Prague and Vienna, along with Budapest, are known as the pearls of the Danube. If you are in Prague and want to travel to Vienna to continue visiting these impressive European capitals, you have several different ways to travel between the cities. Let’s check, how to get from Prague to Vienna, Austria.
The distance between Prague and Vienna is pretty short and the length of the route ranges between 250 and 330 kilometers, depending on the route and the type of transportation chosen. For this reason, many people take advantage of visiting both cities on the same trip.
Those who prefer to use public transportation to move between places in the city will find our Ultimate Guide to Prague Transportation really helpful.
This guide to traveling from Prague to Vienna will help you make the transfer between these two capitals of central Europe easy while choosing the most suitable way.
Train from Prague to Vienna
Traveling by train from Prague to Vienna can be one of the best transportation options for getting between these two cities as it is the most comfortable and fastest way. Every day, there are numerous train connections, direct or with a change in Breclav (town on the Czech-Slovak-Austrian border).
Trains from the companies OBB Railjet (recommended), Regiojet and Ceske Drahy depart from Prague to Vienna approximately every two hours from early morning to around 19:00. The journey by train between Prague and Vienna takes just under 4 hours.
The train route connects the two central stations in the capital cities of the Czech Republic and Austria. In Prague, the train leaves from Prague Hlavni Nadrazi (Prague’s Main Train Station) and arrives at Wien Hauptbahnhof or Vienna Central Station, whose building has been recently renovated.
The train stations in both Prague and Vienna are located in the city center, offering good public transport connections to almost everywhere. To get to Prague Main Train Station, located not far from the Old Town, you have to take the metro line C or the tram No. 9, 5 and 26, while Vienna Central Station is connected to the metro line 1 (U-Bahn) that goes through the city center.
Train is an affordable way to travel from Prague to Vienna as the price of train tickets starts at 15 Euro and it can be cheaper when booking your tickets few days in advance. If you will decide to travel from Prague to Vienna by train at the last minute, the trip will cost you 25-30 Euro. You can buy tickets at the train station or on the website of Czech Railways or Austrian Railways. However, be careful and choose a direct train, as options with transfers also appear in the search engine. You can also book train tickets online here:
If you make the journey backwards from Vienna to Prague, expect the departure times and ticket prices to be similar.
Bus from Prague to Vienna
Taking a bus from Prague to Vienna is another cheap option for traveling between these two cities. The trip by bus takes about 4 hours.
There are numerous connections between Prague and Vienna during the day. Some buses make a short stop in the Czech city of Brno. For experiencing the most comfortable trip, we would suggest going with Eurolines, RegioJet or Flixbus, which offer complimentary drinks, free Wi-Fi, and on-board entertainment service that will keep you busy during the trip. These bus companies also operate with higher frequency from 4:55 to 20:00 and also have several early-morning departures.
In Prague, buses to Vienna leave hourly from Florenc Bus Station, located on the red metro line C ("Florenc" station), about a 10-minute walk from the main train station. In Vienna, the main bus station is located on Erdbergstrasse, a little far from the center but next to the orange metro line U3 (station "Erdberg").
The price of bus tickets is similar to the train, since it normally varies between 15 and 25 Euro. Tickets can be purchased at a lower price when booking them several weeks in advance.
Flights from Prague to Vienna
Even if the capital cities of the Czech Republic and Austria are so close to each other, there are several direct flights from Prague to Vienna a day, operated by Austrian Airlines.
There are five direct flights between the cities each day. Flights from Vaclav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) to Vienna depart around 8:00, 11:00, 15:00, 19:00 and 21:00, while flights from Vienna International Airport (VIE) to Prague depart at around 7:00, 10:00, 13:00, 17:00 and 20:00.
The flight from Prague to Vienna only takes 50 minutes so it may seem like a very quick way to travel between the cities. However, with transfers to and from the airport and the time you spend at the airport, expect the travel time to be at least 4 hours in total.
If you will be booking tickets in advance, the flight from Prague to Vienna can cost around 80-100 Euro each way. Flight tickets between Prague and Vienna can be booked here:
There are several ways for getting from the city center to Prague Airport. To make your departure from Prague a little easier, we have provided the details of all means of Transportation from Prague Airport to City Center.
Tour from Prague to Vienna
One of the best excursions from Prague is the one that takes you to Vienna in Austria. Vienna is the closest country capital to Prague.
This Austrian city is graceful and elegant, as it has been one of the most important places in Europe since the Middle Ages. Vienna, situated on the Danube River, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001. The city’s highlights include Hofburg Palace (originally the seat of the noble Habsburg family), the Opera House, the City Hall-Rathaus, the Austrian Parliament, the Museum Quarter, the Albertina, the Palace Garden, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
You can discover Vienna’s top highlights in just one day on a trip from Prague to Vienna. After roughly 4 hours on the road, you will arrive in the capital of Austria and begin to explore the romantic city of Vienna while admiring its Gothic and Baroque architecture.
Private transfer from Prague to Vienna
Private transfer from Prague to Vienna is another convenient option for getting between cities. If you are looking for a comfortable trip and don't want to be dependent on schedules, you can book a private transfer and you won’t need to go to the airport or train station. The price of the entire car is around 250-300 Euro for the door-to-door service. It is not the cheapest option, but when traveling with a group of 2-4 people it is not that bad either. You can also plan the trip according to your needs.
Tips
Before even booking transport tickets between these two beautiful cities, we would advise you to look for accommodation that would have a good connection with different departure/arrival stations and the most important points of interest in each city.
Our recommended accommodations in Prague and Vienna can be found here:
Prague is one of the richest cities in Central Europe in terms of places to visit and the most important of them can be found in our Prague Attractions List.
After visiting Prague, you are ready to see other cities in the Czech Republic and the best way to do that is by making a day trip from Prague to the places such as Karlovy Vary, Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora.