Getting the Train Between Budapest – Bratislava – Vienna

Getting the train between Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna

Let me start by saying this information also applies for those wishing to do this route the opposite way around by starting in Vienna and ending in Budapest. The only reason I opted to begin in Budapest was simply because it worked out cheaper and the flight times were better.

Budapest, Bratislava & Vienna travel guide

This route is good for you if…

You’re strapped for time but want to experience a marriage of countries, endless culture and truly inspiring architecture. This route delivers that from start to finish. 

It’s also perfect if your preferred mode of transport is rail (it’s definitely mine).

Recommended length of nights in each city

It obviously depends on what your interests are and how much time you have to play around with, but generally speaking I suggest the following:

Budapest: 3 nights
Bratislava: 2 nights
Vienna: 3 nights

If you have another day going spare I would suggest spending it in Vienna, especially if you like museums. Austria’s capital is a mecca for art and undoubtedly one of Europe’s most elegant capital cities.

Though if you’re concerned about your budget, spending longer in Vienna might not be financially viable, so in that case choose Budapest which is a crowd-pleaser no matter what your interests are. On the flip side, if you need to reduce your itinerary by a day then take it from Bratislava since it’s much smaller than Budapest and Vienna and doesn’t have as many attractions.

Map of rail journey

A train map of the journey between Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna

A trio of Europe's closest capital cities

It’s not often you’re able to explore three capital cities so close to each other. In fact, it’s a nice bit of trivia to know Vienna and Bratislava are Europe’s closest capital cities with a distance of only 67 km between them. The River Danube flows through the cities which also makes travelling by boat an easy option.

Guide for train journey between Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna

Break-down of the train journeys

  • Budapest Keleti Station – Bratislava (Duration: 2h 45m, price: 17 Euros)
  • Bratislava – Vienna/Wien Hauptbahnhof (Duration: 1h, price: 12 Euros)
  • Vienna/Wien Mitte – Airport (Duration: 15m, price: 14 Euros)

I thought the price I paid for the tickets between Budapest and Bratislava, and Bratislava and Vienna was superb value. If you ask me, it’s in stark contrast to the purse-shrinking cost of travel within the UK.

If I factor in affordability and my desire to see more of Eastern Europe, I’ll definitely be planning more train journeys for my future travels.

During this trip I met a group of guys who were travelling from Budapest by train to Zagreb on a 7-hour train journey. We kept in touch and one of them sent me a text message to say it was a really scenic journey and well worth the time. On another occasion, I learnt from a Ukrainian living in Bratislava that he occasionally takes the overnight train to Lviv for 25 Euros – I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to hop on a train so quickly!

If you’d like to explore these possible routes then I suggest starting your trip in Vienna before moving in an easterly direction.

Would I recommend this train journey for solo travellers?

Without a doubt, yes! When you’re travelling solo and don’t have another person to rely on if you’re lost, or need reassurance that you’re heading in the right direction, it can feel daunting, but this trip is super straightforward.

It doesn’t require any change of trains en route and all stations are within walking distance from the city centre.

It’s reassuring to know that each city is simple to navigate but for different reasons. In Budapest you can mark your current location against the city’s three very large bridges so it’s easy to gather your bearings. Bratislava is quite small so it’s hard to get lost and you can reach everywhere by foot. Finally, Vienna has an excellent metro system so you can get from A to B really easily.

In terms of safety, I found the people in each place helpful and friendly, and at no point did I feel uncomfortable. I met some lovely people along the way, including a kind-hearted girl called Agnes in Budapest who showed me around the city and fed me gelato, and in Bratislava I met an artist called Jozef who took me to see the beautiful ruins of Devin Castle and we also went berry picking!

Blog about getting the train between Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna.
Exploring with a friend I met in Budapest.

The ruins of Devin Castle near Bratislava - getting the train from Budapest - Bratislava - vienna.
Admiring Devin Castle just outside Bratislava

Nature surrounding Devin Castle near Bratislava
The nature surrounding Devin Castle

Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. A blog about getting the train from Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna. Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna

Should you book your train tickets in advance?

I didn’t, I just rocked up at the train station and hoped for the best. If I did this trip again I would book my tickets in advance because I had to wait in a quite long queue in Budapest which ate into the time I had allocated for sightseeing in Bratislava. You can prebook tickets via the Trainline: www.thetrainline.com

It will probably would out a bit cheap by booking in advance too.

