Railjet train from Vienna to Budapest

Buy Vienna - Budapest
train tickets at

www.thetrainline.com

Buy train tickets from Vienna to Budapest

Vienna to Budapest in 2h40 from €9

Comfortable railjet & EuroCity trains link Vienna Hbf with Budapest Keleti every hour taking 2h37 for the 256 km (159 miles) city centre to city centre.  Railjet trains have free WiFi & draught beer on tap, plus a premium first class called business class.  In 2020 these were joined by several trains a day run by competing private operator RegioJet.

small bullet point  Train times

small bullet point  Which train to choose?

small bullet point  Route map

small bullet point  Option 1, by railjet or EuroCity train from €13

    How much does it cost?

    How to buy tickets

    What are railjets like?

    What are EuroCity & D trains like?

    What the journey like?

small bullet point  Option 2, by RegioJet from €9

    How much does it cost?

    How to buy tickets

    What are RegioJet trains like?

small bullet point  Travel tips

small bullet point  What's the journey like?

Train times eastbound 2025

 Vienna ► Budapest

Days of running:

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

Train type:

EN

RegioJet

RJX

EC

RJX

RegioJet

ECT

RJX

EC

RegioJet

RJX

EC

RJX

EC

RegioJet

RJX

RJX

ECD

EC

RJX

 Vienna Hbf depart:

06:40

07:34

07:40

08:42

09:40

10:27

10:42

11:40

12:42

13:27

13:40

14:40

15:40

16:42

17:27

17:40

18:42

19:42

20:37

21:40

 Budapest Deli arrive |

10:14

| | |

13:14

| | |

16:14

| | | |

20:14

| | | | |

 Budapest Keleti arrive:

09:19

-

10:19

11:19

12:19

-

13:19

14:19

15:19

-

16:19

17:19

18:19

19:19

-

20:19

21:19

22:19

23:19

00:19

Train times westbound 2025

 Budapest ► Vienna

Days of running:

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

daily

Train type:

ECD

RJX

RJX

RegioJet

EC

RJX

EC

RegioJet

RJX

EC

RJX

ECT

RegioJet

RJX

EC

RJX

EC

RegioJet

RJX

EN

 Budapest Keleti depart:

05:40

06:40

07:40

-

08:40

09:40

10:40

-

11:40

12:40

13:40

14:40

-

15:40

16:40

17:40

18:40

-

19:40

20:40

 Budapest Deli depart

|

|

|

07:45

|

|

|

11:45

|

|

|

|

14:45

|

|

|

|

17:45

|

|

 Vienna Hbf arrive:

08:20

09:18

10:20

10:32

11:20

12:20

13:20

14:32

14:20

15:20

16:20

17:20

17:32

18:20

19:20

20:20

21:20

20:27

22:20

23:20

RegioJet = RegioJet train run by private open-access operator RegioJet, air-conditioned, free WiFi, power sockets, 4 classes, buy tickets at www.regiojet.com.

RJX = Railjet Train.  Modern, air-conditioned, free WiFi, restaurant car, power sockets, economy, first & business classes, see photos below.

EC = EuroCity train with comfortable air-conditioned Hungarian cars, 1st & 2nd class either open-plan or in classic 6-seat compartments, see photos below.

ECD = EuroCity train with Hungarian restaurant car & air-conditioned Hungarian seats cars.  Combined with Dacia Express Vienna-Bucharest sleeper train.

ECT = EuroCity train Transylvania.  Air-conditioned 1st & 2nd class cars Vienna-Budapest-Cluj Napoca & Satu Mare, some Romanian, some Hungarian, restaurant car.

EN = EuroNight sleeper Kalman Imre to/from Munich & Zurich.  Conveys air-conditioned Hungarian EuroCity cars Salzburg-Vienna-Budapest.  No restaurant car.

Vienna to Budapest by train is 256 km or 159 miles.

Which train to choose?

Route map

Vienna to Budapest train route map

 

Click for larger map

Highlighted = Vienna-Budapest route.

Green = scenic sections of line

Reproduced from the excellent European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people.

I recommend buying this map for your travels, www.europeanrailtimetable.eu with shipping worldwide.

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Option 1, by railjet or EuroCity train

The regular trains are run jointly by Austrian & Hungarian national railways (ÖBB & MAV).  Most are smart modern railjet trains provided by Austrians, some are comfortable older EuroCity trains provided by the Hungarians.  One or two trains are just classified 'D' for express.

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets

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What are the railjets like?

The railjets are provided by ÖBB (Austrian Railways), they have 3 classes, a restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.

A railjet train about to leave Vienna

A railjet at Vienna Hbf More about railjetsClick the photos below for larger images.

Economy class seats on a railjet train   Economy class seats on a railjet train

Economy class in open saloons with picture windows.  Some seats around tables, most unidirectional.  Note the glass-sided luggage stacks amongst the seating.

First class seats on a railjet train   First class seats on a railjet train

1st class with tables for 2 & 4 and unidirectional seats.  Note the luggage rack in the background in the photo above right.

