Krakow to Vienna - 13 Best Ways to Travel in 2024

The most popular way to travel from Krakow to Vienna is by train. There are two daily direct connections, leaving Krakow in the morning (after 6 am) and afternoon (around 2 pm) and arriving in Vienna over five hours later. 

If those hours don't work for you, there are a few more options throughout the day with convenient changes in Katowice (Poland) or Breclav (Czech Republic) that take only a bit longer than direct trains. 

Carriages on the Krakow to Vienna route are comfortable, with air-conditioning and power sockets next to each seat. However, they often don't have a dining car, so you better stock up on drinks and snacks for your journey. 

Krakow to Vienna train ticket

The Krakow to Vienna train tickets start at €22,90 if you buy them in advance and can cost up to around €60 shortly before the departure. The best way to purchase them is on the website of the Polish, Austrian, or Czech railways (since the train goes through all three countries). It's worth checking all three websites to get the lowest price, as sometimes the prices might vary. 

If you prefer to buy your ticket in a traditional way, you can do it at Krakow's main train station. You will find ticket offices in the underground part of the station, in the corridor behind all the shops. Since this is one of the busiest train stations in Poland, don't leave the purchase for the last moment as lines can get very long, and you don't want to miss your train. 

Krakow to Vienna with Interrail pass

If you use Interrail tickets or other travel passes to travel from Krakow to Vienna by train, you can also take these trains. You only need to purchase the seat reservation for €3. The easiest way to do it is via the Austrian Railways website.

Krakow to Vienna night train

There is one more direct train from Krakow to Vienna that you might want to consider - a night connection. It departs from Krakow after 10 pm and arrives in Vienna shortly before 5 am. Even if the journey is only around six and a half hours, you can still catch up on sleep and get ready to explore Vienna the next day. 

This train offers only sleeper compartments, with one, two, or three beds in each. Prices for the Krakow to Vienna night train start at €125, but the ticket can cost up to €200 if you buy it at last minute. 

The easiest way to purchase the ticket is on the websites of the railways mentioned above or in the ticket office at the train station. Considering the price and the Krakow to Vienna night train schedule, this option is worth choosing only if all the other ways of traveling between the cities are unavailable. 

Train stations in Krakow and Vienna

The main train station in Krakow is located near the Old Town, only around 15 15-minute walk from the Main Square. You can also get it by public transport, numerous trams and buses are available in this area. The most convenient stops are Dworzec Główny Tunel, Dworzec Główny Zachód, or Teatr Słowackiego. Popular car-sharing applications work in Krakow, too. 

In Vienna, you will arrive at the central train station - Wien Hauptbahnhof - from where you can take the metro red line U1 to get to your final destination in the city. 

A popular alternative to the train is the bus from Krakow to Vienna. Each day, there are more direct connections between the cities compared to the train, although the travel time is slightly longer. Still, if you prefer a variety of departure times, you might want to choose the bus for your trip from Krakow to Vienna.

Depending on the day, at least six direct buses from Krakow to Vienna (sometimes more) are operated by the well-known company Flixbus. The first bus departs from Krakow at 5 in the morning, the last one at midnight, with other departures staggered throughout the day. 

The fastest bus (the one departing at 15:10) takes six hours and twenty minutes between bus stations in Krakow and Vienna. However, if you want to save a bit of time during your trip, you can take the night bus - it leaves from Krakow at midnight and arrives in Vienna some eight hours later. If you are comfortable with sleeping on the bus, this might be a good option for you. 

Krakow to Vienna bus tickets

You can check the bus schedule and buy tickets on the Flixbus website. Prices start at around €15 and can go up to €65 shortly before the departure, so the earlier you get your ticket, the less you pay. For a small fee, you can book the seat you like, which might be worth considering, especially for the night connection. 

Flixbus buses are comfortable, with enough leg space, a power socket next to each seat, and complimentary wifi to keep you entertained during your trip.

Bus stations in Krakow and Vienna

All the buses depart from the MDA bus station in Krakow, located next to the main train station (on the other side of the shopping center Galeria Krakowska). 

