How To Get From Vienna To Bratislava By Train

A day trip to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava from Vienna is a really easy journey. It’s quick and cheap, and Bratislava is a delightful city which has lots of history and plenty of things to do. Here’s our detailed 2025 guide on how to get from Vienna to Bratislava by train, including how to get the best value tickets.

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Where Do Trains From Vienna Depart From?

Trains run from Vienna Hauptbahnhof (Wien Hbf) to Bratislava so you need to make your way to the main station. This is not Mitte, which is likely to be the central station that you will have come into when arriving in Vienna from the airport.

S1, S2, S3, S4, S60, S80 as well as Trams 0 and 18 will get you to the Vienna Hbf. If you are travelling on the U-bahn, take U1 to Sudtiroler Platz. Vienna Map has the details.

Vienna Hbf is a modern and airy station. The ticket machines and platforms are all well signposted.

from Vienna to Bratislava by train Vienna Hbf station

How Much Does It Cost To Get From Vienna To Bratislava By Train?

The ticket costs just 18 Euros. This includes your return fare from Vienna and all public transportation when in Bratislava.

Note: the ticket is valid for three days and includes all public transport in Bratislava, but you can only use public transport in Bratislava on the first day, so we recommend buying your ticket on the day.

Buying Tickets From Vienna To Bratislava.

Ticket machines are available all over Vienna Hbf and are clearly signposted.

Buying the cheap, flexible ticket isn’t obvious. We were helped by a very kind fellow passenger while we were at the ticket machine. And were very pleased to be able to pay the advice forward later, when another passenger was struggling to buy their ticket.

You can select from multiple languages. Do not type Bratislava into the destination box, as that will bring up a ticket for a specific train. Instead you need to select from the “city tickets and more” box on the lower left side of the display.

ticket machine - how to select Bratislava ticket

You can then select a Vienna to Bratislava ticket.

Choose the number of passengers. Then pay.

How Long Does It Take To Get From Vienna To Bratislava By Train?

The journey takes around an hour. There are often stops along the way.

Arriving at Bratislava

Bratislava has two train stations – Hlavna and Petržalka. You can walk to the centre from Hlavna or catch a tram or bus. The bus stop is directly outside the station entrance. The tram stop is located below the station – you will need to go down the steps on the left-hand side after you have exited the platforms.

If you arrived at Petržalka, buses 80, 91 and 93 take you into the city centre. The journey will take around 10-15 minutes.

Petržalka is the station most closely connected with Vienna and trains go to Petržalka every half hour.

Other Points To Remember

Slovakia is in the EU and part of the Schengen group of countries. This means that crossing the border from Austria is seamless. However, we recommend bringing your passport with you if you are travelling from a country outside the EU. It’s unlikely that it will be checked but it’s worth having just in case you encounter any problems.

Things To Do In Bratislava When You Arrive

The old town in Bratislava is lovely. It’s compact and easy to walk around. The lanes of the oldtown are very pretty. There are all sorts of sights – a castle and cathedral, churches, museums and fun statues. It has a bridge across the Danube which features a ‘UFO’ style restaurant. The food is great and there are plenty of restaurants and cafes in the area.

You can read our detailed post about what to see on a day trip to Bratislava.

Return Journey

Make your way back to the station that you arrived at. Trains don’t necessarily return from both stations. When we visited we arrived at Petržalka and there were no trains running to Vienna from Hlavna that day.

If you end up at the wrong station, Bus 93 will get you to the other one.

An Alternative Journey

If you have a bit more time in the area, another – and rather romantic – trip is to get a boat from Schwedenplatz in Vienna and cruise to Bratislava along the Danube.

There are also buses that run from Vienna to Bratislava several times a day. The journey takes a similar time to the train – between 45 minutes and an hour.