By ship
By ship
Riverboats on the Danube include connections with Linz, Bratislava and Budapest, but are slower and more expensive than other options.
LOD
run a fast hydrofoil between Vienna and Bratislava May-October with up to two daily departures. The dock is in the 2nd District on the Danube proper U1 VorgartenstraÃe, Dock 6 on the Danube. Sailing time 1:30 downstream 1:45 upstream.
Twin City Liner
Is a fast catamaran between Vienna and Bratislava March-December with up to four daily departures. The dock is in the 1st District at Schwedenplatz. Sailing time 1:15 downstream 1:30 upstream.
Mahart Passnave
operate a fast hydrofoil between Vienna and Budapest May-October with daily departures during the peak season. The dock is in the 2nd District on the Danube proper U1 VorgartenstraÃe, dock on the Danube. Sailing time 5:30 downstream 6:30 upstream. The boat only moors Bratislava and Visegrád if pre-arranged.
Donauschiffahrt Wurm + Köck
operate ships between Vienna and Linz. Sailing is slow and expensive but the ships travel through the famous Wachau river valley. Combine tickets including return via train are available at reasonable prices.
By train
The station names of all stops in Vienna start with its German name "Wien". This is internationally recognized and helpful for buying tickets. The railways are managed by the ÃBB Austrian Federal Railways (http://www.oebb.at/en/ind...). Read more about train travel within Austria and reaching Austria by train.
Station Construction until 2015
Until 2010 Vienna had several large train stations Südbahnhof, Westbahnhof, Nord, Mitte. Currently Südbahnhof South Station has been closed for construction of a main station and the others are working but under construction. Many trains that used South Station now stop or terminate at the station Wien Meidling. Be sure to check schedules and it is advised to take extra time when departing from these stations as the temporary provisions are not always easy to navigate.
It can be puzzling to understanding where trains depart and arrive, i.e. trains heading East often leave from West Station. It is best to check the scheduals online and plug in the exact train, subway or tram stop you are going to/departing from, this will give you the quickest solution. Railway agents are likely to give you an easy answer where the most train to somewhere leave from, you may not be told about certain trains that don't fit the regular pattern.
Ticket offices are normally open during all departure hours at Wien Meidling and Wien West around 5AM-11PM. It has come to light that with more trains leaving from stations like Wien Praterstern, trains depart outside of ticket office hours. If this is the case you can buy the ticket on-board from the conductor, they are only able to sell regular as well as certain discounted tickets cash only, so it is best to buy ahead if possible.