What are trains in Austria like?

Austria might be less well-known for beautiful railways than Switzerland, but wrongfully so. The country boasts some beautiful railways through the Alps, part of an excellent network with some of Europe's most high quality trains, running frequently between all larger and smaller cities. On this page, find out about all types of trains, how to book them, what their interiors look like, and more.

All train tickets for Austria can be booked via Happyrail, alongside all reservations, passes, and one-click Rail Tour package Holidays to Austria featuring all handpicked hotels, tickets, and reservations.

  • Railjet (RJ) high-speed trains
  • ICE trains to Germany
  • Intercity (IC) and Eurocity (EC) long-distance trains
  • Regional trains (REX, CJX, R, S)
  • City Airport train (CAT)
  • Nightjet sleeper trains
  • Westbahn (WB) express trains
  • RegioJet trains to Czech Republic and Hungary

Railjet (RJ) High-speed trains

Railjet (RJ) are express trains running in Austria at up to 230 km/h between all large cities, as well as internationally to Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Hungary. They are some of the most comfortable trains in Europe, featuring three travel classes, all with free wifi, power sockets, lots of luggage space, and a dining car serving tasty Austrian/Czech dishes.

Railjet trains are not to be confused with Regiojet trains, for which please see below. Regiojet trains run on the same routes and are also available via Happyrail but run by the private operator Regiojet, a direct competitor to the Railjet services run by state operators ÖBB (Austria) and CD (Czech Republic).

  • All Railjet tickets can be booked via Happyrail.
  • Reservations are optional but reccommended, and can be booked alongside the ticket.
  • Seperate reservations (for use with an Eurail pass) can also both be booked in the Happyrail Planner by selecting 'Reservations'.
  • Second class has comfortable seats, with free wifi, power sockets adjustable tables, and lots of luggage space. You'll have access to the train's dining car, featuring tasty Czech or Austrian dishes, snacks and drinks.

  • First class features padded and adjustable leather seats, wider and with more legroom than in second class. Free wifi, luggage space and power sockets are available. Drinks and meals from the dining car can be served at your seat (not included in the ticket price).
  • Business class features supremely comfortable adjustable seats with adjustable leg- and footrests. Only a limited number of seats are available. Business class can be booked by booking a regular first class ticket plus a mandatory Business class reservation. A welcome drink is included in the seat and will be brought to you, like in first class drinks and meals can be ordered to be served at your seat.

ICE trains to Germany

ICE, short for InterCity Express, are high-speed trains that run in Germany as well as on international connections to Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. 

Reservations are not mandatory but highly reccommended, and can be bought alongside your ticket in the Happyrail rail planner sevice (select your desired seat in the seating map). Eurail passes are valid with or without a reservation.  In 2024, reservations on international connections are mandatory

  • Second class features adjustable seats in a 2+2 layout, some with tables, others airplane-style. Free wifi, plug sockets, and luggage space are available in all cars. Each train has at least one designated quiet car and one designated car for families with children.
  • First class features adjustable leather seats in a 2+1 layout, some with tables, others airplane-style, with more legroom and wider seat pitch than in second class. Free wifi, plug sockets, and luggage space are available in all cars. Stewards will take your order at your seat for drinks or meals from the dining car.
  • A dining car is also available, with 16 to 24 seats and a take-away option for all drinks and meals. Reservations are not possible for the dining car: anyone with a valid ticket can take a seat.

Intercity (IC) and Eurocity (EC) long-distance trains

Intercity and Eurocity are conventional ordinary-speed long-distance trains, connecting larger cities up to 200 km/h. Different trains are run with different coaches, but in general all feature first and second class, air conditioning, luggage storage space, wifi, and power sockets. Almost all international connections feature a dining car (check your connection to see if a dining car is available via ÖBB or at the station). National connections do not feature dining cars.

