London To Austria By Train

Travelling during the day by train from the UK to Austria is feasible, the capital, Wien/Vienna is towards the limit of how far can be travelled by rail from London in a single day.
Travelling overnight, with morning arrivals after 06:00, is also an option when heading to multiple Austrian cities by train.

Though what can be confusing is that optimum rail journeys to Austria from London follow different routes which differ according to the destination and / or the days of the week.
What also impacts on the combination of trains which can be taken is that München/Munich has more international trains on to Austria than any other city, but the day trains from Paris on to München/Munich arrive there too late for connections on to anywhere other than Salzburg.

The variety in the different routes which trains take to Austria can result in the ticket agents, including, RailEurope and Trainline, which sell end-to-end journeys, offering combinations of trains which require four or more connections.
So this guide on how to take trains from London to Austria focuses on the simplest options; which may not be the cheapest.
It doesn't include specific departure and arrival times of the trains, because these timings can be fluid, as journeys of this length are inevitably susceptible to being impacted by works on the lines.

The specific details of the trains on your travel dates can be looked up when booking tickets.
However, if you can't see the usual train service, referenced in this guide, there are two factors which can affect this:

• the usual service is being disrupted on your travel date, or
• the ticket agents are pre-filtering the options, which can occasionally result in the simplest journeys not being available as an end-to-end booking.
  The logic in the algorithms deployed by the ticket agents can be tricky to decipher, so separate bookings for parts of the journey can be required - this is always the situation when connecting into night trains.

Trainline and RailEurope sell tickets for end-to-end journeys by train from London to Austria, and making these bookings should offer protection against having to re-book tickets for parts of the journey, due to missed connections due to train delays.
Though on some journey options, including for travel in the couchettes and sleeping cabins on the night trains on from Amsterdam, Bruxelles, Koln, or Paris or Zurich, separate tickets will be required for the Eurostar from London and the connections.

Eurostar tickets be booked on the Eurostar website and the night trains on to Austria are all Nightjet services, so they can be booked on the Nightjet website.
The trains between Bruxelles and Germany can be booked with B-Europe or with DB.
Trains between both Germany and Switzerland to/from Austria can be booked with OBB.
Alternatively separate bookings can be made with Trainline for the Eurostar and any onward trains.

Though if you opt to making separate bookings, you may have to re-book the onward trains at last minute prices, even if you pay for multiple journeys in one transaction.
Hence it can be a good idea to be cautious and allow for contingency in the event of delays, so SMTJ's recommendation when making separate bookings, is to allow at least an hour when taking onward trains from Bruxelles-Midi, or a minimum of two hours to make connections in Paris.

If you're used to children aged 5-15 travelling at a 50% discount on British trains, it may be a surprise that different terms apply when travelling from London to Austria by train with kids.
And it also matters which routes you will be taking because the child ticket polices differ between European countries.

In summary:

• the child discount for those aged for 5 to 11 for the journeys by the Eurostar and by the Lyria trains between Paris and Switzerland, equates to around a 33% discount on the Adult rate.
• on day trains to and from Germany and Austria up to four children aged 14 and under travel for free with each adult booking - when booking the cheapest types of ticket.
• on the Nightjet trains special rates apply to those aged 14 and under - and family sleeping cabins are also available at a fixed rate.
• children aged 4 and under travel for free if they sit in your lap on the day trains, or share beds on the night trains.
  So as can be seen the routes across Belgium and Germany will typically be cheaper when travelling with those aged 14 and under, compared to travelling via France and Switzerland.

There is no automatic cheaper available on the journeys for Senior travellers.
Eurostar doesn't offer a discount and those aged 60 and over can only travel at a reduced rate on the Lyria trains, or the trains in Germany and Austria, if they also have the required railcard.

If you will be traveling by train from outside the London area to the capital in order to connect into a Eurostar, special discounted tickets are available, which are known as tickets to 'London International CIV'; the CIV ensures that they offer the protection into a subsequent Eurostar departure in the event of the train to London being delayed.
Though they can only be booked at station ticket desks; if you go to the station and book in advance (shortly after you have booked your Eurostar ticket) they will be cheaper, though they can also be booked on the travel date.

This information was gleaned from the ever fabulous Seat61.

