How To Best Travel From Vienna To Budapest?

Published On : 04 Sep 2024

Vienna is the capital of Austria and Budapest is the capital of Hungary – both are amongst the most beautiful and history rich cities of Europe. They are quite near to each other with Budapest being some 200 miles or so from Vienna making it quite possible to move from Vienna to Budapest. Both are cities to behold with fascinating architectural designs, art installations in the museums and galleries, beautiful nightlife, good cafes, delicious food, and more.

If you would like to visit both Vienna and Budapest, another great thing is that there are actually several affordable and convenient ways to travel between Vienna and Budapest. This blog post will outline the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods of transport to enable you to decide on how to get from one marvelous city to the other marvelous city.

Train

Thus, in most cases, taking the train is the quickest, most comfortable, and, of course, the least detrimental way of getting to Budapest directly from Vienna. The train stations in both cities are well situated in the downtown area, and there are frequent direct services with the travel time of approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes.

The Vienna-Budapest rail line is provided by Austrian Federal Railways (OBB) and Hungarian State Railways (MAV). Services operate about every 2 hours during the day. When booking online and in advance, the prices for one-way tickets are about €16-25 for the second class and €26-36 for the first class. First class or a private cabin is advisable when traveling for long distances such as from Austria to Hungary since you get more space and comfort.

The advantages of travelling by train from Vienna to Budapest are the beautiful views of the countryside, the trains depart in the city centre, so no airport hassle or delays, and travelling by train takes almost the same time as driving a car. You also do not have to look for an available parking space and pay for parking at either end. It is rational to take the train because one can chill, catch some views, or accomplish some tasks.

Car

Rent a car and drive between Vienna and Budapest is another highly recommended, especially if you want to be more free on the road or have a more extensive tour of Austria and Hungary. The recommended route is along the A4 autobahn when in Austria and M1/M15 motorways once you cross into Hungary. Even if you are traveling out of large cities, it will take less than 3 hours of door-to-door time if you drive straight through without breaks.

There are no special formalities at borders as both countries are members of the Schengen States of the European Union. However, always ensure that you have valid registration documents of the car as well as an insurance policy that is recognized in Hungary. The price of gasoline is a bit lower than Austria as soon as you cross the border into Hungary. It is mandatory to use toll stickers on Hungarian motorways, so, stop to buy and then put it before you continue onto motorways when you are arriving from a foreign country.

Driving provides the ability to tour off the path – one can consider visiting small towns such as Mosonmagyaróvár or Győr in Hungary. A drawback is that fuel and parking cost a lot of money in large metropolitan areas. Nevertheless, it is convenient to have your own car if Vienna or Budapest are only part of a larger Central Europe car-touring plan.

Bus

Express coaches are cheaper than taking your own car or train. There are direct Vienna to Budapest buses offered by FlixBus, Eurolines, Blaguss that last for 3.5 – 4 hours. It is easy to find a pickup point at the central bus terminals of each city.

If you want to maximize comfort and view, sit closer to the front of the buses. Coaches are equipped with toilet facilities on board as well as free wireless Internet connection. However, please be advised that taking the bus can take a relatively longer time than we imagine. They also are likely to be scheduled at less convenient very early morning or late at night compared to train operation times.

However, given that the distance between Vienna and Budapest is approximately 200 kilometers, one-way bus fares range from € 10-20 per head making the coach affordable for students and travelers on a tight budget who would prefer making the international trip over land. As services and amenities are not as elaborate as trains, it may be advisable to pack food and drinks, as well as entertainment for the journey.

Plane

If you are strapped for time and want to know the quickest way to travel from Vienna to Budapest, then by air is the best option. The distance is an hour’s flight which is offered by nonstop airlines and the main flight time is about 50 minutes. Public airports of both Vienna and Budapest which include the VIE and BUD respectively accommodate both low-cost and full-service legacy flight operators.

Generally, one way tickets on this route can cost anywhere between €40-€60 per passenger with airlines such as Ryan air, Wizz Air and Austrian Airlines if booked online in advance. It is not possible to emphasize how short flight distances are, even LCCs provide passengers with at least beverages and snacks on board.

Take into consideration that travelling to/from the airports does take time – it takes 16 minutes to get from Vienna’s airport by public transport; it will take about 30-45 minutes to get from Budapest’s airport to the downtown, depending on the type of transport selected. Clearing through security checkpoints and waiting for boarding also creates a waiting time for such a short point-to-point flight. However, there are people who might consider flying because it takes slightly longer in total, but they do not get seasick or are experienced travelers.

Danube River Boat

Finally, for a leisurely way of viewing the attractions, you could take a passenger boat from Vienna to Budapest via the magnificent Danube River. This is clearly not the quickest way of getting from one place to another, but it is an exciting mode of transport.

The Vienna to Budapest river cruises last for about 7-10 days with many planned activities and shore excursions at such cities as Bratislava and Esztergom. However, Twin City Liner and Mahart PassNave offers high-speed catamaran boats from April to October, and they cover the entire distance within Vienna and Budapest without any stopover in approximately six and half an hour only.

It goes without saying that such cruises are rather costly, however, tickets for Vienna-Budapest catamaran cost about €100 per person per one way. Onboard, the views are stunning and passengers are able to enjoy the Danube panoramas from the open upper deck while catering, bar and restaurant are located on the lower deck. Crossing between these two beautiful riverside cities is pure stereotypical European cruising.

Summary

Because of this, when thinking of how to get from Vienna to Budapest, take into account the cost, time, level of freedom and comfort that each mode of transport offers including trains, buses, self-driven car, flights and river boats.

Without a doubt, no matter which Vienna to Budapest transportation you choose, you will have a wonderful time connecting two of the most remarkable capital cities in Central Europe. Both destinations offer an incredible amount of culture, food, architecture, and history, so both deserve a few days to explore all of the must-see attractions. Happy and safe travels!