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Vienna to Prague from €14.90
Modern air-conditioned railjet trains link Vienna Hbf with Prague Hlavni every 2 hours, centre to centre in 4 hours with free WiFi & draught beer on tap. As fast as flying, but much cheaper and more enjoyable, and vastly superior to a long-distance bus. The railjets are run jointly by CD (Czech Railways) & ÖBB (Austrian Railways).
In addition, competing private open-access operator RegioJet runs up to 4 trains a day with fares from €14.
Should you choose a railjet or
RegioJet?
Option 1, by
railjet with CD & ÖBB
What are the railjet trains like?
What are the RegioJet trains like?
Option 3, by regional express train (REX)
Train times southbound 2025
Train times northbound 2025
Always check times at www.cd.cz or www.thetrainline.com or (for RegioJet) www.regiojet.com. The slower regional (REX) trains are not shown here.
Vienna to Prague is 402 km or 250 miles by train on the usual route through Česká Třebová.
Should you choose Railjet or RegioJet?
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Two competing train services link Prague & Vienna
Czech Railways (CD) & Austrian Railways (ÖBB) jointly run the railjet trains on this route, and private operator RegioJet runs competing trains.
Railjet is the brand name used by CD/ÖBB for their premier train type. RegioJet is the name of the competing open access operator. They sound similar and 'RJ' is often used in front of the train number for both train types, so don't get confused!
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Which is better, Railjet or RegioJet?
Frequency & speed: The CD/ÖBB railjets are more frequent, 7 per day versus RegioJet's 4. Journey time is similar.
Price: Both operators offer cheap fares if you book in advance, and children under 15 go free on the ÖBB/CD railjets if you book with the Austrians. However, RegioJet's cheap fares don't increase much as departure date approaches as ÖBB/CD's fares do. If you need to buy a ticket on the day or the day before, RegioJet will usually be cheaper. Advantage, RegioJet.
Comfort: Both operators offer air-conditioning, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. The CD/ÖBB railjets are the swisher, more modern trains, advantage ÖBB/CD. RegioJet uses older cars mostly bought second-hand from ÖBB, but these offer spacious old-school comfort.
Seat reservation: RegioJet tickets include a reserved seat, on the CD/ÖBB railjets am optional seat reservation costs €3, a point to RegioJet.
Catering: The CD/ÖBB railjets have a restaurant car with draught beer on tap. The menu includes hot dishes, making CD/ÖBB better if you want a cooked meal. In 1st & business class a steward takes your restaurant order and serves it at your seat (paid for, not complimentary). On RegioJet there's no restaurant car, but attentive at-seat service of food & drink in all classes except Low cost, at prices significantly cheaper than ÖBB/CD. The RegioJet menu even includes sushi, and you get complimentary Italian Illy coffee & bottled water in all classes except Low cost.
Summary: Both train services are excellent, there's no obvious winner here except you, the passenger. I'm a fan of the ÖBB/CD railjets, I'm a fan of the RegioJet trains. Whichever operator you pick, you won't be disappointed!
Route map
Option 1, by CD & ÖBB railjet
This is the principal train service, run jointly by Czech & Austrian national train operators CD & ÖBB using their premier railjet trains.
How much does it cost?
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Advance-purchase fares
Advance-purchase fares start at €14.90 in 2nd class, €29.90 in 1st class or €44.90 in business class.
These Sparschiene fares (the Austrian name for them) or First Minute fares (the Czech name for them) are only good for the specific train you book, no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Prices vary, limited availability at each price level, they sell out close to departure, but are usually available even a few days in advance. If you want the cheapest price and are happy to commit to a specific train, this is what you want.
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Full-price flexible fare
This costs €84.80 if you buy from Austrian Railways ÖBB or only €55 (around 1406 CZK) for the same ticket bought from Czech Railways.
If you want to stay flexible and/or buy a ticket on the day, this is what you pay, good for any train that day. Unlimited availability, can't sell out.
As you can see, even if you were at the station in Vienna it'd be cheaper to get your phone out and buy online from www.cd.cz for €55 than buy a Standardpreis ticket from ÖBB for €84! Don't ask me why! If you want tickets on the day, you'll find RegioJet significantly cheaper.
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Children under 6 travel free, no ticket necessary.