Business class on a railjet train, showing aisle   3-seat semi-compartment, business class on a railjet train

Business class on railjet.  Just half a coach, 16 seats per train mostly arranged in 3-seat semi-compartments.

Restaurant car on a Vienna-Budapest railjet train   Meal & drinks are served at seat in first & premium classes

Restaurant & bar counter areaLarger photo.  Food orders are taken and served at your seat in 1st & business so no need to go to the restaurant car.

A railjet train from Vienna to Budapest, arrived at Budapest Keleti

The railjet has landed.  A railjet has arrived spot on time on platform 9 at Budapest's historic Keleti station, built 1881-1884.

What are the EuroCity & D trains like?

EuroCity (EC) is a generic brand used by many European national railways to describe good-quality air-conditioned international express trains.  On the Vienna-Budapest route EC trains usually consist of MAV (Hungarian Railways) cars built in the 1980s or 90s, most nicely modernised with free WiFi.  There's usually just one first class car, sometimes with traditional 6-seat compartments (3 seats facing 3 seats opening off a side corridor), sometimes in open-plan cars with seats 1+2 across the car width.  There are several 2nd class cars, usually some with 6-seat compartments and some with open-plan saloons.  Although older than railjets, some people prefer their old-school comfort with more generous legroom and better alignment of seats with windows.

The Dacia Express is a sleeper train between Vienna & Romania, it conveys comfortable air-conditioned Hungarian EuroCity cars and a Hungarian restaurant car between Vienna & Budapest.  It's a 'D' train in Austrian terms or 'G' in Hungarian terms, which simply means express.

The Kalman Imre is an EN EuroNight sleeper train between Zurich/Munich and Budapest, it conveys air-conditioned Hungarian EuroCity cars between Salzburg, Vienna & Budapest.  It has no restaurant car.

The Transylvania is a Romanian train running between Vienna, Budapest & Cluj Napoca in Romania.  It uses Romanian & Hungarian air-conditioned intercity cars.

Tip:  To see photos of these trains and to check car types & composition for your specific departure, go to www.vagonweb.cz.  Change cs to en upper left, then click Train formations, scroll down to Hungary and for EuroCity trains click EC, for the Dacia Express click D, for the Kalman Imre click EN.  Select your train to see the train composition, click the camera icon under each carriage to see photos, the seat layout icon to see a seat plan, if available.

EuroCity train from Vienna to Budapest, at Budapest Keleti

A EuroCity train from Vienna to Budapest in MAV's latest colour scheme at Budapest Keleti.

1st class seats on a Hungarian EuroCity train   2nd class seats on a Hungarian EuroCity train

1st class is usually in 6-seat compartments.  Larger photo.

 

Some 2nd class is in open-plan cars like this. Larger photo.

2nd class compartments on a Hungarian EuroCity train   2nd class compartments on a Hungarian EuroCity train

Other 2nd class is in compartments.  Larger photo.

 

2nd class 6-seat compartment.  Larger photo.

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Option 2, by RegioJet

In 2020, private operator RegioJet started running 2 trains a day between Vienna & Budapest in competition with national rail operators ÖBB & MAV, increased to 4 per day in 2024.  RegioJet is a Czech travel company, part of Student Agency which operates long distance bus services in the Czech Republic.  Three of these Vienna-Budapest trains have been created by extending RegioJet's successful Prague-Vienna trains to Budapest.  With air-conditioning, free WiFi, power sockets, and 4 classes, RegioJet is a good choice.  There's no restaurant car, but there's at-seat service in Standard, Relax & Business classes with complimentary water & Illy coffee.  All tickets come with a specific reserved seat.  Watch the RegioJet video.

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets

What are RegioJet trains like?

A RegioJet train to Prague at Vienna Hbf

A RegioJet train at Vienna Hbf.

Business class on a RegioJet train from Vienna to Prague   Relax class on a Vienna-Prague RegioJet train

Business classLarger photo 360° photo.

 

Relax classLarger photo 360° photo.

Standard class astra car on a Vienna to Prague RegioJet train   Regiojet train at Prague

Standard class Astra car.  Larger photo360° photo.

Standard class children's compartment on a RegioJet train   Standard class on a Vienna to Prague RegioJet train

Standard class children's compartment. Larger photo.

 

Standard class Larger photo 360° photo.

Orchid in the toilet on a Regiojet train   Low-cost class class seats on a RegioJet train

I think all trains should have orchids in the loo.

 

Low cost class Larger photo.


Travel tips

What's the journey like?

Between Vienna & Budapest it's largely flat, with more wind-turbines than you've ever seen - allegedly over 200.  A journey across two countries is always an insight, but in this case the photo below largely sums up the whole route!  Just before arriving in Budapest eastbound (or just after leaving Budapest, westbound) the train crosses the wide river Danube, although a modern road bridge now obscures the view of the city along the river.  The trains normally keep pretty good time, so expect an on-time arrival into Budapest's historic Keleti station, built 1881-1884.


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