Best things to do in Budapest, Bratislava & Vienna

These are the main highlights to give you an overall impression and hopefully liven your interest. Make sure to click on the ‘further reading’ links to more detailed itineraries and recommendation for each destination.

Budapest

Budapest Fishermen's Bastion
Fishermen's Bastion
  • Marvel at the Parliament Building’s gothic architecture. It will leave a huge impression on you. If I close my eyes, I can still see it vividly.
  • Head to the Citadel for panoramic views of the city.
  • Marvel at the architecture of Fishermen’s Bastion and enjoy sweeping views of the city
  • Enjoy Buda Castle and National Gallery.
  • Stroll along the Danube and pay homage to the war memorial, ‘Shoes on the Danube Bank’.
  • Visit St. Stephen’s Basilica.

Accommodation in Budapest: For a lovely and stylish, reasonably priced, centrally located hotel stay at Hotel Moments Budapest.

Tours in Budapest: Looking for a guided tour of the Parliament building, spa package or river cruise? Take a look at what’s available to book in Budapest here.

Budapest Parliament Building - Getting the train from Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna

Bratislava

Guide to Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna
  • Explore the pretty Old Town with its cobbled streets and narrow alleyways.
  • Day trip to Devin Castle.
  • Walk across the UFO bridge.
  • Check out the Blue Church.
  • Visit the Slovak National Gallery.

Accommodation in Bratislava: Hotels in Bratislava are comparatively cheaper than Budapest and Vienna. Your money goes further so you might want to treat yourself to somewhere a little fancier than usual. If that’s the case Marrol’s Boutique Hotel offers a 5-star experience.

The Blue Church in Bratislava . A blog about getting the train between Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna

Vienna

Combine a trip to Bratislava with Vienna - more information on The Culture Map blog

  • Visit Schonbrunn Palace and its exquisite gardens.
  • Explore the city’s museum quarter (Leopold Museum is a must for lovers of Egon Schiele and Klimt!).
  • Enjoy the Opera or head to one of the city’s theatres.
  • Relax along the canal or one of the city’s many parks, there’s even one named Sigmund Freud Park!
  • Capture the multicoloured splendour of Hundertwasserhaus, an unconventional building with uneven floors, unique windows and a rooftop garden – needs to be seen to be believed.

Accommodation in Vienna: If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, look no further than Superbude Wien Prater located next to Prater Park. Its quirky yet stylish and comfortable interior will enhance any stay in Vienna.

→ Search all hotels in Vienna

Tours in Vienna: Looking for theatre tickets, queue jumps or a grand tour of Schonbrunn Palace? Take a look at what’s available to book in Vienna here.

The colourful Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna. A blog about getting the train between Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna

If you have any questions about this train journey, Budapest – Bratislava – Vienna, let me know in the comment box below and I’ll try my best to answer.

European train journey between Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna - travel guide and itinerary

Are you thinking about doing a European rail journey?

For more inspiration, here’s another rail trip holiday itinerary which I loved, and can personally recommend: Getting the Train Between Granada, Cordoba & Seville in Andalucia

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Hi, I'm Shing

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21 Responses

  1. Did the reverse of this route last year and LOVED it! Only spent 2, 1 and 2 nights in each city, but at my travelling speed it worked out, although I definitely would not mind returning to Budapest! I’m pretty shocked about the insanely steep fare for the airport shuttle though, as there’s also a slightly slower local S-Bahn train (23 minutes) that will take you there for €3.90!

    1. Haha… with the speed you travel I bet you still saw more than I did Wesley!! Glad you loved this journey too, I’d recommend it to anyone as it has a little bit of everything – beauty, culture, nightlife.

      Ahhhhh thanks for the tip re: S-Bahn train, I’ll update my post. I think living in London has now skewed what I think is affordable or not. Even otherwise expensive things look cheap compared to London. I need to remind myself occasionally!

  2. This looks like a great way to see the three cities Shing! I definitely haven’t travelled around enough by train! The ruins of Devin castle look amazing – I don’t think I saw that – where was it? Also you accidentally must have forgotten seeing the horses on your list of things to do in Vienna 😉

    1. I haven’t travelled enough by train within Europe, but this trip made me realise how easy, fun and potentially affordable it is! Let’s do some train travelling together 😉

      The ruins of Devin castle is located in a small nearby town approximately 15-20 minutes by bus from Bratislava – it’s the perfect day trip.