Children under 15 travel free if you book at www.thetrainline.com or www.oebb.at and add them to an adult booking a Sparschiene fare. Children under 15 get a 50% reduction on flexible Standardpreis fares. If you buy at www.cd.cz there's no child discount on First Minute fares, so it's usually cheaper to use thetrainline or oebb if you have kids.
How to buy tickets
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Buy tickets for the CD/ÖBB railjets at www.thetrainline.com or www.cd.cz.
Booking opens up to 6 months ahead at www.thetrainline.com, only 90 days ahead at www.cd.cz. Booking opens much less than this for dates after the mid-December timetable change. You can book in either direction at either site, they sell the same trains.
www.thetrainline.com is easiest to use, it connects to the ÖBB (Austrian Railways) ticketing system, overseas credit cards no problem. For business class, select 1st class then the business class upgrade. You print your own ticket.
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www.cd.cz is the CD (Czech Railways) website, change the Czech flag to the UK flag at top right for English. You to print your own ticket.
You can also book at the ÖBB (Austrian Railways) website www.oebb.at, same price as www.thetrainline.com but it may allow specific seat selection.
Tip 1: The Austrian & Czech ticketing systems sell tickets for the same trains, but they control price levels separately so one can be cheaper than the other for a given date & train. So check both www.thetrainline.com & www.cd.cz and buy from whichever is cheaper.
Tip 2: Choose a direct railjet train marked No transfers (RJ), don't choose the alternate-hour departures marked 1 x Transfer at Breclav EC/EC as these involve a tight change of train at Breclav which is more trouble than it's worth.
Tip 3: Reserving a seat is optional for a small extra fee, €3 per seat. If you choose not to add a seat reservation you can sit in any unreserved empty seat. Reserving a seat is a good idea in summer or on Friday & Sunday afternoons, at any time in 1st class or if you are a group of people. You can add a reservation during the booking process at www.thetrainline.com or www.cd.cz. You can make a reservation-only booking to go with an existing ticket or railpass at www.cd.cz, by changing Purchase a ticket to Purchase reservations only under the train you want in the search results. See travel tips below.
Tip 4: Only one lead passenger name is necessary to support a print-at-home ticket on cd.cz, even if that ticket is for two or more people.
Tip 5: You print your own ticket on A4 paper, but U.S. Letter size is fine. Or simply show it on your phone, iPad or laptop.
What are the railjets like?
The Prague-Vienna train service is operated jointly by Czech Railways (CD) & Austrian Railways (ÖBB). Most departures are operated by blue Czech Railways railjet trains as shown below, some are operated by red Austrian Railways railjet trains as shown on the Austrian railjet page - I explain how to check whether your departure will be Czech or Austrian railjet in the travel tips section. Railjets are capable of 230 km/h (143 mph), but they don't exceed 160 km/h (100 mph) in the Czech Republic. They're push-pull trains, which means they have a powerful electric locomotive at one end and a driving cab at the other, so they can go in either direction. See virtual tour inside a Czech Railways railjet.
A blue Czech Railjet train from Prague to Vienna, boarding at Prague Hlavni.
Travel tips
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The restaurant car has draught beer on tap! |
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There are luggage racks in several locations within each car - plenty of room for large suitcases, accessible throughout the journey. |
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On-board TV screens tell you the train number, car number, destination, calling points and even the speed of the train. |
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Will my train be a blue Czech railjet or red Austrian one?
You can check the train formation at www.vagonweb.cz, which will also show you whether your departure is scheduled to be a blue Czech CD railjet or a red Austrian ÖBB railjet. Change cs to en upper left, then click Train formations, scroll down to either Czech Republic or Austria and select RJ for railjet.
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Seat maps
Click for railjet seat maps. You'll need to check whether it's a Czech or Austrian railjet. The business class car is usually at the Prague end of the train, economy class at the Vienna end. You can then work out which seats face forwards.
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Which class should you choose?
Economy (2nd class) is absolutely fine, no need to go 1st class unless you don't mind the extra cost. But see what prices you get because 1st class might not cost much more. 2nd class seats are 2+2 across the car width, mostly unidirectional but with a few tables-for-4 which are ideal for families. There's usually a refreshment trolley, or you can visit the restaurant car.
First class gets you more leg and elbow room, with leather seats 2+1 across the car width rather than 2+2 as in economy. So on one side of the aisle you'll find solo seats which are ideal if you're travelling alone, and a few face-to-face tables-for-2 which are ideal for couples. Food & drink are not included, but orders are taken at your seat and the food is brought to you, so no need to visit the restaurant car.
