Eviano

Austria · Rail trip · 7 days

Nightjet City Break

Mozart's city, the imperial capital and the underrated southern city in one week, all by train, with the return trip in your sleep: the city route for anyone who wants the station right in the centre.

The route, day by day

  1. Day 1 to 2

    Salzburg: Arriving by Railjet, Fortress on Foot

    The Railjet runs from Zurich every two hours direct via Buchs, Innsbruck and Kufstein to Salzburg, five and a half hours, Sparschiene fares from CHF 30 to 40 (about EUR 32 to 43), with the Half Fare Card half price on the Swiss section. Leave at 8.40 am and you are there at 2 pm and on the fortress by the afternoon. The station is 15 minutes on foot from the old town, or three minutes by trolleybus. Day one: the left bank of the Salzach, cathedral, Residenzplatz, Hohensalzburg Fortress on foot, Steingasse in the evening. Day two: Hellbrunn Palace with its trick fountains and the Mönchsberg with the Museum der Moderne, or the 48-hour Salzburg Card with the Untersberg cable car. Buy your Mozartkugeln at Fürst, not the ones in the red wrapper. You sleep in the Andräviertel between the station and Mirabellplatz, double room CHF 130 to 180, in your room ten minutes after stepping off the train. On to Vienna: Railjet from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof every half hour, two hours 20 minutes to Wien Hauptbahnhof, Sparschiene from CHF 20, Westbahn often cheaper and with tickets sold on board.

    Tours at this stop: Salzburg old town walking tour ↗Mozart dinner concert ↗

    Open the Salzburg travel guide →

  2. Day 3 to 5

    Vienna: Three Days of Imperial City, Coffee House and Standing Room at the Opera

    Three nights are the minimum in Vienna, and you arrive at midday, so day three counts as half a day: check into the hotel, buy the 72-hour Wiener Linien ticket for around CHF 17 (about EUR 18), then Stephansdom, Graben and a Melange at Café Central or, with less of a queue, at Café Sperl. Day four: Schönbrunn in the morning with a timed ticket, the Belvedere in the afternoon, and in the evening a standing place at the Staatsoper for CHF 13 to 18, online from 10 am the day before. Day five: the MuseumsQuartier or the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Naschmarkt for lunch, the Prater with its giant wheel, and a Heuriger in Stammersdorf in the evening, reached on tram 31. You sleep inside the Gürtel, in the 7th district or by the Naschmarkt, double room CHF 100 to 150 midweek, double that in Advent and ball season. On to Graz: Railjet from Wien Hauptbahnhof; since the Koralmbahn opened in December 2025 some trains use the new line, while the classic Südbahn over the Semmering takes two hours 35 minutes and is the more scenic route, Sparschiene from CHF 20.

    Tours at this stop: Schönbrunn Palace ticket ↗State Opera guided tour ↗Vienna coffee house tour ↗

    Open the Vienna travel guide →

  3. Day 6 to 7

    Graz: Schlossberg, Lend and Home Overnight on the Nightjet

    After Vienna, Graz is a relief: smaller, warmer, cheaper, and the people of Graz have time. Day six: 260 steps up the Schlossberg, the clock tower, then down into the old town with the Landhaushof and the Zeughaus, in the afternoon across the Murinsel to the Kunsthaus and the Lendplatz. In the evening Backhendl with Kürbiskernöl, which the Grazers pour over everything. Day seven is the day for the Südsteirische Weinstrasse: by train to Leibnitz or Ehrenhausen in 40 minutes, then bus or hire bike to a Buschenschank, Brettljause and Welschriesling with views over the vine-covered hills, back to Graz for dinner. You sleep one night in Lend, west of the Mur, double room CHF 110 to 150 (about EUR 118 to 161), and the second night on the train. Return: the Nightjet leaves Graz Hauptbahnhof in the evening and arrives in Zurich the next morning, couchette from CHF 60 to 90, sleeper from CHF 120. If you prefer to travel by day, take the Intercity through the Ennstal to Salzburg in four hours and the Railjet from there to Zurich, ten hours with a change and lunch in Salzburg.

    Tours at this stop: Graz old town guided tour ↗Südsteirische Weinstrasse tour ↗

    Open the Graz travel guide →

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What the route costs

Rough total per person for the whole route, mid-range, travelling as a pair. Flights and hotels vary by season; details are on the destination pages.