All trains heading to Wien/Vienna from Germany and Switzerland also call in Linz.
On arrival in the Austrian capital, all trains first call at station named Wien Meidling, before going to the city's main rail station, Wien Hbf.
So prior to boarding the train, it's a good idea to work out the connections on to your final destination in the city.
Meidling station has trams to the city centre at Kalrsplatz and is linked to line U6 of the Vienna Metro, but Wien Hbf is served by line U1.

A journey by day trains all the way from London to Linz and Wien/Vienna is possible daily, but the connections are into the final train of the day on to Austria.
The journey typically involves taking this combination of trains:

• Departing London St Pancras International on a Eurostar to Brussels at around 08:00 - the ticket agents may offer an end-to-end journey which departs London at around 09:00, but that departure then typically allows only 20 minutes to make the crucial connection into the onward train.
• The ICE train on from Bruxelles-Midi which typically departs at 12:25.
• This train then usually has a timetabled connection of around 45 mins in Frankfurt* into another ICE train, that is typically scheduled to arrive in Linz at around 21:25 and into Wien/Vienna at around 23:00.
  *= the tickets will have trains to and from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf, the city's main station, but it's easier to make the transfer in Frankfurt Flughafen station.

For those not averse to taking night trains, it's possible to travel from London to Linz and Wien/Vienna by making only one connection.
These overnight options also inevitably enable time to take a train to London, before travelling on to Austria.

Though the usual timetable of these night trains can be susceptible to alteration as a result of construction works, due to their lengthy journeys.
When work is occurring the night trains have to be diverted on to longer routes, which extends journey times

Departing on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

If you can arrange your travel so that you can leave London on these days of the week, you can take advantage of the simplest option for a journey from London to Austria by train.
It involves only making one connection and there is no need to make a transfer between different stations.
The Eurostar to Brussels/Bruxelles, which typically departs from St Pancras at around 15:00 has a connection of around 90 mins in Midi/Zuid station into an overnight train on to Linz and Wien/Vienna.
This service which only operates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday is usually scheduled to arrive in Linz Hbf at around 07:45 and into Wien Hbf at around 09:15.

The daily options:

If you will be travelling from London to Linz or Wien/Vienna on other days of the week, or want to compare prices with the options which involve connecting in Paris or Bruxelles, there are typically four other options for an overnight journey by train.

1: connecting in Amsterdam - only one transfer

It involves quite the diversion off the direct route, but when departing London on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, the only option which involves one connection and no need to transfer between stations, is typically available by taking this combination of trains:

• Departing London at around 11:05.
• The waiting time between trains in Amsterdam Centraal station will be more than three hours, so time enough to have a meal prior to boarding...
• ...the train which usually departs at around 19:30 and is usually scheduled to arrive in Linz Hbf at around 07:45 and into Wien Hbf at around 09:15.

2: connecting in Bruxelles and Köln - depart later

That train from Amsterdam typically departs from Köln Hbf shortly after 22:15, and it's possible to leave London four hours later, than taking the Amsterdam option, if you will be happy to connect in both Bruxelles and Koln.
The usual combination of trains is:

• Depart London for Bruxelles shortly after 15:00.
• A Thalys train on to Köln will depart 1hr 20mins after the arrival into Bruxelles-Midi station; an ICE train will depart Bruxelles around 20 mins after the Eurostar is due to arrive, but taking the Thalys train at around 19:25 obviously removes the pressure of making that connection.
• That Thalys train is then usually scheduled to arrive in Köln Hbf around an hour prior to the departure of the train on to Linz and Wien.

3: connecting in Paris and Zurich - easily timed transfers

This routing involves having to make a transfer between different stations in Paris, but it can be worth comparing the costs with the other options.
The usual combination of trains is

• Depart London for Paris at around 11:30, which then allows around 90 minutes to make the transfer to the Gare de Lyon
• Taking the train from Paris Gare De Lyon to Zurich, which typically departs at around 16:20.
• The train from Paris is usually scheduled to arrive in Zurich Hb station 1hr 15mins before the departure of the night train which will typically arrive into Linz shortly before 06:00 and into Wien Hbf shortly after 08:00.

4: connecting in Paris and Stuttgart - to arrive sooner in Wien

There is a daily option which typically provides an earlier arrival into Wien Hbf at around 06:45.
The usual combination of trains is:

• Depart London for Paris at around 11:30, which then allows around 55 minutes to make the transfer to the Gare de l'Est.
• Depart Paris for Stuttgart at around 13:55.
• Around 1hr 25mins after arrival in Stuttgart, a train will depart for Wien/Vienna.

