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Vienna to Bratislava every hour, €11.00
Every hour, a Regional Express (REX) train links Vienna Hbf with Bratislava Hlavna in just 56 minutes, run jointly by the Austrian & Slovakian national railways. No reservation necessary or even possible, it cannot sell out, just turn up, buy a ticket and hop on - easy!
Train times 4 March 2024 until June 2025
The line between Vienna & Bratislava Hlavna via Marchegg is closed for electrification from 4 March 2024, originally until 14 December 2024. The work has overrun, and the line will remain closed until (it's reported) June 2025. The REX8 trains will not operate during this time.
Instead, you should use REX6 between Vienna Hbf & Bratislava Petrzalka station. REX6 runs every hour, every half hour at busy times, journey time 59 minutes, the standard fare on this route is €17.60, check times & buy tickets at www.oebb.at.
Petrzalka station is south of the city centre, see location map. A taxi between Petrzalka station & Bratislava Hlavna takes 9 minutes & costs around €11.
REX6 services are operated by GySEV using distinctive green & yellow air-conditioned electric units with power sockets & free WiFi.
Train times from June 2025, subject to confirmation
After electrification work, the direct line should reopen in June 2025 with journey time cut from 1h06 to just 56 minutes as shown below.
REX8 = Regional Express line 8, 2nd class only, running via Marchegg, the cheapest & shortest route. No reservations necessary or possible, fixed price.
Check times for your date of travel at www.thetrainline.com.
Vienna to Bratislava is 66 km (41 miles) by train via this route.
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How much does it cost?
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€11 one-way. Fixed price, unlimited availability, can be bought on the day. Good for any train that day or the following day.
Children under 6 go free. Children under 15 go for €5 each way.
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For a round trip starting in Vienna, there's a Bratislava Ticket (also known as EuRegio Slovakia) which costs €18.
You can travel outward on any train on the first day of validity and can travel back on any train the same day or the next 3 days. These tickets have unlimited availability so cannot sell out, just buy at the station on the day. With a Bratislava Ticket you also get free use of buses & trams in Bratislava city all day on the first day of validity, a bargain.
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For a round trip starting in Bratislava there's a Vienna Special ticket (also known as EuRegio Wien) which costs €18.
The outward journey must be made on the first day of validity, return any time within 16 days if you buy the ticket at the station ticket counter, but must be made the same day if you buy it online at www.zssk.sk.
How to buy tickets
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You can easily buy at the station, from the ticket office or self-service machines. It cannot sell out, no reservation is needed, just turn up, buy a ticket and get on the train, finding any empty seat, of which there are usually plenty.
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Alternatively, one-way tickets can be bought online using www.thetrainline.com or www.oebb.at and print your own ticket.
Remember that in the search results you'll also see hourly trains on the more expensive route to Bratislava Petrzalka station via Kittsee, look for the cheaper hourly trains to Bratislava Hlavna via Marchegg.
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Bratislava Tickets for round trips starting in Vienna can be bought at www.oebb.at, but you must find the special page by going to their home page and clicking Menu top left. then More services, then Tickets for our neighbouring countries.
Route map
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What are the trains like?
Each train usually consists of two Slovakian Railways (ZSSK) air-conditioned intercity cars and three Austrian Railways (ÖBB) regional cars branded City Shuttle. The City Shuttle cars don't have air-conditioning, but the windows open. The train has toilets and luggage racks, there are also bicycle spaces in the end car, but there's no catering car as it's only a regional train on a one-hour journey. The train is 2nd class only, there is no first class. Like almost all European trains, these trains are all non-smoking. There are power sockets for laptops & mobiles in the ZSSK cars, but not the ÖBB cars.
Travel tips
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Other trains & routes
In addition to these hourly Regional Express (REX) trains between Vienna Hbf & Bratislava Hlavna via Marchegg, there are also hourly REX trains between Vienna Hbf and Bratislava Petrzalka via Bruck an der Leitha & Kittsee taking 1h01, see the route map below. However, Bratislava Petrzalka is less convenient for the city centre than Bratislava Hlavna and the route via Kittsee is further and costs more, so stick with the trains shown on this page.
You'll also find one daily railjet (RJX) linking Vienna Hbf & Bratislava Hlavna en route to/from Salzburg, Innsbruck & Zurich and there is also one Intercity (IC) train en route between Vienna & Kosice. Higher fares apply to these trains as they run via Kittsee and the €9.80 regional fare is not valid.
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Finding and boarding the train
There's no check-in and free access from street to platform to train, no reservations needed. Just walk into the station, glance at the departure boards to see which platform the next hourly train leaves from, go to that platform and step onto the train. Sit in any empty seat, there are usually plenty to choose from. Just make sure you have a ticket before boarding, there's a fine if you don't. See Vienna Hbf station guide. See Bratislava Hlavna station guide.
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Should you sit in the Slovakian car or one of the Austrian City Shuttle cars?
I personally prefer the more spacious intercity ambience of the Slovakian Railways (ZSSK) cars, these are air-conditioned and have power sockets if you need to recharge your mobile or laptop. The seats are in spacious bays, and line up with the windows for a great view. However, the slightly smaller-profile Austrian (ÖBB) City Shuttle cars are comfortable enough with armrests and tables, although these cars lack air-conditioning and have no power sockets. Take your pick! The whole train is 2nd class, there is no 1st class.
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Luggage
In principle, you can take anything you like as long as you can carry it or pull it behind you. Nobody weighs or measures it! You take it with you onto the train and put it on the luggage rack or simply on the floor. More about luggage on European trains.
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WiFi & power sockets
The Slovakian car has power sockets, 230v 2-pin standard European type, on the walls between the windows. There are no sockets in the Austrian City Shuttle cars. There is no WiFi, but mobile data will work fine for most of the route.
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Food & drink
There's no catering on these trains, but you can bring your own food & drink. There are plenty of food outlets at Vienna Hbf & Bratislava Hlavna.
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Bicycles: There are several designated bike spaces in the City Shuttle end car on these trains, see the biking by train page.
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Interrail & Eurail holders can use these trains freely, without reservation.
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In Bratislava, the city centre is 15 minutes walk from the station or there are trams & buses, see the station guide for Bratislava Hlavna.
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Vienna to Bratislava by Danube river boat?
You might consider a river trip along the Danube instead of the train. Vienna-Bratislava fast ferries and hydrofoils runs at least once a day in winter, up to 5 times a day in summer, 80 minutes. At least two companies operate, see www.twincityliner.com or www.lod.sk. Pay attention to their luggage arrangements, both companies will accept larger bags, but you must pay an extra fee.