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Busse? Nein Danke!Train tickets from €19 Go 1st class from €39
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Salzburg to Prague by train from €23.70
Comfortable trains link Salzburg & Prague in 5h28 every day, centre to centre with one easy change at Linz. Unlike a long-distance bus, the trains give you room to stand up and move, there are full-size toilets, power sockets, free WiFi, and you're free to bring your own picnic, beer or bottle of wine as the lovely Austrian & Czech countryside rolls by.
Travel tips: Luggage, bikes, choosing your seat
Alternative using Westbahn & Regiojet
Trains from Salzburg
to other European cities
Trains from Prague to other
European cities
Trains between other European cities
Train times 2025
The fastest, cheapest & most direct option is via Linz as shown below, with the train service significantly upgraded in recent years.
How to read this timetable: Each column is a journey you can take. Read each column downwards.
EC = Czech EuroCity train with bistro car & free WiFi.
Railjet = Austrian railjet train with economy, first & business class, free WiFi, restaurant car.
Changing trains at Linz is easy, you just step off one train, walk to another train and step on.
In the Salzburg to Prague direction, the railjet usually arrives at platform 7, nip down the escalators & through the subway to platform 1 for the train to Prague.
In the Prague to Salzburg direction, the EuroCity from Prague usually arrives on platform 1, nip through the subway to platform 6 for the Railjet to Salzburg.
On a through ticket you are entitled to later onward travel at no charge in the event of a missed connection, so no worries!
How much does it cost?
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Advance-purchase fares start at €23.70 in 2nd class and €42.50 in 1st class.
Sparschiene fares (the Austrian name) & First Minute fares (the Czech name) vary in price like air fares, so book ahead. They're only good for the specific trains you book, no refunds, no changes.
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The full-flex fare is around €90 in 2nd class.
This Standardpreis is good for any train, unlimited availability, can't sell out. This is what you'd pay on the day.
How to buy tickets
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Option 1, buy tickets at www.thetrainline.com.
This connects to the Austrian ticketing system, booking opens 6 months ahead. Easy to use, in €, Ł or $, small booking fee. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
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Option 2, buy tickets on the Czech Railways website www.cd.cz, see tips for using cd.cz.
This connects to the Czech ticketing system, booking opens 60 days ahead. It's worth checking Thetrainline and cd.cz as one can be cheaper than the other for the same train. Only one passenger name is needed to support a ticket even if it covers several passengers. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Tip 1, how to make sense of the search results...
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In the search results, you'll see many more departures than just the ones above. Here's how to make sense of them:
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Option A, journeys with 1 transfer in Linz as shown above, involving a railjet (RJ) train between Salzburg & Linz and a Czech EuroCity (EC) train between Linz & Prague. This is the fastest, cheapest, most geographically direct route. Recommended.
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Option B, journeys with 2 transfers, in Linz & Ceské Budejovice. This is the same route as Option A, but with an extra change of train at Ceské Budejovice - formerly Budweis in German, where the name of the beer comes from! Obviously, taking one of the 1-transfer options shown above would be simpler, but by all means take one of these 2-transfer departures if the timings suit you better. Changing trains only means stepping off one train and stepping onto another.
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Option C, journeys with 1 transfer in Vienna, usually marked RJ, RJ = Railjet then railjet. This is a longer way round, all the way east to Vienna, then north west to Prague, but the Salzburg-Vienna railjet trains & Vienna-Prague railjet trains are faster then the Linz-Prague trains on the direct route so it only takes 40 minutes longer, doesn't cost much more, it's an easy same-station change in Vienna and of course you're then making the entire journey on smart modern railjet trains with free WiFi, a proper restaurant car, at-seat service in 1st class, and the option of deluxe business class. So by all means choose this option instead if you like. One more tip, the system sometimes suggests connections in Vienna as tight as 4 minutes. I'd allow at least 20 minutes between trains in Vienna, by specifying a minimum 20 minute connection, you'll find the ability to change transfer times by clicking the More options link on the cd.cz journey planner.
Tip 2, stopover in Linz, Vienna or Ceský Krumlov?
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If you want a stopover in Linz or Vienna, simply book Salzburg-Vienna or Salzburg-Linz at www.thetrainline.com then Linz or Vienna to Prague at either www.thetrainline.com or the Czech Railways website www.cd.cz.
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Lovely Ceský Krumlov is 44 minutes down a rural branch line from Ceské Budejovice where all the Linz-Prague trains stop. Simply book from Salzburg to Ceské Budejovice then buy a ticket for the local train to Ceský Krumlov from the GWTR kiosk at the station or on board the train. You can see train times between Salzburg & Ceské Budejovice in the timetable above. Look up connecting train times from Ceské Budejovice to Ceský Krumlov at jizdnirady.idnes.cz/vlaky/spojeni.
Route map
What are the trains like?
Step 1, Salzburg to Linz in 1h19 by railjet train
Restaurant car, at-seat food & drink orders taken in 1st class, free WiFi in all classes, power sockets. More photos & information about railjets.
A railjet, Austria's premier train.
Step 2, Linz to Prague by Czech EuroCity train in 3h45
A EuroCity train from Linz to Prague seen at Ceske Budejovice, showing the 1st class & bistro car.
1st class seats are all located in the bistro car on one side of the central kitchen. These seats are for 1st class passengers only. A steward takes food & drink orders from the menu and serves them at your seat. You can reserve seats in this area if you buy a 1st class ticket, with no need to leave your seat or leave your luggage unattended to get fed - this alone makes the modest extra cost for 1st class worth it!