In Vienna, you will arrive at the bus station at Erdbergstrasse, a bit away from the center but with good connections to the rest of the city by the orange metro line U3. 

Another good and often affordable option to travel from Krakow to Vienna is by plane. Each day, there are at least a few direct flights between the cities, operated by LOT Polish Airlines, Austrian Airlines, and low-cost airline Ryanair. The flight time is only around one hour, but the price you pay for the ticket depends on the airline you choose.

Krakow to Vienna flight price

You can find tickets for as little as €15 with Ryanair, but since it's a low-cost airline, you need to pay extra for all the services: extra carry-on luggage, check-in at the airport, priority boarding, etc. 

Austrian Airlines has one-way Krakow to Vienna tickets for €70 and more. LOT Polish Airlines is the most expensive one - you can expect to pay at least €170 for the flight (it's cheaper to fly with LOT via Warsaw, but it takes much longer). 

You can check the schedules (they might vary depending on the day) and book tickets at each airline's website.

Airports in Krakow and Vienna

Even if you count the time to get to and from the airport, flying from Krakow to Vienna is the fastest way of traveling between the cities. 

Krakow Airport is located some 15 km away from the center of the city and is well-connected to the main station by train. Those depart twice per hour and have a travel time of only 17 minutes. A ticket for the airport train costs €4; you can purchase it online, at the train station, or on the train. 

When you land in Vienna, you can use the City Airport Train (the ticket costs €14,90) or the slower suburban train S7 (for €4,10) to get to the center - both will take you to the Wien Mitte station near the core of the city, also served by U3 orange metro line and U4 green metro line.

If you prefer to have complete control over your trip, you can drive from Krakow to Vienna directly or with sightseeing stops in interesting places along the way. 

The distance between the cities is 465 km, and the fastest way should take around five hours. Just keep in mind that this includes paid roads, so you must remember to purchase the Czech and Austrian vignettes online to use the motorways (in Poland, you pay directly at the toll gates on the highways). 

If you can spare some time in your itinerary, you can plan a perfect Krakow to Vienna road trip. There are some great places to stop along the way, in Poland, the Czech Republic, or Slovakia (if you decide to go via this country) to make your journey even better and more fulfilling. How many of them you can include in your plan is up to you, but some of our recommendations of places worth considering are Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bielsko-Biala, Cieszyn (Poland), Stramberk, Ostrava, Olomouc, Kromeriz, Brno, Mikulov, Lednice-Valtice (Czech Republic), Cicmany, Trencin, Trnava, Bratislava (Slovakia).

Since you might need to rent a car for this trip, remember that you will be charged an extra fee when renting a car and returning it to another destination. You can expect to pay at least €600 for the rental car for your Krakow to Vienna trip.

If driving is your preferred way of traveling but you don't want to sit behind the wheel, you can choose a private transfer from Krakow to Vienna. It's not the cheapest option, as you can expect to pay around €400 for your trip, but it offers flexibility and a door-to-door ride. 

You can choose a direct transfer or, for an extra fee, you can add sightseeing stops along the way in places like Auschwitz-Birkenau (the former Nazi concentration camp), Zbrasvo cave, UNESCO-listed places Olomouc, Kromeriz and Lednice-Valtice, or the charming town of Mikulov.

A good alternative for traveling from Krakow to Vienna, especially for last-minute trips, is carpooling. This is a popular way of traveling around Europe, so you shouldn't have problems finding a ride. 

The most popular website for car-sharing travel is BlaBlaCar. All you need to do is register there, browse through available rides, and once you find the one that works for you, contact the driver to arrange details (mostly pick-up place and time). Available rides usually pop up a few days before the departure, so don't get discouraged if you can't find something suitable; just return closer to the day of your trip to search again. 

Car-sharing can also be a good way to connect with local people and have company during your trip. What you pay for the Krakow to Vienna carpool ride depends on the driver as they set the price - those are usually between €15 and €35. 

One thing to remember when planning a car-sharing trip is that the pick-up or drop-off locations are not always in the city's center. You often need to add the hassle of figuring out how to get to the arranged meeting place to your journey. Still, this is a viable option for traveling from Krakow to Vienna.

