Your complete guide to public transport in Austria

Traveling more sustainably requires cutting down on your carbon emission and you can do this by using public transportation instead of individual transportation. 

Public transportation in Austria is pretty well established. There is, of course, still space to improve, but you can comfortably live in Austria without owning a car. Not only in a big city but also in a smaller town, in very remote areas, it is more challenging to live car-free.

This guide gives you insights into Austrias public transportation system. The apps you can use and pricing. And the cultural code will be using public transport.

How to use public transportation in Austria

Austria is a pretty easy country to travel around by public transportation. In most cases, it is punctual, clean and comfy to travel on public transport. Tho, it is not cheap. Especially as a tourist, you often need to pay the full price. In addition, I need to point out that during the high season, trains and buses are pretty packed. That leads to difficulties in finding a place to sit and ultimately makes your journey more exhausting. 

But this guide will provide you with all the information you need to have a stress-free public transportation journey through Austria. 

First of all, if you are traveling in Austria during the high season and weekend by train, either make a seat reservation or book first class. You can only reserve seats for long distance trains, not in buses (only intercity buses in the south of Austria) nor regional trains.

Train network in Austria

The train network is pretty extensive in Austria. Due to the small size of Austria it is comparable fast to travel around. A high-speed train from Vienna in the east to Bregenz in the west of Austria takes about six to seven hours (depending on the connection).

There are two train operators and that’s Westbahn und ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahn/Austrian Federal Railways). It is important that you can not use your ÖBB ticket on the Westbahn or vice versa. However, the Westbahn is a new operator (already a few years old) but the ÖBB is more established in Austria. Therefore, if you are buying a ticket from a third-party ticket provider, it is probably for a ÖBB connection. Westbahn tickets can be bought online, at tobacco shops or on the train. For travelers in Austria, Westbahn is cheaper than ÖBB (if you don’t hold a special ticket). But the Westbahn operates only the main train connection between Vienna and Bregenz, including the cities Innsbruck, Salzburg and Linz.

The Westbahn is a bit different from the ÖBB, mainly because it is sometimes not as packed as the ÖBB trains and they have more conductors.

There is a difference between long-distance trains (lnterCity-Express, lnterCity, EuroCity, EuroNight, D-Zug, Railjet, Railjet Express, Nightjet, Westbahn) and regional trains (S-Bahn, regional train, Regional Express). If you have a special ticket, sometimes you need to check which trains its valid for. 

The bus network in Austria

The bus network is besides the train network and lets you reach your more remote destinations. You can check bus connections at the ÖBB apps. You can even buy tickets online, which is cheaper than buying a ticket on the bus, where they accept cash and card. The buses in every state look different and some have even Wi-Fi. You don’t find toilets on buses. 

Train stations and bus stops

Train stations in Austria have all amenities you can ask for: Shops, ticket information, toilets and lockers. Some train stations are very modern, like the Vienna central station. It seems more like a big shopping area. 

Bus stops in rural areas have just a sign and maybe a little shelter with a bench. Bigger bus stops have a public toilet, and maybe a small bistro. 

Buses vs Trains

If a place has a train station, it’s always better, because trains usually run later than buses. However, there are exceptions to this rule. In some places buses run until 10-11 pm, but in many cases the last bus leaves at 7 or 8 pm.

Wi-Fi on the trains and cell phone signal

There is Wi-Fi on trains mostly on long-distance trains, but also on the newer train models of the regional trains. Don’t expect too much, it is not the best free Wi-Fi. If you are using apple products, it can be difficult to sign in to the network. 

The cell phone network is overall good on trains and buses. However, there are sections where you have weak or no signal at all. Especially at tunnels or some sections in the alpine region, the network is bad. Just keep that in mind when you surf the web or make a phone call. 

Best apps to use for public transportation

There are two apps that I can highly recommend and that’s ÖBB Scotty or ÖBB Tickets. The ÖBB Scotty app is mainly for planning trips, if you know the names of the stops. The app is very accurate with the arrival times of trains and buses. You can even see where the train is in real time. So if you want to be always up to date about your connections, this is the app you need. The ÖBB Tickets app also shows you the connections where you can plan trips and buy tickets. Here you can buy tickets directly from the ÖBB rail operator (which might be better in the rare case of delays). You can not only buy tickets for you or for your bicycle, you can also make seat reservations.

I also need to point out that neither one of those apps shows you the Westbahn train connections.

There is a separate app for the Westbahn. But if you don’t want to install all the apps, of course you can also check the websites of Westbahn and ÖBB. To look up the connections and book tickets.

If you are planning your trip to Austria and have no idea about the train station stop, distance or just the geographic location. I would recommend you to use Google maps. In Google maps, you can also see the public transportation connections. In most cases, accurate. There you can figure out your travel route, the names of the stops and mood of transportation. For tickets you can use the ÖBB tickets app, the Westbahn or the ÖBB website.

Rural area micro public transport option

In some rural areas, you may find a micro transportation option, such as buses that will take you to the trailheads. The best way to find out if there is a micro transportation option is to check the tourism organization’s website and see if you can find something. Otherwise, you can ask for your place of accommodation. Some accommodation providers do also offer a train station pickup service. 

Tickets

Which kind of public transportation tickets can you buy as tourists

As mentioned earlier, tickets as a tourist are pretty expensive in Austria, especially if you are doing a long distance trip. In order to get cheaper options, you can either plan ahead (book a few months before) or look out for special deals. Another option to get cheap deals is to book your ticket via a third-party, like trainline.

The cheap tickets for the ÖBB trains are called Sparschiene and bind you to the train connection. You can not get a Sparschiene ticket for every trip. I’m not sure if it’s available during the high season in summer.

Regarding the special deals, sometimes the ÖBB offers deals. For instance, this year you can travel within Upper Austria and the Salzkammergut (the parts of Salzburg and Styria) for 19.90 Euros a day and for the whole family. 

Which kind of tickets can you get when living in Austria 

There are a few tickets that you can obtain to make your sustainable travels in Austria cheaper. A few years ago, the Austrian railway network introduced the Klimaticket (climate ticket), which is a ticket that you can use in all public transportations in Austria. The price is 1095 euros a year. For young adults (under 26 years), seniors and students, it is only 821 Euros. A pretty good deal if you consider that you can use all trains and buses in rural areas and cities.

But in case you do not use public transportation in Austria that often you can still get the Vorteilscard. If you have the Vorteilscard, you can get a 50% discount on train tickets. There are various options for the Vorteilscard. The popular option is the one for 66 euros a year. For young adults, it’s only 19 euros a year.

Train delays

If you booked your train ticket directly with the ÖBB, you get 25% of the ticket price refunded for a 60-119 minute delay and 50% if it’s more than 120 minutes. But you’re not entitled to a refund if you get informed about the delays before you buy the ticket or if the delay is caused by a third party or natural catastrophe. 

Luggage on public transportation

You can take your bicycle and skiers on trains. For bicycles you need a ticket, not if it’s foldable though. On long-distance trains you need a bicycle space reservation, therefore it is more expensive. I recommend buying the ticket online.

You can’t take bicycles on buses. Buses have a luggage department underneath, where you can store your suitcases. Sometimes you can see people taking their bikes on buses in the luggage department. However, it is officially not allowed and depends on the bus driver if they allow it. You can take your skis, snowboard, and instruments on public transportation in Austria. For further information, check out this document to be on the safe side.

I hope this blog post helps you to navigate your low carbon emission travels through Austria and you can enjoy the scenic views of the train or bus.