Navigating Transportation in Austria 2024

Traveling is such a freeing experience, but making all of the travel plans can be frustrating and expensive. Luckily, transportation in Austria is easy and affordable especially if you only rely on public transportation!

The well-connected system of public buses and trains makes it easy to move around the country and cities. Even better are the cable cars, gondolas, and funiculars that bring you up the steep mountains for insane views.

Whether you’re coming from the other side of the world (like I did), or from a neighboring country, you have plenty of options to get into Austria, and unlimited options to move around once you’re in! Check out everything you need to know about transportation in Austria!

Transportation In Austria

Once you’ve made it to Austria, traveling around is super easy and affordable! Austria’s public transportation system is extremely well-connected, with great digital tools to help you plan and travel efficiently, like the Verkher website shown below.

This website shows the cross-over points, the walking distance between the journey’s legs, and every stop so you can follow the route! It is very accurate, showing cancellations and the CO2 footprint of each option.

Once in Austria, we’ve never needed anything else between this and Google Maps, so easy! Get the Verkher transport program directly on your phone with the app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Transportation in Austria is affordable and sometimes free on local public bus routes, making it easy to fit into your Austria budget.

Public Bus

While the Verkehr website is a great tool, it doesn’t tell you that sometimes local buses are free!

Using the local bus while exploring the Stubai region, a ride between Innsbruck and Stubai Glacier ski resort would cost around €10, but with our Tourist Guest Card, it is completely free! Typically these routes are for skiers and require a residence card or tourist guest card, but we were never asked.

This isn’t the case for everyone in every location, but Austria runs a tight ship regarding tourist documentation. Whether you’re in a hostel, hotel, or Airbnb, the host or manager will provide a Tourist Guest Card. This card will have perks all over your local area, so be sure to check these out and cash in the benefits!

Check out the perfect one-day Salzburg itinerary to get the most out of your Austrian adventure!

Trains

Trains are the best way to get across the country in longer distances. The official state-owned company in Austria is OBB, which is clean, comfortable, and affordable. Tickets can be purchased at a station, or online with a discount! Another great company is Westbahn, with often cheaper tickets and non-stop service between major cities! There are a lot of train companies operating in Austria, so check out sites like Omio or Trainline to see the various options for your travels. Trains in Austria are easy to use, fast, and allow you to bring all of your luggage easily while you sit back and enjoy the countryside views. If you’re exploring long-term around Europe, you may want to check out the Eurail Pass. It is a bit pricier, but for frequent travelers, the cost is worth it.

Booking online before travel is almost always cheaper!

Gondolas & Funiculars

It wouldn’t be a complete Austrian trip without going on at least one cable car or funicular up a steep mountain. The views are worth it and the experience is fun to try, but not always for the faint of heart! In many towns, you will find either traditional or modern cable cars (gondolas) – a small box that holds 2-20 people, connected to a cable on a pulley system. You will also find funiculars – a steep railway that climbs up the mountain, also called a cog railway. The best experiences I had were in the Salzkammergut region near Hallstatt. The Katrin Cable Car in Bad Ischl is one of the last remaining traditional cable cars in the area and only holds 4 people as it ascends the snowy mountain. A short distance away across the valley is the steepest cog railway in all of Austria up the SchafbergBahn in St Wolfgang. The views from up here are incredible and one of the best things to do during your trip around Hallstatt!

Before speeding off on any adventure abroad, be sure you have your International Driving Permit. This will avoid any issues with the local police, ensure insurance protection in the event of a crash, and give you one less thing to worry about!

Learn everything you need to know about the IDP in this guide.

Getting To Austria

From Europe

Europe is arguably one of the most well-connected areas for people, where you can get from one point to the next mainly using public transport. You can get anywhere by bus or train, most of which have free-onboard WiFi too, so you can sit back and work or just watch the sights as you travel through countries.

A great place to start is a tool like Rome2Rio, which will show you some basic options to start looking into. From here, you’ll get an idea of what the different travel options are to look into independently!

Traveling by bus or train is affordable and convenient to move around Europe. Use platforms like FlixBus or BudBud, to check out bus routes, and Omio and Trainline for train routes.

From Outside Europe

Getting to Austria from anywhere outside of the European Region will likely require a flight unless you have a lot of time to kill. Since traveling sustainably is a huge goal of this blog and the new generation of travelers, it’s important to reduce your travel impact as much as possible! This can be done in two main ways; travel slowly & offset your carbon footprint.

Even if you have to fly into Austria, take some time and explore Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Germany, or any of the countries around Europe! You can see the whole world without pinballing from place to place and adopt a slow travel approach.

Don’t sweat it if you need to take a flight, but think about how the rest of your actions are either adding to or subtracting from that carbon impact you’ve made.

Sometimes flights are unavoidable, so when you have to take one, make sure you’re booking the cheapest flight with these booking tricks.

Carbon Footprint

Summary - What To Know About Transportation in Austria

Getting into and around Austria is super easy and affordable if you plan right. The central location of Austria in Europe makes it a great stopover point in any European adventure, and so beautiful to stay and explore around.

Using a mix of buses and trains, navigating around Austria is super easy. If you use the Verkher website, you will always find the best routes to your next destination so you can travel with ease and confidence.