We are not going to lie - hitchhiking from Krakow to Vienna can be challenging due to the distance and the lack of direct roads between the cities. But it's not impossible, so if you are up for an adventure, this might be a good option for you to travel from Krakow to Vienna. 

Even if the fastest way to get from Krakow to Vienna is via Katowice, we recommend aiming for Bielsko-Biała and then across the border to the Czech Republic and onwards to Austria. While Katowice is a larger city, it is also covered in a maze of roads and motorways, and you don't want to get stuck there. 

You can start your trip near the Opatkowice bus stop in the southern part of Krakow, which is the best spot for hitchhikers going towards the Czech Republic. To get there, take a tram no 8, 19, 22, or 50 to the final stop, Borek Fałęcki, where you can change for the bus to Opatkowice stop. Once there, you can start your hitchhiking already at the bus stop. When you find the ride, tell the driver immediately that you want to go to Bielsko-Biała, as the road divides a few kilometers further.

Those who enjoy cycling are in for a treat, as going by bike from Krakow to Vienna will allow you to explore this beautiful corner of Central Europe and learn more about the region, its culture, customs, and history. You will be able to visit some exceptional places along the way, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites, beautiful castles and chateaus, charming towns, and more. 

Since the cycling path from Krakow to Vienna goes through hilly areas, some level of fitness is required for this trip. The shortest way from Krakow to Vienna by bike is around 400 km, so you need around a week to cover it. We recommend planning more so you can fully enjoy the region and all the sightseeing along the way.

If you want to avoid dealing with the practical aspects of the trip, you can join one of the Krakow to Vienna bike tours. Those usually last eight to ten days and go at a more leisurely pace, stopping in many places along the way.

This might seem like an extreme idea to most, but if you are one of those travelers who enjoy walking and have at least two weeks to spend on your holidays, going from Krakow to Vienna on foot might be an option for you. 

You will need to cover a distance of around 400 km, sometimes in the hilly areas. Still, as a reward, you can get to know this fascinating part of Europe like no one else and visit some real off-the-path places that most travelers have yet to hear about. 

After leaving Krakow, you can choose between heading towards Slovakia or the Czech Republic before reaching Vienna. Both countries along the way are fantastic and offer many interesting stops along the way, so it doesn't matter which way you choose; we are sure you will have an unforgettable and fascinating trip.

If you enjoy the freedom of travel and the power of a motorcycle, taking your two wheels for a trip from Krakow to Vienna can be a perfect way of traveling between the two cities. You can either go on motorways for a quick but enjoyable trip or take backroads for a more relaxed journey across the beautiful landscape dotted with charming towns and villages.

The fastest way from Krakow to Vienna should take around five hours, but we recommend slowing down to explore Central Europe beyond the well-known trail.

Those of you who travel with a motorhome are in for a treat, as you can visit so many amazing spots on the way from Krakow to Vienna and enjoy the freedom of traveling. While highways offer the quickest trip, you should dive into the area and take less popular roads to discover beautiful Central Europe. 

With a motorhome, you can stop in as many beautiful and interesting places along the way as you like. Just remember to follow the rules. Camping in the wild is allowed only in the designated spots in Poland; in Slovakia, it is allowed outside of national parks; and in the Czech Republic and Austria, it is forbidden. But there are plenty of campsites along the way where you can stay for the night before continuing your journey towards Vienna.

This might be a frivolous idea, but taking a private jet is the best option if you have money to spare and want to get from Krakow to Vienna fast. You can expect to pay at least €5.000 to charter a plane for this trip, but this way, you can travel between the cities in around three hours, including getting to and from the airport. Not only will it be a smooth journey, but you can also experience a bit of luxury during your travels.

Final thoughts on traveling from Krakow to Vienna 

As you can see above, there are plenty of options to choose from for your Krakow to Vienna trip. Most travelers decide on a straightforward journey between the city, but we recommend taking more time out of your itinerary and going slower to see more of what Central Europe has to offer. You might be surprised how many amazing places you will find along the way!