Business class is the premium class. On the Czech railjets it consists of just 6 luxurious fully-adjustable leather cradle seats in a small area at one end of the train, arranged 1+1 across the car width. Austrian railjets have 16 similar leather cradle seats in several semi-compartments, see the Austrian railjet page. For business class you pay a €15 reservation fee on top of any 1st class ticket or railpass. You get a complimentary welcome drink - for example sparking wine - and a small snack. Food is not included, but food orders from the restaurant car menu are taken by the steward and delivered to your seat. Business class is an extravagance, but a treat.
The train is all non-smoking and there are wheelchair spaces, baby-changing facilities & accessible toilets.
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Seat reservation is optional
If you choose not to add a reserved seat when you book, you simply sit in any empty unreserved seat - a small electronic display above each seat tells you whether that seat is reserved or free. If you want a reserved seat you can add one when you book for a small extra charge, around €3.
I strongly recommend adding a seat reservation if travelling first class as there are relatively few 1st class seats on the blue Czech railjets. Business class always comes with a reserved seat, just as well as there are only 6 seats on the train. I also strongly recommend reserving a seat in economy (2nd) class on a Friday or Sunday afternoon/evening, or at busy times of year such as Easter, Christmas, July & August. Or if there's several of you and you want to be sure of seats together. On the other hand, if travelling solo mid-week in February, I wouldn't bother.
You can choose an exact seat from a seat map if you use the Czech site cd.cz to book a departure from Prague or the Austrian site oebb.at to book a departure from Vienna. You'll only get basic seat options such as aisle or window if you book a departure from Vienna at the Czech site or a departure from Prague at the Austrian site.
If you already have a ticket or railpass and want to make a seat reservation, you can make a reservation-only booking for this route in either direction at the Czech Railways site www.cd.cz by changing Purchase a ticket to Purchase reservations only under the train you want in the search results. It doesn't matter how or where you bought your ticket. If you have a 1st class ticket or 1st class railpass you can upgrade to business class by making a business class reservation in this way.
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Luggage
You can take pretty much anything you like as long as you can carry it or pull it behind you. Nobody will weigh or measure it. You take it with you onto the train, there's plenty of luggage space in both classes, the racks above your seat take anything up to backpack-size, there are racks for larger suitcases at the car ends and in amongst the seats. More about luggage on European trains.
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First class lounges in Vienna & Prague
First class passengers can use the excellent ÖBB lounge at Vienna Hbf with complimentary tea, coffee, juice, snacks & WiFi. There is a far more basic Czech Railways CD lounge at Prague Hlavni, but so underwhelming I suggest waiting in the excellent Fantova Kavárna cafe upstairs in the historic station building off platform 1 instead, or the new upmarket Foyer Cafe also in the old historic station building off platform 1.
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Boarding your train
As with almost all European trains, there's no check-in. Just stroll into the station, find your train and get on, any time before it leaves. The doors may close a minute before departure. See the Prague Hlavni station guide.
Tip: In Prague, departure screens may show your train as going to Graz as most Prague-Vienna trains continue to Graz. Remember that Vienna is Wien in German. In Vienna, remember that Prague is Praha in Czech.
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WiFi. power sockets & toilets
Czech & Austrian Railjets have free WiFi in all classes. There are power sockets at all seats in all classes. Each car has at least one toilet, and there are accessible toilets & toilets with baby-changing facilities too.
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Bicycles
Bicycles can be taken on railjets, but bike spaces are limited and must be booked in advance at the station.
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Children
There's a small children's play area with a TV showing cartoons at one end of car 21 on both Austrian and Czech railjets.
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Watch the video
The video in the RegioJet section below shows a competing RegioJet train, but the stations, route & scenery are the same whichever operator you choose, so it may still give you a good idea of what the journey is like.
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Map of Vienna showing Vienna Hbf - Map of Prague showing Prague Hlavni station.
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Suggested hotels near the station or in the old town in Prague.
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The restaurant car has draught beer on tap! |
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There are luggage racks in several locations within each car - plenty of room for large suitcases, accessible throughout the journey. |
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On-board TV screens tell you the train number, car number, destination, calling points and even the speed of the train. |
Option 2, by RegioJet
Who are RegioJet?
