Taking the train from Vienna to Bratislava is incredibly straightforward. And if you’re in Vienna for more than a few days, this day trip is a great addition to your itinerary. We took the ÖBB between the two cities, which was pretty painless. You can buy your ticket online or via the app, and tickets can be picked up from any station kiosk with the appropriate pickup code.
Is Bratislava worth it? I break down my experience, and opinion on whether or not you should visit the city here!
Taking the Train from Vienna to Bratislava
Vienna Central Station
Vienna Central Station is modern and exceptionally clean. Like Bratislava, there aren’t many seating options. Unlike Bratislava, there are plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants to keep you occupied and well-fed. It’s connected to the main city by the U1 Bahn line, although our Airbnb in Wieden was located close enough to walk.
How often do the trains from Vienna to Bratislava run?
From Vienna, trains run to Bratislava start running at 5:16 am. They run every hour on the :16s until 22:16. A few hours in the high point of the day have an additional train at the :30 mark, giving you more flexibility.
From Bratislava, the main international train is of course to Vienna, which run every hour on the :38 until 18:38. After that, there are only two trains for the evening: one at 20:38, and one at 22:38. The journey takes roughly an hour, unless you get stuck behind a local train, in which case it’ll be slower. The earliest train from Bratislava back to Vienna is at 5:38 am.
The ride from Vienna to Bratislava
…is not as pretty as you might hope. This route is quick and easy and cheap. Your views are mostly going to be small villages, a few fairly picturesque rivers, and a lot (!) of farmland. Don’t feel like you need to be awake for the ride. If you’re on an early morning run, you can snooze through it and not miss a thing.
Bratislava Central Station
This station was pretty basic. It’s clean and well-lit, but certainly shows its age. While there were plenty of ticket counters for purchasing onward journeys, there weren’t many seats at all. Regional and local trains run out of here regularly.
Getting to the sights
Bratislava train station is located about a twenty-minute walk to Old Town. There are plenty of signs in both Slovak and English to make it easy for you to navigate. Uber costs between 2-3 euros if you’re not feeling walk-y, or you can take the local bus as close to the Old City as you can get.
Food at the Bratislava Train Station
There are a few tiny kiosks at the train station selling snacks and waters, and a restaurant outside. I’d recommend eating in Bratislava’s Old City, though, as the options at the station didn’t look so great.
Bathrooms at the Bratislava Train Station
Though most of the trains from Vienna to Bratislava will have bathrooms, I advise you go before you board. (Especially if you’ve been enjoying some of the local Bratislava beer!) The bathrooms at the trains station are extremely clean, but they do cost money to visit. Expect to pay 50 cents, and know that only 10, 20, 50 cent pieces taken. There was someone making change while I was there, but I don’t know if she’s there consistently.
And that’s pretty much everything you need to know about taking the train from Vienna to Bratislava! If you’re looking for things to do in Bratislava on your day trip, check out my post here. If you’re curious how the rest of our 7-day Vienna itinerary looked, I’ve got all the details for you here!
Up and Gone 