Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VIENNA'S NEW HAUPTBAHNHOF
Vienna's new Hauptbahnhof (central train station) went partially into service in 2012 and should go into full ser-
vice by early 2015. Services to/from Bratislava, the Czech Republic, Wiener Neustadt and a few other regions of
Lower Austria and Burgenland have been using a new section of the station since late 2012. Until Hauptbahnhof
goes into full service, trains mostly servicing western Austria and international trains to/from European neigh-
bours west of Austria's borders will continue to use Westbahnhof. (This will eventually get only minor regional
trains.) Wien-Meidling (Meidling-Philadelphiabrücke U-Bahn,
not
Meidling Hauptstrasse) is for an interim peri-
od being used for trains mostly serving southern cities. For the current situation, always consult the timetables
on
www.oebb.at
- and look at your ticket closely.
TIMETABLES
ÖBB
( 24hr hotline 05 1717;
www.oebb.at
) With national and international connections. Only national connections
have prices unless they are special deals to and from neighbouring countries. Online national train booking. It also
shows Postbus services.
Deutsche Bahn
(German Railways;
www.bahn.de
) Useful for finding special deals to/from Germany or to check con-
nections (but not prices and bookings) in Austria.
Thomas Cook
(
www.thomascookpublishing.com
) The
Thomas Cook European Timetable
contains all train schedules,
supplements and reservations information. The monthly edition can be ordered from Thomas Cook.
TICKETS
Extra charges can apply on fast trains and international trains, and it is a good idea (sometimes obligatory) to make seat
reservations for peak times and on certain lines. Prices we give for national and international trains can vary slightly
according to the route and type of train.
The
Rail Europe Travel Centre
( 0844 848 4078;
www.raileurope.co.uk
;
193 Piccadilly, London;
10am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm Sat) handles bookings for a UK£8 surcharge walk-in or by telephone, and also online;
tickets from many different countries can be booked through the website. It's often cheapest to book the continental
Europe leg, then find the best Eurostar deal.
Deutsche Bahn
( UK 08718 8080 66;
www.bahn.de
; call centre
9am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat & Sun) in London is also useful, especially for taking advantage of savings through
early booking.
FROM LONDON
There are several good options. The fastest is by Eurostar to Brussels, then to Frankfurt, then Vienna, which can be
done during the day (13¼ hours) or overnight (17 hours). An alternative is to take the Eurostar to Brussels, change
there for Cologne, and take the overnight train from Cologne to Vienna (total trip 17 hours). There are also connections
via Paris. See
www.eurostar.com
for the best deals and for booking the leg from London. This starts at €39 one way.
Expect to pay €69 to €116 one way for Cologne to Vienna, or €69 to €136 for Brussels to Vienna via Frankfurt. The
website
www.seat61.com
also has helpful tips and details on booking.
