How to get from Vienna to Budapest: by train, by car, by bus or by plane?

More and more tourists are looking for what is possible connections to go from Vienna to Budapest and vice versa, to visit these 2 beautiful and historic European capitals in one trip.

In fact, it is an excellent choice to visit these 2 very important capitals crossed by the Danube in a single trip or holiday. The capital of Austria and Hungary are 2 historic cities with many attractions, museums and places to see.

The optimal choice for visit Vienna and Budapest in one trip, is to arrive by plane in one of these 2 cities and return by plane from the airport of the other city, in this way you will optimize the times.



How to get from Vienna to Budapest

How to get from Vienna to Budapest: by train, by car, by bus or by plane?
Vienna, Austria - Photo from Istock

Budapest and Vienna are only 250 km away and you can move between the 2 cities in trainin busin autoin plane private tour and even in hydrofoil. The use of each vehicle can have its right motivation based on travel needs or preferences.

By train

Il better way to get from Vienna to Budapest is on the train. This solution is the best for various reasons: it is the cheapest, there are many trains a day connecting the 2 cities and in less than 3 hours you can move from the center of Vienna to that of Budapest.

The way faster And simple to travel from Vienna to Budapest is with the high-speed Railjet trains. These modern and luxurious trains connect the 2 cities in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The price of the trip is around 40 €.



There is still one cheaper solution, using regional trains. The cost of the ticket is about € 20 and allows you to admire the places and landscapes along the route with more tranquility.

By car

Using a car is only advisable if you arrive in Vienna with your own car. The distance is not too great between the 2 cities, only 250 km, And in less than 3 hours you move from one city to another.

It's not convenient rent a car. The 2 cities can be visited on foot and by public transport and it is not advisable to rent a car to make the transfer only.

By bus

Bus use can also be a good solution to travel from Vienna to Budapest. Perhaps using the bus may be a little less comfortable than the train, but they can be found very cheap rates, especially if you book your ticket well in advance.

The cost in many cases can be alone 5 or 10 euro. The travel time by bus between the 2 cities is approx 3 hours. To find the best rates we recommend visiting the Flixbus site.


By plane

Travel from Vienna to Budapest by plane, in this case strangely it's not the fastest solution. The flight lasts only 45 minutes, but you have to add the travel times between cities and airports, check-in times, ...

If you want to travel by plane between one city and another, the total time can well exceed 4-5 hours. The airline that operates the Vienna-Budapest route is Austrian Airlines and the cost of the ticket starts from 100 euros.


Look for a flight from Vienna to Budapest or vice versa

By hydrofoil 

The hydrofoil trip is the most beautiful and fun. Moving on the waters of the Danube is a very romantic and fascinating experience. The connection is active from the beginning of April to the beginning of November.


The journey from Vienna to Budapest takes 5 hours, while for the return from Budapest to Vienna you need 6 hours, one more hour because you are sailing against the tide. The company that manages the hydrofoils is the Mahart Pass Nave.

With organized tours

There are organized tours with private minibuses or buses that carry out daily excursions from Vienna to Budapest, but also from Budapest to Vienna. If you are short on time this can be a good solution. By committing only one day of your trip, you can visit another capital and add it to the list of capitals visited.

How to get from Vienna to Budapest: by train, by car, by bus or by plane?
Budapest Parliament -
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