Wien Hauptbahnhof, the through-station where the daily EuroCity Emona from Ljubljana terminates.
Photo: Karl Gruber / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Ljubljana to Vienna by Train
An international route between Slovenia and Austria.
Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30
- Duration
- 5h 59m – 6h 02m
- Price from
- 20 EUR
- Distance
- 428 km
- Operators
- ÖBBSlovenske železnice (SŽ)
- Frequency
- One direct EuroCity train (the 'Emona') each way per day between Ljubljana and Wien Hauptbahnhof
Compare and book Ljubljana–Vienna tickets
Check pricesWhat makes Ljubljana to Vienna different
- The train's name, Emona, is the Roman name for Ljubljana (Colonia Iulia Aemona), founded around 14-15 AD - a fortified settlement of roughly 5,000-6,000 people that flourished as a Roman town until the first half of the 6th century.
- Between Graz and Vienna the Emona runs over the Semmering railway, opened in 1854 as one of the world's first mountain railways and UNESCO World Heritage-listed for its engineering - 16 viaducts and 15 tunnels across the pass between the Bruck an der Mur area and Wiener Neustadt.
- Since 2021 the Emona's international run doesn't end at Ljubljana - three ÖBB carriages continue on from Ljubljana to Trieste as EuroCity 134/135, making it effectively a single service linking three countries.
Ljubljana station
Departs from Ljubljana railway station, completed on 18 April 1848 - a year before the Austrian Southern Railway linking Vienna and Trieste even reached the city - and renovated in 1980 by architect Marko Mušič; the station building sits directly beside Ljubljana's bus station (Avtobusna postaja), making onward bus connections a same-building affair.
Vienna station
Arrives at Wien Hauptbahnhof, built as a through-station on the site of the old Südbahnhof - itself the historic Vienna terminus of that same 19th-century Austrian Southern Railway to Trieste that the Emona's own route echoes via Ljubljana and Maribor; the station sits directly on the U1 subway line a few stops from Stephansplatz in the historic core.
Train vs. other options
The rail route via Maribor, Graz and the Semmering pass is meaningfully longer than the roughly 280km straight-line distance between the two cities, which is part of why the Emona's run stretches to nearly 6 hours; a direct highway drive covers the distance faster on paper, but requires an Austrian motorway vignette and a Slovenian toll sticker for two different countries' roads, while the train drops you at a central station on both ends with a scenic pass over the Alps included.
Booking tips
- Book the Emona's 2nd-class advance fares (from around EUR 19.90) on ÖBB's or SŽ's own site as early as you can - it's a single daily departure each way, so the cheapest allotment sells out well before the day of travel.
- There's only one direct departure a day in each direction (Ljubljana 16:05 to Vienna 22:07; Vienna 07:58 to Ljubljana 14:00) - if that specific train doesn't fit your schedule, the alternative is changing trains via Graz or Villach rather than waiting for a later direct service.
- The Emona's restaurant car is run by Slovenian Railways and is cash-only - worth knowing if you're planning to eat on board during the roughly 6-hour trip.
Good to know: With just one direct daily departure each way, the Emona is a single point of failure for a same-day Ljubljana-Vienna trip - miss the 16:05 out of Ljubljana (or 07:58 out of Vienna) and the fallback is a change via Graz or Villach, not a later direct train.
While you're in Vienna
Schonbrunn Palace, the Habsburgs' baroque summer residence.
Photo: Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Vienna's grand Ringstrasse boulevard, Habsburg palaces and centuries-old coffeehouses (where nobody rushes you out after one cup, by design) make it one of Europe's most purpose-built capitals for slow travel.
Full Vienna travel guide →Frequently asked questions
How long does the train from Ljubljana to Vienna take?
The single daily direct EuroCity Emona takes about 5h59m to 6h02m depending on direction.
How many direct trains run between Ljubljana and Vienna?
Just one per day in each direction, the EuroCity Emona. Other combinations require a change, typically via Graz or Villach.
Which Vienna station does the train from Ljubljana arrive at?
Wien Hauptbahnhof, which sits directly on the U1 subway line a few stops from Stephansplatz in the historic core.