What is railjet?
Railjets are Austrian Railways (ÖBB's) premier high-speed trains, capable of 230 km/h (143 mph) where the route allows.
What's the Munich-Vienna-Budapest journey
like?
Where do railjets run?
Munich Hbf - Salzburg - Linz - Vienna Hbf - Budapest Keleti
Zurich HB - Innsbruck - Salzburg - Linz - Vienna Hbf - Budapest Keleti (see the Arlberg Railway page)
Zurich HB - Vienna Hbf - Bratislava Hlavna (1 per day)
Vienna Hbf - Klagenfurt - Udine - Venice Santa Lucia 2 per day (see the Vienna to Venice page).
Prague Hlavni - Vienna Hbf - Graz (some trains on this route are blue Czech Railways railjets)
Berlin Hbf - Vienna Hbf (1 per day, via Prague)
What are railjet trains like?
Railjets have 3 classes, economy, first & business (in that order), all with free WiFi. Business class is a premium first class, called Premium class until 2012. The trains are all non-smoking. Wheelchair-accessible toilets and several wheelchair spaces are available in each train.
A railjet at Vienna Hbf. Railjets are push-pull, with a locomotive at one end & a driving cab (shown here) at the other.
Economy (2nd class)
Economy (2nd) class has open-plan seating arranged 2+2 across the car width, most unidirectional but with some tables for 4. All seats have power sockets and a fixed or drop-down table. Large luggage racks are located at various points within the seating area, see the photo of the luggage rack in 1st class below, it's the same in all classes (in fact there's a luggage rack in the photo below left, behind the table for 4). See seat maps. Click the photos for larger images.
First class
First class has reclining leather seats arranged 2+1 across the car width, with tables for 2, tables for 4 people and some unidirectional seats. There are power sockets & tables at all seats. Food & drink orders are taken from the restaurant menu & served at your seat, although meals aren't included in the fare. See panorama photo. See seat maps. Click the photos for larger images.
Business class (premium 1st)
You pay an extra €15 on top of any 1st class fare to get a business class seat, which automatically includes a reserved seat.
The original railjets (used Munich-Vienna-Budapest & Zurich-Innsbruck-Vienna-Budapest) have 16 business class seats in half a car at one end of the train: A carpeted corridor runs down one side of the car, off which open several spacious 3 or 4 seat semi-compartments, semi because the compartments have no door and partitions are not ceiling-high. Each semi-compartment has very comfortable reclining leather armchairs with adjustable footrests & fold-out armrest table.
The later railjets (used on the Vienna-Graz-Venice & Vienna-Berlin routes) have just 6 business class seats, arranged open-plan 1+1 across the car width at one end of the train at one end of a first class car.
The new-generation railjets (used Munich-Innsbruck-Verona) has 16 business class seats arranged in four fully-enclosed 4-seat compartments.
If you don't mind the extra cost, business class is highly recommended. There are power sockets & reading lights at all seats. A complimentary welcome drink of wine or fruit juice is included. Food & drink orders are taken from the restaurant menu and served at your seat, although meals aren't included in the fare. Note that only certain booking sites can book business class (for example www.thetrainline.com & www.oebb.at where you select a 1st class fare then choose a business class reservation), but if you have a first class ticket you can find any empty seat and ask to pay the €15 supplement on board.
See panorama photo. See seat maps. Click the photos for larger images.
Business class in the original railjets: Side corridor with 14 seats in two 3-seat & two 4-seat semi-compartments, plus two solo seats at one end. See seat map.
Business class in later railjet trains: Just 6 seats, open plan at the end of the train. See seat map.
Restaurant car
Anyone in any class can buy food & drink at the counter to take back to their seat or you can sit down in any free seat in the 14-seat restaurant area which has table service. However, in 1st & Business classes there's no need to go to the restaurant car, a steward will take your order and serve you from the restaurant menu at your seat - or you can order food & drink on your phone, see the travel tips section below. Food is served on proper china with metal cutlery - no airline plastic here. The Austrian wines are excellent, as is the beer. You can find the current menu at www.oebb.at/en/.../im-zug/bordservice - please let me know if that link stops working.
