European Railroad Discussion > Suggestions on short rail trip out of Vienna?

I'll be traveling to Germany and Austria on a river cruise that ends in Vienna. Unfortunately, the iternary does not have any rail trips, but I will have a free day (a Sunday) in Vienna while the wife shops. Any suggestions on a half day round trip or circle trip from Vienna and back so I can see some European railroads?

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If you want to add another country to your list, you could easily go to Bratislava, Slovakia in a morning. Service is fast and frequent. If trams are of interest, Vienna has an extensive system and still uses some of the older equipment. Like most of Europe, you don't see much from any of the high speed trains like RailJet. Sound barriers are everywhere. Stay with local services which give you more of a flavor of what the country is like. That said, RailJet provides one of the best HSR experiences in all of Europe. Their first class cars are far superior to anything offered in Germany or France.  Have a great trip. 

I would highly recommend a trip on the Südbahn from Vienna to Mürzzuschlag and return.  The trip takes 1.5 hours each way and there is a train every hour.  Most trains are Railjets (this is not HSR) though some through trains are conventional Eurocity trains.  The route is over the famous Semmering Pass which is quite scenic (and no, there are not significant areas bounded by sound barriers).  The Südbahn Museum is in Mürzzuschlag near the station.  The fare is quite reasonable so if you can, go 1st class.  Picking a Sunday in mid-June next year, if you left at 8:58am you would arrive Mürzzuschlag at 10:28.  You could have a hour at the museum and depart at 11:33 which would have you back in Vienna at 1:02pm.  Both trains would be Railjets.  There are trains in both directions at the same minutes before or after each hour throughout the day.  Only risk is that your wife is apt to be jealous when she sees your photos :-)  

Bratislava is also a possibility, the trip taking just over an hour each way and also with a train every hour.  These are local trains, 2nd class only.  From the Bratislava station you can take the tram to the old city which is nice.  If your primary interest is the railroad, though, I'd do Mürzzuschlag.  

Gordon



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/18 07:18 by gbmott.

There's the Vianne Lokalbahn (also known as the Badener Bahn) which is an interurban type operation to Baden from near the Opera House.

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I ended up going to Murzzuschlag.  Great trip of 100 mph running, freight & passenger traffic, and a double track electric railroad over a mountain pass.  While the museum was closed, it was fun to walk around the snow covered town and got a pizza for lunch.  If anyone is on a limited schedule and wants a taste of European railways, this is the trip!

Ron