1: Just before 08:00 a daily train will typically depart from Wien Hbf on its stunning journey to Ljubljana - so that overnight journey option via Paris and Stuttgart, should offer a connection.

2: The trains which are due to arrive in Wien Hbf at 06:45 and 09:15, both offer, what should be, particularly convenient connections on to Budapest.

3: At around 10:45 a train typically departs Wien Hbf for Cluj Napoca in Transylvania.

Salzburg has international trains from Germany which take a Frankfurt (Main) > Stuttgart > Munich > Salzburg route, plus it also has trains from Zurich in Switzerland and an overnight service from Paris.
Hence the choice of routes whether you want to travel by day or night.

The easiest option for a daytime journey by train from London to Salzburg typically involves taking this combination of trains:

• Departing London St Pancras International on a Eurostar to Brussels at around 08:00 - the ticket agents may offer an end-to-end journey which departs London at around 09:00, but that departure then typically allows only 20 minutes to make the crucial connection into the onward train.
• The ICE train on from Bruxelles-Midi which typically departs at 12:25.
• This train then usually has a timetabled connection of around 50 mins in Frankfurt Main Hbf into a train on Salzburg, which is due to arrive there at around 22:00, 10pm.

The alternative route through Paris and Zurich

However, it can be worth comparing the cost of taking that journey option through Bruxelles and Frankfurt, with the alternative route which has connections in Paris and Zurich, particularly as it has a very similar end-to-end journey times.
This journey option typically involves taking this combination of trains:

• Taking the Eurostar service which usually departs London St Pancras International at around 08:00 - though on Monday to Friday, an option is to extend the time to make the connection in Paris, by departing London at around 07:00
• Taking the 8am Eurostar typically then allows just an over to make the transfer to the Gare de Lyon
• Taking the train from Paris Gare De Lyon to Zurich, which typically departs at around 12:20.
• However, this train from Paris is usually scheduled to arrive in Zurich Hb station less than 20 mins before the departure of the next train on to Salzburg, at around 16:40.
  That train on from Zurich is due to arrive in Salzburg at 22:00, but if the fourteen minute connection in Zurich is missed, tickets and reservations can be transferred to the subsequent train - but it isn't usually scheduled to arrive in Salzburg until shortly after midnight.

The faster end-to-end journey

A daily option typically makes it possible to also arrive in Salzburg at around 22:00 (10pm) by leaving London at around 09:30 - or for those that will be commencing a journey from outside London on any day except Saturday, not leaving London until around 11:30 is usually a possibility.

The daily option typically involves taking this combination of trains:

• Depart London for Paris at around 09:30, which then allows around 55 minutes to make the transfer to the Gare de l'Est.
• Depart Paris for Stuttgart at around 13:55.
• Around 55 mins after arrival in Stuttgart, a train will usually depart shortly before 18:00, which is due to arrive in Salzburg at around 22:00.

The later option, which is typically available on Monday to Friday and Sunday, typically involves taking this combination of trains:

• Depart London for Paris at around 11:30, which then allows around 1hr 10 minutes to make the transfer to the Gare de l'Est.
• Depart Paris for München at around 15:55.
• This train typically arrives in München Hbf at around 21:25; in time to make connections into regional trains on to Salzburg.

The night trains to Austria from Amsterdam, Bruxelles and Koln don't serve Salzburg - and the overnight trains from Zurich and Munchen call at Salzburg in the middle of the night, hence the overnight journey option from London to Salzburg is restricted to Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
That's because the night train from Paris to Austria, which typically arrives in Salzburg shortly before 07:30, only departs the French capital on those days of the week.
The connecting Eurostar service usually departs London at around 14:15, and it is due to arrive into the Gare Du Nord shortly after 17:45, which allows around 1hr 15mins to make the transfer to the Gare de l'Est - from where the train on to Salzburg is typically scheduled to depart shortly before 20:00.

The daytime journey options all arrive in Salzburg after 22:00 (10pm), too late to connect into any onward rail services except the local S-Bahn services to Schwarzach St Veit.

So a big advantage of taking the overnight option via Paris is that its typical arrival into Salzburg of around 07:30 usually enables onward onward to a swathe of popular destinations including Graz, Kirchberg in Tirol, Kitzbuhel, Radstadt, Schladming and Zell am See.

