In Austria ÖBB operates the vast majority of trains. Four other operators: Regiojet, Westbahn, Gysev and Microtra accept Interrail in their trains as well. Other operators don’t, for example some local railways in the Alps such as the Zillertalbahn and Pinzgauer Lokalbahn. The CAT (City airport train) to/from Vienna airport does not accept interrail. But lots of other trains also run between Vienna airport and the city center which do.

Railway operators in Austria

ÖBB

ÖBB operates intercity as well as regional trains in Austria, on domestic routes within Austria you can get on their trains without needing any reservations in 2nd or 1st class, however Business class on Railjet trains does require reservations, as well as an additional fee even for 1st class pass holders.

The Innsbruck – Salzburg Railjet route runs through Germany, but does not have any stops in Germany – it counts as a domestic train, therefore if you’re a global pass holder with residence in Germany, you can use it without using inbound/outbound days, and if you have a one country pass for Austria, you can use it as well. The one country pass for Austria is also valid on ÖBB trains in Liechtenstein, which counts as a part of Austria for Interrail purposes.

You can use ÖBB S-Bahn services to get around Vienna and other cities that have S-Bahn networks, but your Interrail pass is not valid on the U-Bahn, trams, buses, Wiener Lokalbahn or the City Airport Train (CAT). It is valid on ÖBB and Regiojet trains to the Vienna airport. Besides trains, your Interrail pass is also valid on ÖBB IC Bus routes (Klagenfurt – Graz), but not on ÖBB Postbus routes! The pass is not accepted on line S1 and S11 of the Salzburg S-Bahn, but can be used on other lines.

ÖBB operates a large network of sleeper trains all over Europe, called Nightjet. Reservations are required for these trains on international routes. If you get a seat of a Nightjet within Austria, reservation is optional. For couchettes or beds reservations are always mandatory. It’s a good idea to book these early, they can get sold out months in advance.

Besides ÖBB, four other operators accept Interrail in Austria:

Regiojet

Regiojet trains on the Prague – Vienna – Budapest route require reservations, the price varies by class but it’s cheap (up to 3€). With a 2nd class pass you can reserve seats in the 3 lower classes (Low cost, Standard, Relax) while the highest Business class is restricted to 1st class pass holders. You can buy reservations at https://regiojet.cz/, or at a station at a RegioJet ticket office. For more details check the article on Czechia.

Westbahn

Westbahn trains on the Munich/Innsbruck – Salzburg – Linz – Vienna route also accept Interrail, but beware that both 1st and 2nd class pass holders can only travel in standard class, while the “Westbahn plus” class is available to 1st class pass holders, but only an upgrade (you can pay that to the conductor in the train). Most journeys cost €9.90 but some longer ones (eg Vienna to/from destinations beyond Munich/Innsbruck) cost €14.90.

Though they are optional if you would like to make a seat reservation you can do so at: https://westbahn.at/en/reservations/seat-upgrade/ the price is €4.90. You can choose your seat from a plan.

Top tip – if you are buying standard tickets then Westbahn offer a 50% discount on their flexible WESTflexpreis tickets if you hold any sort of railway discount card. Eg: SBB Half Fare Card, České dráhy In Karta, ZSSK Klasik, British National Rail Railcard, SNCF Carte Avantage… Full details at: https://westbahn.at/en/fares/westvorteilspreis/

Raaberbahn/Gysev

Raaberbahn/Gysev regional trains between Austria and Hungary accept Interrail on these routes: Ebenfurt to Sopron and Neusiedl am See to Pamhagen (Gr).

Micotra

They run regional trains from Villach to Tarvisio (Italy).

Reservations

Reservations are not required for the vast majority of trains – in particular all regional trains of any operator, all domestic ÖBB intercity trains, all Westbahn intercity trains. They are only required on some international routes.

How to book from ÖBB

Reservations for ÖBB trains (as well as trains in some neighboring countries like Germany or Italy) can be easily made on the ÖBB website or app by selecting the single tickets option, and adding the Interrail pass as a discount card. Most will be delivered by email (or just loaded in the ÖBB app), but some more exotic ones require pickup in Austria.

How to book reservation online with ÖBB, instructions with pictures on Eurail community: https://community.eurail.com/train-connections-reservations-47/how-to-get-reservations-105?postid=178#post178

Short instructions:

1. Go to https://shop.oebbtickets.at/en/ticket
2. Enter the trip you’re wishing to take, select time and date
3. Click ‘change’ on the ‘who is going?’
4. Click ‘Add discount’
5. Choose ‘Interrail / Eurail – Globalpass’
6. Click ‘next’
7. Click ‘Find services’
8. Choose ‘One-way tickets’ [not “Seat only”!]
9. Select the train of your choice
10. Select the ticket of your choice. Remember to select the right class – ÖBB doesn’t know if you have first or second class ticket.
11. Add the reservation to the basket, fill in your details and pay.

Reservations are mandatory for:

• ÖBB IC Bus
• All Regiojet trains
• All Nightjet and EuroNight trains, except for seats on some routes (couchettes or beds always come with mandatory reservations)
• EC and Railjet trains to Italy: while seat reservations are not required, a 10€ supplement (additional fee) is. You can buy it for example from the ÖBB website or app, or at ticket offices, or pay it to the conductor in the train.

Railjet, ICE and EC trains to other countries (Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia) do not require reservations.

Top tips

Going to Bratislava as a day trip from Vienna? Don’t use a travel day but instead buy: https://www.oebb.at/en/regionale-angebote/ueberregionale-angebote/bratislava-ticket – this costs €18 and gives you a fully flexible return ticket. And also includes unlimited local public transport in Bratislava.

Note that local trains between Vienna and Bratislava are temporarily not serving Bratislava main station until October 2025. Trains are instead running to/from Bratislava Petržalka railway station to the south of the river. City buses run very frequently between there and the city center.