  • Getting there 161 EUR
  • Accommodation 449 EUR
  • Food 375 EUR
  • Local mobility 96 EUR
1,081 EUR
Total per person · 7 days

Money & payment: You pay in euros (EUR). Cards work almost everywhere; mountain huts and sausage stands often want cash. Tipping is expected: 5 to 10 percent, by naming the rounded total when you pay. In ski resorts a visitor tax of EUR 2 to 4 per night is added to the hotel price.

Tips for the route

Reversing the order is the classic version: Nightjet from Zurich at 9.40 pm to Vienna, arriving at 8 am, three days in Vienna, Railjet to Graz, Intercity through the Ennstal to Salzburg, and on the last afternoon the Railjet to Zurich in five and a half hours. That is worth it if you would rather sleep on the train at the start of the trip and arrive fresh in Vienna.

Booking Sparschiene: ÖBB Sparschiene tickets are available six months ahead, and the cheap quotas for Railjet and Nightjet are gone eight to twelve weeks before, especially on Fridays and Sundays. Book the legs separately, Zurich to Salzburg, Salzburg to Vienna, Vienna to Graz, Graz to Zurich, which is almost always cheaper than one ticket. Westbahn between Salzburg and Vienna is often the cheapest choice.

The Nightjet honestly: the couchette has four or six berths, thin mattresses and a breakfast from a bag; the sleeper has a real bed with a washbasin, and a shower in Deluxe. As a couple, a double compartment in the sleeper is worth it, around CHF 120 to 160 (about EUR 128 to 171) per person; alone, take the couchette with earplugs. The new Nightjet sets have mini cabins for solo travellers, where they run on the route.

Off season: Salzburg costs double from late July to late August during the festival, Vienna in Advent and ball season, Graz during the Steirischer Herbst at the end of September. May, June and October are the months for this route: Heurige open, museums empty, rooms CHF 100 to 150 midweek. December works with the Christmas markets, but only if you book in September.

Luggage and stations: one wheeled case, no second piece; in Salzburg you pull it 15 minutes into town, in Vienna and Graz the trolleybus or tram stops outside the door. All three stations have lockers for CHF 3 to 5 (about EUR 3 to 5), so on the last day in Graz you are free of luggage until the Nightjet leaves. On the train, luggage travels free and with no weight limit.

Frequently asked questions about Nightjet City Break

Are seven days enough for three cities?

Yes, with two nights in Salzburg, three in Vienna and one in Graz plus the night on the train. Salzburg is easily seen in two days, Vienna needs three, Graz a day and a half. If you only have five days, leave out Salzburg and take the Nightjet straight to Vienna. If you have ten days, extend Vienna and add Linz as a stopover.

When is the best time for the city break?

May, June, September and October. Then the cities are warm enough for pavement cafés and Heurige, not too hot, and free of festival or Advent prices. December is atmospheric with the Christmas markets in all three cities, but full and expensive. July and August are hot in Vienna and Graz, and festival time in Salzburg.

Why train rather than plane or car?

Because the station in all three cities is right in the middle and you need neither a transfer nor a garage. The flight to Vienna takes an hour and a half plus two hours at the airport, the Railjet eight hours with a desk and a dining car, and the Nightjet zero hours of your waking life. A car would only cost CHF 25 to 30 (about EUR 27 to 32) a day in garages in Vienna and Salzburg.

What does the city week cost per person?

Around CHF 1,000 (about EUR 1,070) mid-range as a couple: Railjet to Salzburg and Nightjet couchette back around CHF 150, six hotel nights around CHF 420, food CHF 350, and around CHF 90 for the Railjet between the cities and city transport. Add admissions: fortress, Schönbrunn, Belvedere and Kunsthaus together around CHF 80, the opera standing place CHF 15.

Is the Nightjet safe, and how does the night go?

Yes. The compartments lock from the inside, the attendant keeps your ticket and passport overnight and wakes you with breakfast before arrival. In a shared couchette, valuables belong in a bag on your body. Border checks practically never happen, and the trains are punctual apart from engineering works, which then mean a half-hour delay in the morning.

Is there a shorter or longer version?

Shorter: Vienna alone with the Nightjet there and back, four days with only two hotel nights. Longer: slot a night in Linz or the Wachau between Salzburg and Vienna, or add two days in Klagenfurt and on Lake Wörthersee after Graz, 45 minutes away since the Koralmbahn opened, and take the Nightjet from Villach. That makes nine to ten days.

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