Day trip from budapest to vienna on your trip to Central Europe is an amazing experience. While each city has its own charms, they also offer a lot of common ground. Budapest is famous for its pre-war architecture and thermal springs while Vienna is renowned for its cultural institutes and coffee culture. Fortunately, getting from one city to the other is easy with several options including train, bus and carpooling.

Getting from Budapest to Vienna by train is a convenient option for those traveling on a rail pass like Interrail or Eurorail. All trains leave from the Keleti station, which is located on the Pest side of the city and easily reachable by public transport, including metro line 2 (red). Most trains also stop at Kelenfold on the Buda side of the city, which can be reached with the green metro line 4.

Plan a Day Trip from Budapest to Vienna

If you don’t have a rail pass or prefer a more flexible schedule, you can also take a bus from Budapest to Vienna. Most buses depart from the Nepliget station in the center of Pest, which is a little bit away from the city center but easily reachable by the blue metro line M3. Some buses also stop at Kelenfold on the Buda city, which can be reached with the green Metro line 4.

The most flexible and quickest way to get from Budapest to Vienna is to hire a private car or minivan. However, this option can be expensive if you are traveling solo or with a group of people. Another budget-friendly option is to try hitchhiking. To do this, simply set a profile on ride-sharing platforms like BlaBlaCar and browse rides for the route from Budapest to Vienna. If you find a ride that matches your requirements, connect with the driver to arrange the pick-up/drop-off location and time.