Bistro seating. On the other side of the kitchen in the other half of the bistro car is a small 12-seat area next to the serving counter. This area has the same leather seats as in 1st class, but 2nd class passengers are free to sit in this section when consuming food & drink from the bistro. It's effectively a restaurant car for 2nd class passengers with a free upgrade! Seats cannot be reserved in this section, the LED reservation panel above each seat may say Bistro misto = bistro seat. In principle, you must return to your seat when you finish your food.
2nd class seats come in a choice of two types of car: Open-plan cars (above left, see larger photo), and classic 6-seat compartments cars (above right, see larger photo). I personally prefer the open-plan cars, but compartments can be fun if you're a family or small group.
The train snakes through farmland and occasional forest. It calls at the southern Bohemian city of Ceske Budejovice - more familiar by its former German name, Budweis - home of the original Budweiser beer.
The Bohemian countryside keeps on rolling by.
Prague Hlavni station, just 15 minutes walk from the old town, 20 minutes walk from the Charles Bridge. See Prague Hlavni station guide.
Travel tips
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1st or 2nd class?
2nd class is absolutely fine, no need to go 1st class unless you don't mind the extra cost. 1st class simply means more leg and elbow room and a quieter environment.
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Business class
Railjet trains have a premium first class called Business Class for €15 on top of any first class ticket. Business Class is an extravagance - especially for an hour and a bit between Salzburg & Linz, but a treat. You can book a journey including business class by selecting 1st class then the business class upgrade at www.thetrainline.com. At www.cd.cz, click More options and select 1st class before running the enquiry, then add a seat reservation and use the edit pencil logo against the Linz-Salzburg or Salzburg-Linz sector and change undefined to business. More about railjet business class.
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What if you miss a connection?
It only takes a minute or two to change trains at Linz, it literally means stepping off one train, nipping down a short escalator into the subway, up another escalator onto another platform a few metres away and stepping onto the onward train. The Salzburg-Linz trains usually use platforms 6 & 7, the Linz-Prague trains usually use platform 1 nearest the main station building. But if there's a delay and you miss a connection, don't worry. With a Sparschiene or First Minute through ticket from www.thetrainline.com or www.cd.cz you are entitled to later onward travel at no extra change, even with a tickets that are in theory train-specific. And with Linz-Salzburg trains running every half hour, it really isn't a big deal in the Prague to Salzburg direction. In the Linz to Prague direction there's a train every 2 hours, but if you follow my advice you'll have a 20 minute connection at Linz, enough to absorb any likely delay.
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Luggage
You can take more or less anything you like as long as you can carry it or pull it behind you. Nobody weighs or measures 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, the racks at the end of the car in the open saloon cars will take large suitcases, in compartment cars these just go on the floor. Unlike on a bus, your bags remain accessible throughout the journey. More about luggage on European trains.
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Seat reservations
A seat reservation is optional on all these trains. If you choose not to make one, you can sit in any unreserved seat - a small reservation display near each seat shows whether it is reserved or not. However, a seat reservation is a good idea especially on busy Fridays or around holiday periods. You can add a seat reservation when you book for €3. At www.cd.cz for departures from Prague you can choose seats from a seat map.
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How to check your train formation
If you like, you can check your train formation at www.vagonweb.cz. This will show you what type of carriages your specific train usually has, in what order, with photos inside each type. Change cs to English upper left, then click Train formations, scroll down to Austria and click EC, then look for your specific Linz-Prague train, or click RJ for Railjet and look for your specific Salzburg-Linz train.
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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 be closed a minute before departure. See Salzburg Hbf station guide.
In Prague, the best place to wait for the train (or get a take-away coffee for the journey) is the cafe upstairs in the historic station building off platform 1 - located in what was once the station's main entrance hall, see Prague Hlavni station guide.
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Power sockets, WiFi & toilets
On all trains, each car has at least one toilet. Both railjets and the Czech EuroCity (EC) trains have power sockets & free WiFi.
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Food & drink on board
Railjet trains have a restaurant car serving meals, snacks, draught beer, wine, tea, coffee & soft drinks. In 1st class, food & drink orders are taken and delivered to your seat. The Linz-Prague EuroCity trains have a bistro car with a small seating area for use by 2nd class passengers at one end, and 1st class seats at the other. 1st class passengers are served at their seat. Or feel free to bring you own picnic and wine or beer with you.
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Bicycles
Bicycles can be taken on these trains for a small fee, ask at the station.
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Suggested hotels near the station or in the old town in Prague. If your budget allows, the luxurious Hotel Carlo IV is 3 minutes stroll from the station, 10 minutes walk from all the city sights. Thanks to Czech prices, it's not as expensive as such a hotel would be further west!
An alternative: Westbahn + Regiojet
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It's good to have alternatives, so here's one between Salzburg & Prague via Vienna using private open-access operators Westbahn and Regiojet, and of course it works in either direction. It's a longer route, taking 7h20 instead of 5h45, and it's usually more expensive than ÖBB/CD's cheap fares from €19, but if you need to travel at short notice (or even pay on the day) it's cheaper than ÖBB/CD's full-flex fares and these are high-quality trains.
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The journey explained
Private open-access operator Westbahn run comfortable electric double-deck trains between Salzburg and Vienna Hbf every hour taking 2h28, see photos of their trains here. Private open-access operator Regiojet then run several trains per day between Vienna Hbf and Prague Hlavni taking 4h03, see photos of these Regiojet trains and an explanation of their 4 classes here.
Westbahn and Regiojet have teamed up, and offer through tickets between Salzburg & Prague bookable on Regiojet's website.
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How much does it cost?
Salzburg-Prague through tickets cost around €40.
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How to buy tickets
Book Salzburg to Prague main station or Prague main station to Salzburg at www.regiojet.com. You print your own ticket.
Tickets are only good for the specific trains you book, so if you want to stop off in Vienna, buy separate tickets Salzburg-Vienna at www.thetrainline.com and Vienna-Prague at www.regiojet.com.