  • Tickets for most connections be bought via Happyrail; reservations are mandatory for international connections. Eurail passes as bought at Happyrail are valid on all connections, and seperate seat reservations can be bought via Happyrail.
  • Both classes generally feature 6-person compartments, with some open-space areas in certain connections, although exact interiors will depend on your specific connection (for impressions of international connections from Austria to Poland please see Poland: what are IC trains like). First class features more comfortable seats and more legroom, and sometimes a free drink and snacks included in the fare.

Regional trains (CJX, REX, R, S)

All regional trains in Austria are comfortable as well, and are mostly run with modern trainsets with power sockets, wifi, and air-conditioning. Some older trainsets without these amenities may very occasionally run. The different train types (like CJX, REX, R, S) only indicate the amount of stops made, and all are run with the same types of trains.

  • All tickets for all regional trains in Austria can be bought via Happyrail. All passes like Eurail passes are also valid. Seat reservations for regional trains are not possible.
  • Regional trains generally feature only second class. If you have a first class ticket or pass you may use this in second class. Second class is comfortable, with air-conditioning, 2+2 seating, and a lot of trains have wifi and power sockets (although some older trains do not).

City Airport Train (CAT)

City Airport Train is the name of a dedicated service running from Vienna's international airport to Wien Mitte station, near the city center. The service runs every 15 minutes. Normal tickets and Eurail passes are not valid; only dedicated CAT tickets are valid, which can only be bought via the CAT website. CAT trains offer a dedicated luggage service from the airport to the airport's train station and have more luggage space than regular trains.

Regular trains, like Railjet express trains and S local trains, also run frequently between the airport and Vienna's main train station, for lower fares than the CAT train. All tickets for regular trains like RJ and S can be bought via Happyrail. Seat reservations are possible for this section on Railjet trains although generally not needed for the small connection between the Airport and the main station.

Nightjet (NJ) sleeper trains

Nightjet are the Austrian railways' sleeper trains and run from Austria to all over Europe, as well as within Austria itself. Destinations include Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin, Zürich, Milan, the Cinque Terre coast, Rome, and more.

All Nightjet tickets and reservations can be booked via Happyrail. For more information on Nightjet sleeper trains, including all available classes and amenities, please see our page What are Nightjet sleeper trains like?

Sleeper trains to Poland run under the Euronight brand. For more information and impressions of Euronight services please see Poland: what are Euronight trains like.

Westbahn (WB) express trains

Westbahn is a private competitor to Austrian state railways ÖBB and offer high-speed trains from Vienna to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bregenz, and Munich in Germany. All Westbahn tickets will be able to be booked via the Happyrail rail planner service from the end of 2024 onwards. Eurail passes are valid but only in standard and comfort classes.

Where ÖBB runs it's Railjet trains out of Vienna's main train station, Westbahn trains depart from the 'West' train station, which has slightly less good public transport connections into the city. Both trains offer similar competitive prices and similar journey times.

Westbahn runs with comfortable double-deck high-speed trains with three classes: standard, comfort and first. All classes feature free wifi and power sockets. No dining car is available, but there are small areas with a coffee machine and snack vending machine.

  • Second class features leather seats in a 2+2 configuration, some with tables, most airline-style.
  • Comfort class features the same seats but with slightly more legroom, and all with large tables.

  • First class features adjustable leather seats in a 2+1 configuration, some with tables, other airline-style.

  • The café area with coffee machine, snack vending machine, and seats with tables. Payment is via contactless card or cash.

Regiojet trains to Czech Republic and Hungary

Regiojet trains, not to be confused with Railjet trains, are privately operated trains competing with Railjet trains on Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest routes. The trains feature four comfortable travel classes and attractive pricing. Although there is no dedicated dining car like on Railjet, drinks are included for free in three of the four travel classes, and snacks and meals can be ordered via the trains' wifi portals and will be brought to your seats.

All Regiojet tickets can be bought via the Happyrail platform, so you can directly compare prices, and Eurail passes are valid as well (although a reservation is reccommended). For more information please see Czech Republic: what are Regiojet trains like.

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