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Interior of Budapest Keleti station, where most trains from Vienna arrive

The interior of Budapest Keleti, the 19th-century terminus where most Vienna trains arrive.

Photo: Bjoertvedt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Vienna to Budapest by Train

An international route between Austria and Hungary.

Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30

Duration: 2h 20m – 2h 50m
Price from: 9 EUR
Distance: 214 km
Operators: OBB RailjetMAV-START EuroCityRegioJet
Frequency: Roughly hourly Railjet/EuroCity departures, about 20-24 trains a day across all operators, plus one nightly Nightjet sleeper

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What makes Vienna to Budapest different

RegioJet, a private Czech open-access operator, only started running Vienna-Budapest trains in July 2020, breaking the OBB/MAV duopoly on this corridor with fares that regularly undercut the incumbents.
The line crosses into Hungary at Hegyeshalom, the border station between Bruck an der Leitha (Austria) and Gyor (Hungary); since both countries are in the Schengen Area there's no routine passport check, just occasional random ID spot-checks onboard.
One nightly OBB/MAV Nightjet sleeper also covers this route alongside the roughly hourly daytime Railjet/EuroCity service — an unusually short hop (2-3 hours by day) to still get an overnight sleeper option.

Vienna station

Departs from Wien Hauptbahnhof, south of Vienna's center in the Favoriten district, directly on the U1 subway line a few stops from Stephansplatz in the historic core — no airport-style security screening, board like any domestic train.

Budapest station

OBB Railjet and MAV EuroCity trains arrive at Budapest Keleti ('Eastern'), a 19th-century terminus with its own metro stop serving lines M2 and M4 — two stops on the M2 reaches Deak Ferenc ter, Budapest's main interchange; RegioJet trains instead arrive at Budapest-Deli, on the Buda side.

Train vs. other options

There is little scheduled commercial air service left between Vienna and Budapest given how short the hop is — city-center-to-city-center train time (around 2.5 hours, no airport transfer or security queue) beats flying for nearly everyone on this pair of cities; driving the ~214km covers similar time but without the option to work, sleep or walk around en route.

Booking tips

OBB Sparschiene and RegioJet advance fares (from about €9) sell out first — RegioJet opens sales months ahead and often undercuts OBB/MAV on short notice too.
Check which Budapest station is on your ticket: RegioJet terminates at Budapest-Deli, not Keleti where OBB Railjet and MAV EuroCity trains arrive.
Carry a passport or photo ID even though there's normally no border check — Austria and Hungary are both Schengen, but random ID spot-checks happen onboard.

Good to know: RegioJet's cheap fares (from about €9) end at Budapest-Deli station on the west side of the city, not Keleti where OBB Railjet and MAV EuroCity trains arrive — check which station is on your ticket before booking a hotel or onward transport.

While you're in Budapest

The Hungarian Parliament Building on the Danube in Budapest

The Hungarian Parliament Building on the Danube, one of Europe's largest legislative buildings.

Photo: Ank Kumar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Budapest's Parliament tours book out 1-3 weeks ahead in peak season, but the Szechenyi thermal baths and Fisherman's Bastion's free-before-9am terraces are easier wins — just budget in forints, since Hungary hasn't adopted the euro.

Full Budapest travel guide →

Frequently asked questions

How long is the train from Vienna to Budapest?

The fastest OBB Railjet trains take about 2 hours 20 minutes station-to-station. EuroCity and RegioJet services with a couple more stops take closer to 2 hours 40-50 minutes.

Do I need euros or forints for this trip?

Tickets between Vienna and Budapest are priced and sold in euros. But once you're in Hungary, pay everyday expenses in Hungarian Forint (HUF) — shops that accept euros directly usually apply a poor exchange rate.

Which train operators run Vienna to Budapest?

OBB (Railjet), MAV-START (EuroCity), and the private Czech operator RegioJet all run direct daytime trains, plus one nightly Nightjet sleeper — RegioJet only entered this route in 2020.