Innsbruck is closer to London than Salzburg or Vienna, but despite that there are fewer options for heading to Innsbruck from London by train then to either of those cities.
It's because most of the long-distance express trains to Innsbruck from Germany commence their journeys in Munchen/Munich, but the direct trains from Paris to Munich arrive there too late for onward connections.
There also aren't any direct trains to Innsbruck from Frankfurt (Main) which also compromises travelling via Bruxelles during the day.

The lack of an easy route through Bruxelles, Frankfurt (Main) or Munich, when taking a train from London to Innsbruck, leaves one standout journey as the easiest daytime option.
It typically involves taking this combination of trains:

• Taking the Eurostar service which usually departs London St Pancras International at around 08:00 - though on Monday to Friday, an option is to extend the time to make the connection in Paris, by departing London at around 07:00
• Taking the 8am Eurostar typically then allows just an over to make the transfer to the Gare de Lyon
• Taking the train from Paris Gare De Lyon to Zurich, which typically departs at around 12:20.
• However, this train from Paris is usually scheduled to arrive in Zurich Hb station less than 20 mins before the departure of the next train on to Innsbruck, at around 16:40.
  That train on from Zurich is due to arrive in Innsbruck at 20:15, but if the fourteen minute connection in Zurich is missed, tickets and reservations can be transferred to the subsequent train, which departs Zurich at 18:40.

To St Anton
That 16:40 train from Zurich is typically scheduled to call in St. Anton am Arlberg station shortly after 19:00, and the train which departs Zurich at 18:40 arrives there shortly after 21:00.

The night train on the Amsterdam > Koln/Cologne > Linz > Wien/Vienna route also conveys coaches including sleeping cabins and couchettes to Innsbruck.
On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday a train typically departs Bruxelles-Midi at around 19:30 - and it is then attached in Koln/Cologne to the coaches heading from Amsterdam to Innsbruck and Wien/Vienna.
But there are no direct coaches from Bruxelles to Innsbruck, so what's required is to travel in the seats on the train from Bruxelles and then to move through the train after departure from Koln, to the sleeping accommodation or seats that will be heading to Innsbruck.
Understandably the booking agents struggle to cope with this somewhat bizarre scenario, so booking three separate tickets can be required.
Though the plus is that the transfer into the train on to Innsbruck is guaranteed.
The Eurostar to Brussels/Bruxelles, which typically departs from St Pancras at around 15:00 has a connection of around 90 mins in Midi/Zuid station into the train that is heading on to Linz and Wien/Vienna.

The daily options

Though for those who would rather not make that inter-train transfer- and those who will be departing London on the other days of the week, two other options are available for an overnight train from London to Innsbruck.

1: connecting in Amsterdam

It involves quite the diversion off the direct route, but when departing London on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the option which only involves one connection and no need to transfer between stations is typically available by taking this combination of trains:

• Departing London at around 11:05.
• The waiting time between trains in Amsterdam Centraal station will be more than three hours, so time enough to have a meal prior to boarding...
• ...the train which usually departs at around 19:30 and is usually scheduled to arrive in Innsbruck at around 09:15 - in time to take in the river views on the final part of the journey.

2: connecting in Bruxelles and Köln

That train from Amsterdam typically departs from Köln Hbf shortly after 22:15, and it's possible to leave London four hours later, than taking the Amsterdam option, if you will be happy to connect in both Bruxelles and Koln.
The usual combination of trains is:

• Depart London for Bruxelles shortly after 15:00.
• A Thalys train on to Köln will depart 1hr 20mins after the arrival into Bruxelles-Midi station; an ICE train will depart Bruxelles around 20 mins after the Eurostar is due to arrive, but taking the Thalys train at around 19:25 obviously removes the pressure of making that connection.
• That Thalys train is then usually scheduled to arrive in Köln Hbf around an hour prior to the departure of the train on to Innsbruck.

To St Anton

Around 30mins after the arrival of the night train in Innsbruck, a Railjet train will typically depart Innsbruck for St. Anton am Arlberg station which is due to arrive there shortly before 11:00.
Though if a delayed arrival of the night train causes this connection to be missed, the subsequent train won't be departing Innsbruck until two hours later.