RegioJet is a private Czech travel company, part of Student Agency which also operates bus services to, from and within the Czech Republic. Under EU law, any company with the necessary licences can now operate international train services in competition with the national operators. The Czech government opened up domestic Czech routes to competition some years ago and RegioJet has been running trains within the Czech Republic & Slovakia since 2009. RegioJet's Prague-Vienna service started in December 2017. They run comfortable trains with great on-board service. Watch the RegioJet video.
How much does it cost?
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From €14.90 in Low cost, €19.90 in Standard, €22.90 in Relax and €23.90 in Business.
These prices increase only slightly as departure approaches or on busy dates or trains, making RegioJet inexpensive even at short notice.
Tickets are only good for the specific train you book, but are refundable and can be cancelled or changed in their app up to 15 minutes before departure. Cheap and flexible!
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Children under 6 go free, children under 15 pay the child rate.
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If you have an ISIC student card you get a 10% discount in Standard & Relax classes on RegioJet trains, but not in Business class.
How to buy tickets
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Buy tickets for RegioJet trains at www.regiojet.com.
Booking opens several months out, but there's no need to book more than a few weeks ahead, days ahead is fine, in fact there are almost always seats available at cheap fares even on the day of travel.
All tickets come with a reserved seat, you can select from a seat map when booking at www.regiojet.com. So in theory tickets can sell out, in practice you'd be very unlucky not to find places available on the day, you can buy in their app up to 15 minutes before departure.
You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop, tablet or phone.
You probably won't need to show it: There's no check-in, no ticket check, just free & open access from street to train, board up to 1 minute before departure. Once on board, conductors have a seat map on their tablets and know which seats are paid for, so don't need to disturb you.
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At Prague Hlavni, RegioJet (Student Agency) has its own ticket office at the main entrance level.
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Interrail & Eurail passes are now valid on RegioJet, €3 reservation fee in Standard, €5 in Relax, or (with a 1st class pass) €10 in Business.
What are RegioJet trains like?
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RegioJet trains have 4 classes: Low cost, Standard, Relax & Business. All tickets include a specific reserved seat.
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Low cost class
Low cost has basic air-conditioned seating and that's about all. It's comfortable enough, but unlike the other 3 classes there is no free water or free coffee, in fact there is no catering of any sort even if you're prepared to pay for it, so bring your own food & drink.
The Man in Seat 61 says: Low cost is fine for short hops, but for longer journeys such as Prague to Vienna I recommend paying a fraction more to travel in standard class - the free water & coffee in standard class justifies the extra few euros on its own!
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Standard class
Standard class comes in two forms, regular and Astra. Regular standard class consists of seats in comfortable classic 6-seater compartments in former Austrian Railways intercity cars, with power sockets, but usually no WiFi, see 360ş photo.
Standard class Astra consists of open-plan seating in a positively glitzy open-plan car with leather seats, drop-down tables, power sockets, free WiFi and seat-back entertainment touch screens, see 360ş photo. Seats in the Astra coach are arranged 2+2 across the car width. Incidentally, Astra is the name of the Romanian rolling stock manufacturer who modernised these cars.
In both types of standard class you get complimentary Italian Illy coffee (Espresso, Lungo, Latte Macchiato, Cappuccino) & bottled water, newspapers and magazines. You can order wine, beer, snacks and even sushi at remarkably cheap prices from the staff. If you have kids, you can book seats in the children's compartment.
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Relax class
Relax class offers leather seats in a spacious 1st class arrangement 2+1 across the car width, carpeted and air-conditioned with free WiFi and power sockets at each seat. They're usually former Austrian Railways intercity cars. There is complimentary Italian Illy coffee (Espresso, Lungo, Latte Macchiato, Cappuccino), mint tea & bottled water, newspapers and magazines. You can order wine, beer, snacks and even sushi at remarkably cheap prices from the staff. One carriage attendant serves every two cars. See 360° photo.
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Business class
In Business class you get leather seats in classic compartments, but with only 4 seats per compartment. These are usually former Austrian Railways intercity cars, carpeted and air-conditioned with free WiFi and power sockets at each seat. There is complimentary Italian Illy coffee (Espresso, Lungo, Latte Macchiato, Cappuccino), Oxalis or mint tea, sparkling wine, orange juice & bottled water, newspapers and magazines. You can order wine, beer, snacks and even sushi at remarkably cheap prices from the staff. One carriage attendant serves every two cars. See 360° photo.