New generation railjets
The new-generation railjets with completely redesigned interiors are now entering service and will gradually replace conventional EuroCity trains on the Munich-Innsbruck-Verona-Bologna/Venice route starting from April 2024. The new-generation railjets are instantly recognisable as 7 of the 9 cars have low floor centre sections for easy level boarding. Business class comes in the form of 4 x 4-seat compartments, there is a restaurant car with small seating area, luggage racks have cable ties to secure your bags for peace of mind, secured with any NFC card such as a contactless bank card. Naturally, there are power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, as with current railjets, and first and business class passengers have food & drink orders taken and served at their seat, no need to visit the restaurant car unless you want to. See inside the new generation railjets in this video. See interior photos here. See seat map.
New generation railjet at Innsbruck. Note the low-floor section. Photo courtesy of @SimplyRailway.
Travel tips
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Fares, tickets & seat reservations
Seat reservations are optional on railjets, there's a small extra charge if you want one, otherwise you can sit in any empty unreserved seat. That means you can always buy a full-price ticket and get on the next train, railjet trains can never sell out. However, a seat reservation is a good idea for a long journey and you will find cheaper fares if you are willing to commit to a specific train with a limited-refund, limited-changes ticket booked in advance as shown below. Booking opens up to 6 months ahead depending which website you use to book, but significantly less than that when the mid-December timetable change is involved. Which website you use to book depends on where your journey starts, see the how to buy tickets section below.
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Economy, first or business class?
Economy class is absolutely fine. However, first class has wider seats and more legroom if you don't mind paying the extra, and as fares are dynamic it might not cost much more. Look at the photos above, what you see is what you get, but for me first class has two key benefits: First, you don't need to leave your seat and luggage to go to the restaurant car, in first and business class stewards take your order and serve you at your seat. Second, if travelling alone there are 'solo' seats on one side of the aisle in first class for privacy if you'd rather not sit next to someone else. Business class is a real treat, if you can afford the first class fare plus €15, go for it.
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Boarding
As with most European trains, there's no check-in, you just walk into the station, look at the departure screens to find your train and get on, any time before it leaves. At major stations there's also a screen or poster showing the train formation and where each car will stop along the platform, this saves you running up and down looking for your car when the train comes in.
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Seat maps
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Luggage
You take your bags with you and put them on any suitable luggage rack near your seat. If you can carry it you can take it, as within reason there are no baggage limits. Anything up to backpack size fits on the overhead rack directly above your seat, larger items fit on the luggage stacks inside the seating areas, see the photo below.
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Bikes & dogs
Bikes are carried on railjet trains, there are 5 spaces per train, see the bikes by train page.
You can take a dog or pet on a railjet, see the dogs by train page.
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For a railjet seat map, see the train seat map page.
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Power sockets & WiFi
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Railjets have power sockets at all seats or pairs of seats in all classes. There's free WiFi in all classes, it works in Austria and neighbouring countries.
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Quiet zone (Ruhezone)
Some seating in economy and first class is designated Ruhezone - quiet zone. No mobile phones, no noisy kids. The areas are marked on the car sides, and by distinctive green headrests marked Ruhezone, Quiet zone.
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Family zone (Familienzone)
The end car at the economy end of the train is specially designated for parents with young children. In this car there's a small area where kids can watch a screen with cartoons, and there are game boards marked on the tables. Seats in the family area have blue headrests marked Familienzone.
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First class lounges
If you have a 1st class ticket or 1st class Interrail or Eurail pass you can use the ÖBB lounge at Vienna Hbf or Vienna Meidling, the ÖBB lounges at Salzburg & Innsbruck, and the MAV business lounge at Budapest Keleti. Unfortunately, you can only use DB Lounges at German stations with an expensive 1st class Flexpreis fare, not with a 1st class railpass or Sparpreis or Super Sparpreis fare.