It isn't possible to make an end-to-end journey by train from London to Graz during the day, but there are two overnight options:

1. The night train to Wien/Vienna from Bruxelles, Amsterdam and Koln, which has connections from London as explained above, is typically scheduled to arrive in Linz around 15 mins before the departure of an express IC train on to Graz, which is due to arrive there shortly after 11:00.
Though making that connection in Linz can't be guaranteed, so the alternative is to remain on the night train until it arrives in Wien Hbf and connect there for a train on to Graz.
There is a departure for Graz typically scheduled for around 45 mins after the night train's usual arrival time, which is due to arrive shortly after 12:30 - though there is another train on from Wien Hbf an hour later.

2. This option is available on Saturday and Sunday and typically involves taking this combination of trains.

• Taking the Eurostar service which usually departs London St Pancras International at around 09:30.
• The arrival time in the Gare Du Nord shortly after 12:45 then allows around 90 mins to make the transfer to the Gare de Lyon
• Taking the train from Paris Gare De Lyon to Zurich, which typically departs at around 14:15.
• This train from Paris is usually scheduled to arrive in Zurich Hb station at around 18:25, and the night train on to Graz is typically scheduled to depart at 20 40 - time for an evening meal in Zurich prior to boarding.

On Monday to Friday that onward train from Paris terminates in Basel SBB station, so an additional connection will be required there when taking this route.

As can be seen from the journey options, taking the train from London to Austria on the most direct routes involves making one or more connections in Bruxelles, Frankfurt (Main), Köln/Cologne, Paris and Zurich.

All very nice locations in which to break the journey for a day or two, but there some other picturesque locations in which to spend time while travelling to Austria from London by train, which also enable the the beautiful journeys to be appreciated by daylight!

Koblenz
From this town located to the north of the wonderful The Rhine Gorge, there are usually direct day time trains available which take scenic routes to a swathe of Austrian destinations including Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz, Salzburg and Wien/Vienna.

There are two routes to choose from when taking a journey from London to Koblenz, both of which have a first stage of taking a Eurostar to Bruxelles.
Then from Bruxelles you can travel on to Koblenz by connecting between trains in Koln or Luxembourg, the second option has a longer journey time, but it includes the wonderful journey through the Moselle Valley.

Strasbourg

Strasbourg can be reached from London by train by connecting between Eurostar and TGV trains in Lille, thereby avoiding the need to cross Paris between stations - when departing St Pancras on the train which typically leaves shortly after 11:00am.

On the second day of travel, a straightforward connection in Basel SBB station enables access to Zurich HB station, from where Railjet trains take the spectacular route, Zurich > Innsbruck > Salzburg > Linz > Wien/Vienna.

Users of Eurail and InterRail passes have to pay mandatory rail pass reservation fees on some European train services.

Though trains on which reservations are optional for rail pass users include:

• the German ICE trains - including the journeys by them to/from Austria and Belgium (so avoid taking the Thalys trains between Bruxelles and Germany)
• all other daytime express (IC) trains between Germany and Austria
• the Railjet trains between Switzerland and Austria.
  In contrast the Lyria high speed trains between Paris and Switzerland have exceptionally high reservation fees for rail pass users, so taking the routes via Germany will be cheaper - when an option.

Though rail passes only cover the journey element of the Nightjet trains. so there are reservations fees for the seats, couchettes and sleeping cabins - the fees for the sleeping cabins can equate to 75% of the total price for ticket holders

Though for British residents, what can tip the balance in favour of InterRail is that the journeys to and from London, to connect in and out of the Eurostar, will be covered by the pass.

The Eurostar ticket prices can be more than 4x more expensive than the rail pass reservation fees, so Eurail and InterRail can be value for money, particularly if you have first class pass.
The quota of seats available on each Eurostar departure is is limited and it's not unknown for it to sell out on some departures months ahead, particularly for travel in June to August and around holiday dates at other times of year.
Reservations on Eurostar trains can now be booked up to 330 days ahead of the travel date.

Because you will need to travel by a specific Eurostar departure when travelling to and from Austria, you'll want to check that rail pass reservations are available for the train you need to take prior to buying a pass
The availability can be looked up on B-Europe as it will show which trains are still available - and you don't need to already have a pass to check this

Also avoid thinking, 'great I can see the reservations on B-Europe, so I'll book the pass now and go back to B-Europe tomorrow' - because at busy times the reservations can be sold out by the time you go back online.
It can be a good idea to return to B-Europe to book the reservations as soon as you have made a pass purchase - and therefore have a pass number.