The Man in Seat 61 says, "I had a 4-seat business class compartment to myself on what was otherwise a very busy train. Staff were friendly and regularly popped their head around the door to ask if I needed anything from the menu. The complimentary Illy coffee was of course excellent (I'm a fan of Illy coffee) as was the complimentary Czech sparkling wine. Lunch was a tasty sushi set for only €3. Sushi on a train, who thought of that? genius! A great journey, I can easily recommend RegioJet!"
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You can see each train's composition at www.vagonweb.cz - select the UK flag for English, click composition & look for RJ (= RegioJet).
A RegioJet train to Prague about to leave Vienna Hbf.
RegioJet train to Vienna, at Prague Hlavni.
Video: Vienna to Prague by RegioJet
Option 3, by regional express (REX)
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Why use this route?
Direct regional trains run twice a day between Vienna Franz-Josefs Bahnhof & Prague Hlavni via Gmünd & Tabor.
This is a secondary route taking 5h10 with 2 trains a day and no catering. The railjets take only 4h, run every 2 hours and have food service.
But maybe you've done the mainline route and feel like a change. Although these trains are classed as 'regional', in reality they're express trains with comfortable air-conditioned mainline carriages with power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. And they can have cheaper fares, too!
You can see the route through Gmünd, Třeboň & Tabor on the route map above. This is the Emperor Franz Josefs Railway, completed in 1871 and once an express route. Indeed, the famous Vienna-Prague-Berlin Vindobona ran this way from its introduction in 1957 until the 1970s. However, the route through Brno was upgraded and electrified, becoming today's main line. The Gmünd/Tabor route was relegated to secondary status, and parts are still single-track and unelectrified. When these new regional trains were introduced in December 2022, the Gmünd/Tabor route had not seen direct Vienna-Prague trains for many years.
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Train times
Trains leave Vienna Franz-Josefs Bahnhof for Prague Hlavni at 09:00 & 15:00 weekdays, 08:56 & 14:56 weekends, journey time 5h10.
Trains leave Prague Hlavni for Vienna Franz-Josefs Bahnhof is at 07:46 & 17:46 every day, journey time 5h08.
You can check times at www.cd.cz: Specify Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof as the Vienna station, click More options, Connection parameters, then Connections, then tick Direct connections only. Train numbers R323 & R325 southbound from Prague, R324 & R326 northbound from Vienna.
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How much does it cost?
Advance-purchase fares start at €14.30 each way, specified departure only, limited or no refunds.
These First Minute fares (the Czech term) or Sparschiene fares (the Austrian term) vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Standard price is €64 bought from Czech Railways or €73.30 bought from Austrian Railways, good for any departure, unlimited availability.
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How to buy tickets
Buy from Czech Railways at www.cd.cz in either direction.
Booking opens 60 days ahead. Seat reservation is optional for €3 extra with seat selection from a seat map.
You can also buy from Austrian Railways at www.oebb.at but may cost more. Reservation neither necessary nor possible, you sit where you like.
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What are the trains like?
Although classed as regional, these trains use high-quality air-conditioned Czech Railways mainline carriages with power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, similar to those used on CD's EuroCity trains. In other words, classy and comfortable trains, regional by name, express by nature.
However, there's no catering, so bring your own food & drink. Bikes are conveyed, reservation required. Some seats are open-plan, some in classic 6-seat compartments.
As far as the Austrians are concerned this is a regional train with seat reservation not possible, you sit where you like. However, if you buy at Czech Railways www.cd.cz you can add a reserved seat for an extra €3 if you like, with seat selection from a seat map.
Tip: You can check the train formation with photos, carriage facilities & seat maps at www.vagonweb.cz - select en for English at upper left. Click Train formations, then search for trains 323, 324, 325 or 326, all named Silva Nortica.
1st class? These trains are technically 2nd class only within Austria. However, each train includes one air-conditioned Czech 1st class car with comfortable carpeted 6-seat compartments. It's declassified between Vienna & Ceské Velenice so you can sit in it with a 2nd class ticket on this section. If you want to go 1st class all the way, use Czech Railways www.cd.cz to buy a 1st class ticket between Prague & Ceské Velenice, then use www.cd.cz again to buy a 2nd class ticket between Ceské Velenice & Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof, ensuring both tickets are for the same train.
Air-conditioned Czech carriages of the sort used on the slow trains between Prague & Vienna.
Some cars have open-plan seating (above left), others have a side corridor and classic 6-seat compartments (above right).