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Order food & drink & check the train's progress on your phone!
In first & business class the restaurant car steward takes your orders for food & drink and serves them at your seat. But you can short-circuit this process by logging onto the railjet's free WiFi, the ÖBB portal opens up (railnet.oebb.at) with an option to order food for delivery to your seat. You order from the online menu, enter your car & seat number, and hey presto, the steward shows up shortly afterwards with your order. You pay him when he arrives or can pay online with a bank card.
You can find the current restaurant menu at www.oebb.at/en/.../im-zug/bordservice - please let me know if that link stops working.
The intranet also allows you to keep track of the train's speed and whereabouts on your phone, and check arrival times.
How to buy tickets
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Book in advance for the cheapest fares. If you book ahead, you can find cheap fares on these railjet trains from as little as €29 from Munich or Zurich to Vienna or Budapest, €14 from Vienna to Budapest or €14 Vienna to Prague.
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Journeys starting in Germany
Buy tickets online at German Railways int.bahn.de. Alternatively, for journeys to Austria you can also book at www.thetrainline.com which can sometimes be cheaper as it links to the Austrian Railways system as well as the German. Booking now opens up to 6 months ahead on both these sites.
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Journeys starting in Austria
Buy tickets online at either www.thetrainline.com (easiest to use) or Austrian Railways' own site www.oebb.at (same prices, a bit more fiddly). For journeys to Germany, you can also use German Railways int.bahn.de. All these sites now try to open bookings 6 months ahead. For journeys to Prague you can also use www.cd.cz, booking opens 3 months ahead.
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Journeys starting in Switzerland
Buy tickets at either www.thetrainline.com (easiest to use) or Austrian Railways' own site www.oebb.at (same prices, a bit more fiddly).
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Journeys starting in Budapest
You can use the MAV (Hungarian railways) website www.mav-start.hu, booking opens 90 days ahead. You usually print your ticket or can show it in the MAV app. It's a little fiddly, you may find it easier to book from Budapest to Germany at int.bahn.de and from Budapest to Austria or Switzerland at www.thetrainline.com, booking on these sites opens up to 6 months ahead.
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Journeys starting in Prague
Book at either www.cd.cz up to 3 months ahead or www.thetrainline.com up to 6 months ahead.
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If you want to book business class, book at www.thetrainline.com or www.oebb.at. On the Vienna-Prague route, www.cd.cz can now also book business class seats.
What's the Munich - Salzburg - Vienna - Budapest journey like?
The train soon leaves the Munich suburbs behind and snakes through pretty Bavarian countryside, past tiny villages nestling in green valleys, picturesque chalets and Bavarian churches with tall, slender spires. Approaching Salzburg the Alps come into view, making a great backdrop to your train ride, often with snow on the highest peaks even in June. Just before arriving at Salzburg the train crosses the Salzach river - look to the right for great views of Salzburg's citadel & castle (see the photo below). Soon after Salzburg the train leaves the Alps behind and snakes through hilly Austrian scenery, past Austrian churches with their bulbous spires, so different from those in Bavaria. The train calls at Linz before reaching its maximum 200 km/h (125mph) speed on the fastest part of the journey, then it slows down again through more green hilly countryside into Vienna's new main station. From Vienna to Budapest the landscape is flat, wide open farmland, now sporting more wind turbines that you've ever seen before, allegedly over 200. Just before arriving in Budapest the train crosses the Danube, although a modern road bridge obscures the view along the river. The train normally keeps good time, so expect an on-time arrival into Budapest's historic Keleti station, built 1881-1884.
Bavarian scenery between Munich & Salzburg.
Pleasant farmland scenery in Austria.
Between Vienna & Budapest it's largely flat. This photo pretty much sums up that whole route!
