In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Vienna alone is a RegioJet train from Kelenföld, 2 hours 24 minutes to 2 hours 34 minutes each way, about 7 hours in the city, for €18 to €52 (£15 to £44) return. Bratislava has no same-day return on the direct bus. The only practical way to see both in one day is a tour. Or book a tour: the small-group Vienna and Bratislava tourad (£150.43, 4.7 stars from 289 reviews, 12 hours) picks you up at your hotel, guides the Belvedere gardens and Bratislava Castle, and leaves 2½ hours free in each city. The full-day guided tourad (£160.63, 4.8 stars from 319 reviews) can end in Vienna (GetYourGuide).
Going on your own
Vienna by train is a good day. Bratislava is not, unless you stay a night. Fares are RegioJet’s own, in euros.
Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens, seen from the hill behind the palace. Photo: Thomas Wolf, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.
- To Vienna by train: RegioJet from Budapest-Kelenföld to Vienna Hbf at 07:58 (2 hours 34 minutes), 11:58, 14:58 and 17:58 (2 hours 29 minutes). Fares on 13 October 2026 ran from €9 to €25.90, depending on the train and class; on Saturday 10 October they were €11.90 to €32.90.
- Back from Vienna: trains leave Vienna Hbf at 07:34 (2 hours 24 minutes), 10:27, 13:27 and 17:27, the last arriving in Budapest at 19:58.
- A day in Vienna: the 07:58 train arrives at about 10:30 and the 17:27 train home gives about 7 hours in the city. A day return costs roughly €18 to €52.
- To Bratislava by bus: RegioJet’s direct bus leaves Népliget for Bratislava Nivy at 10:50, arriving 14:00 (3 hours 10 minutes), and at 22:50 (2 hours 55 minutes), for €7.90 to €10.40. Buses back leave Bratislava at 03:15 and 13:45 (2 hours 50 minutes). The bus that gets you there at 14:00 misses the bus back at 13:45, so a same-day return does not work.
- By train and bus: combinations take 4 hours 22 minutes to 6 hours 22 minutes and cost €13.90 to €28.80, which is too long for a day.
| Vienna by train, on your own | Euros | Pounds |
|---|---|---|
| Return fare, depending on train and class | 18 to 52 | £15 to £44 |
| Schönbrunn palace ticket with audioguide | 42 | £36 |
| Schönbrunn Classic Pass | 49 | £41.50 |
Budapest public transport has the metro to Kelenföld and Népliget.
Tours from Budapest
A tour is the one way to see both cities in a day, and the price is mostly the 4 to 5 hours of driving, a guide and hotel pickup. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult.
Small group, Vienna and Bratislava
From £150.43 · 4.7 stars from 289 reviews · 12 hours
The small-group tourad is in English with hotel pickup and drop-off anywhere in Budapest. The guided parts are a walk through the Belvedere gardens in Vienna, a short drive around the Ringstraße and the centre, a 45-minute guided visit to Bratislava Castle and a 45-minute guided walk in the old town; each city then gets 2 to 2½ hours of free time. The listing says visits during the guided parts are free, lunch is not included, and bottled water and snacks are. You need a valid passport or EU ID. It is listed as likely to sell out.
Full day, Bratislava first
From £160.63 · 4.8 stars from 319 reviews · 12½ to 13 hours
The Bratislava and Vienna full-day tourad goes to Bratislava first, with 1½ hours guided and 2 hours free, then Vienna with 1½ hours guided and 2 hours free. In Bratislava the walk takes in St Michael’s Gate, the Main Square, the Primate’s Palace and the Blue Church as well as the castle; in Vienna it covers the Hofburg area, St Stephen’s Cathedral, the Ringstraße and the State Opera. There is an optional 45-minute stop in Győr. The tour can end in Vienna, so you can take your luggage and stay, and it runs as a private or small group with pickup from your accommodation.
Which to choose
- The train if you only want Vienna: about £15 to £44, and 7 hours in the city.
- The small-group tour for both cities at the lower price, with the guided parts short.
- The full-day tour if you want a longer guided walk in each city, or to end the day in Vienna.
What to see
Allow 12 to 13 hours by tour, or about 7 hours in Vienna by train.
Bratislava Castle above the Danube. Photo: Ingo Mehling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna. Palace ticket with audioguide €42 (about 75 minutes) · Classic Pass €49. The Habsburg summer palace. The Classic Pass adds the Privy Garden, the Orangery Garden, the maze and the Gloriette and is for a morning or afternoon of 3 to 4 hours. Prices are for the summer season to 2 November 2026 and are subject to seasonal change (schoenbrunn.at). The palace is at Schönbrunn station on the U4 metro line.
- Bratislava Castle. €14; students and children €7, seniors aged 62 to 69 €8 · daily except Tuesday, 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:00. The castle’s history museum is closed on Tuesdays, and on Monday 5 October 2026 it opens at 13:00. The grounds are open from 08:00 to 22:00, and the baroque garden to 17:00 in March and October and to 18:00 in April and September (snm.sk).
- Bratislava old town. Free. A walkable centre below the castle. It is the part the tours give a guided walk and free time.
- Skip: Bratislava Castle on a Tuesday, because the history museum is closed.
Michael’s Gate, the old town’s surviving medieval gate tower in Bratislava. Photo: Fred Romero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Practical information
- Passport: carry a valid passport or EU ID on the tours, which cross two borders.
- Tuesdays: the history museum at Bratislava Castle is closed on Tuesdays.
- Return times: the last RegioJet train back from Vienna leaves at 17:27, so a long evening in Vienna means a tour or a night.
Vienna and Bratislava is one of the day trips from Budapest, the longest of them. Eger is the longest you can do on your own by train, and the Danube Bend is the full day with a coach. The Puszta horse show and Lake Balaton are the other long days out. Budapest public transport has the metro to Kelenföld and Népliget, What to book before you go to Budapest has the city tickets, and 3 days in Budapest shows where a long day out fits.
Common questions
Can you do Vienna and Bratislava from Budapest in one day?
Only on a tour. A small-group tour takes 12 to 13 hours and costs £150.43 to £160.63. On your own, Vienna is a 2 hour 24 minute to 2 hour 34 minute train with about 7 hours in the city, and the direct Bratislava bus has no same-day return.
How do you get from Budapest to Vienna by train?
RegioJet runs four trains a day from Budapest-Kelenföld to Vienna Hbf, at 07:58, 11:58, 14:58 and 17:58, in 2 hours 29 minutes to 2 hours 34 minutes. Fares on the dates compared ran from €9 to €32.90 one way. The last of the four trains back leaves Vienna Hbf at 17:27 and arrives at 19:58.
How do you get from Budapest to Bratislava?
RegioJet runs a direct bus from Népliget to Bratislava Nivy at 10:50, arriving 14:00, and at 22:50, taking 2 hours 55 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes for €7.90 to €10.40. The buses back leave Bratislava at 03:15 and 13:45, so there is no same-day return on the direct bus. Train and bus combinations take 4 hours 22 minutes to 6 hours 22 minutes.
How much is Schönbrunn Palace?
The palace ticket with audioguide is €42 for an adult and €30 for a child aged 6 to 18, and the Classic Pass, which adds the Privy Garden, the Orangery Garden, the maze and the Gloriette, is €49. Prices are for the summer season to 2 November 2026 and are subject to seasonal change.
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