      Haha oops… I did accidentally forget to include the horses. My bad 😉

  3. You can save quite a bit if you take a regular train to Vienna airport. 14€ for CAT are unneccesary just to save a few minutes.

  4. Id definitely do this in future – a fourth city to throw in is Brno in Czech Republic. I’ve not been, but would love to, and it’s only a couple of hours north of Bratislava.

    1. I saw quite a few signs for Brno Richard! I’m definitely interested in going too… ahhh so many options but so little time and money!

      The great thing about this itinerary is you can easily add more places to the journey if you wish.

  5. ‘Love the article and totally agree!

    I live in Berlin and as a result, I can afford to take my time as Hungary, Slovakia & Austrai, aren’t “too” far away lol! I went to Budapest & Prague by train last year, and of course, it’s easy peasy. I’m going to Bratislava very soon, and I’m taking my husband to Vienna for his birthday. And because the prices are more than reasonable, we’re going by first class train!

    Great photos by the way Shing!

    1. I’ve said it before, but I say it again, you’re so lucky to live in Berlin Victoria! Not least because it’s an amazing city, but also because you’re so close to so many other cities and countries!

      Ooou first class by train is a nice treat to incorporate into your hubby’s birthday present. Enjoy Vienna!

  6. Staying in Vienna for 3 days. Was thinking of taking a day trip to Bratislava and Budapest (both in 1 day). Is that feasible knowing that Bratislava is very small?

    1. Hi Rovie, I’m really sorry I missed your question. I hope you had a fantastic trip to Vienna. What did you end up doing in the end? I would have thought seeing both cities would be quite the challenge so I’m curious to know whether you did, in fact, manage it in the end?

  7. Hi Shing. I like to do same trip with my wife in October. May be in other direction. Can you advise on,
    1. What is the train journey like for scenery ? I am after scenic rail trip.
    2. What are typical traveller costs like in these 3 cities ? Is it similar to UK or lower as I expect or expensive like Geneva.
    Thx

    1. Hi Faruq, I’m really sorry I didn’t manage to answer your question on time. I hope you had a fantastic trip with your wife. In case anyone reading this article has the same question, I thought I would briefly reply.
      1) The train journey between Budapest and Bratislava is quite pretty, but not comparative to a rail journey in somewhere like Norway or Switzerland.
      2) Budapest and Bratislava are cheap much, much cheaper than the UK. However, expect to pay more in Vienna, I would say it’s similar to London though, perhaps, still slightly less.

  8. Hi Shing,
    I will be starting Budapest – Bratislava – Vienna – Prague. The 2hr45min travel from Budapest – Bratislava is by railtrain or bus? I can not find a rail train option to buy tickets online.
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Clinton, sorry for the late reply. If you’ve already been on your trip, I hope you had a fabulous time. If not, it might still be worth saying I travelled by train and bought my ticket at the main train station without pre-booking. It was quite disorganised and I had to wait a while….

  9. Hi Shing, I will be in Prague for business travel and have 2 weekends (14-15 July 2018) and (21-22 July 2018) whereby I would like to visit the neighbouring countries. What is your suggestion? Not sure if I can cover Budapest – Bratislava and Vienna in 2 days.

    1. Hi Cornelia, I’m sorry for the delayed response! It would be impossible to cover Budapest and Bratislava and Vienna in 2 days, so I would suggest two nights in Vienna with a day trip to Bratislava. I wrote wrote a blog about things to do in Vienna which you might find useful: http://www.theculturemap.com/things-to-do-see-in-vienna/

      In regards to the Czech Republic, I’ve only been to Prague so I can’t offer too much insight, but I’ve heard great things about Cesky Krumlov and Sedlec Ossuary (the incredible church made of bones) which are both near Prague. Or you could hop on the train to Brno, the county’s second largest city.

      Have a wonderful time!!

  10. Thanks for the interesting post! I was thinking of spending a long-weekend in Vienna in November/December, however, having seen the closeness of the three cities on google maps I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time and city-hop between the three!

    Despite having read about the good train links, on the trainline website it says that the Budapest – Bratislavia route is serviced by a bus or ‘Flexibus’ to be precise. I notice your post is from 2016 but I was wondering if you knew why this was / if the train service is still running? It seems very unlikely that a train service between two capital cities would stop running! Many thanks!

  11. Hello Shing,

    My friend and I will be doing the route same as you that is Budapest-Bratislava-Vienna. In Budapest now they are using Nyugati Train Station for Bratislava, right?

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