climax as the train approaches journey's end

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Routes

Option 1: travelling by day

Travel Information

Departing from Wien/Vienna:

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.

Final Destination: Zurich

All trains also call at: Buchs and Sargans; connect at Buchs for Landquart and Chur.

5 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

Trains departing at different times can 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 €39

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.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesMountain viewsLake viewsNot High Speed

Good to Know

On Monday - Saturday the first train of the day won't arrive in Zurich until 13:20 and on Sundays you will not get there until 15:20.
So if you need or want to be there sooner, you can take the overnight train.

The view over Landeck looking right after the train departs The view over Landeck looking right after the train departs
Look out for wow moments between the trees and tunnels near St.Anton Look out for wow moments between the trees and tunnels near St.Anton
Heading west through the Pass after St.Anton Heading west through the Pass after St.Anton
The best of the views of the pass are on the left The best of the views of the pass are on the left
Descending from the pass down towards Buchs Descending from the pass down towards Buchs
The view as the train enters Switzerland The view as the train enters Switzerland
Arriving at the Walensee lake Arriving at the Walensee lake
The beautiful Walensee is on the right The beautiful Walensee is on the right
Around 10 mins later Lake Zurich will come into view on the right Around 10 mins later Lake Zurich will come into view on the right
There is little between the railway line and the lake There is little between the railway line and the lake
Nearing journeys end in Zurich Nearing journeys end in Zurich

It's worth setting off on one of the first trains of the day from Vienna/Wien.
This is one of Europe's most epic train journeys, but the best of the scenery kicks in around 5hrs into the journey, once the train has passed Innsbruck.
(All of the videos were taken on a train travelling in the opposite direction)

Between St.Anton and Feldkirch, the train threads the stunning Arlberg Pass - though in summer the trees can get in the way.~

Then between Feldkirch and Buchs, the train will travel through Liechtenstein.

After departure from Sargans, the train will travel by a series of beautiful lakes, virtually all the way to Zurich.
The first of which is the stunning Wallensee...

...and then 20 mins later, the train will be travelling by the Zurichsee.

Sit on the left (when facing the direction of travel) on departure from Vienna/Wien.
The best views of The Arlberg Pass are from this side of the train.

The lakes are on the right, but the train will reverse direction on departure from Buchs.

Option 2: travelling overnight

Travel Information

Final Destination: Zurich

These trains also call at: Buchs (connect for Landquart and Chur)

2 x trains per night

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.

Click the train guides below for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:

Travelling with a rail pass:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding either of these trains.

However, these rail pass reservations can be purchased without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).
Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence the step-by-step guide.
If you'd rather not book online, rail pass reservations can be arranged and paid for at the ÖBB Reisebüro desk in Wien Hbf; ideally do this when you first arrive at Wien Hbf on the preceding train on your itinerary.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
OBB *

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.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesNightLake views

Good to Know

The OBB Nightjet train is the slower of the two services.
It is scheduled to depart from Wien Hbf at 21:27 and arrive in Zurich at 08:20.

The Euronight (Kalaman Imre) train doesn't depart from Wien Hbf  until 23:25,  but it also arrives in Zurich at 08:20 - it is joined to the OBB Nightjet train during its journey.

Both the OBB Nightjet train and the Euronight train convey;

  • Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
  • Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
  • Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
    but the OBB Nightjet train also conveys Deluxe sleeping cars with showers in the cabin.

If you wake early there are some fabulous views over lakes from the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) for the final hour of the journey.

Though if the timings suit this is a spectacular journey on the daytime trains.

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