Prague, Vienna and Budapest by Train: 7, 10 or 14-Day Itinerary
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For a first trip, plan 10 days: three nights each in Prague, Vienna and Budapest. Prague to Vienna takes 4 hours 12 minutes on a direct Railjet. Vienna to Budapest takes about 2 hours 50 minutes, with a train roughly every hour. Seven days works with two nights per city; 14 days leaves room for day trips. Book an open-jaw flight, into Prague and home from Budapest or the reverse, so you never repeat the nearly seven-hour ride between the two ends. Around Prague checked train and bus times in the IDOS timetable and on the carriers' official websites on November 10, 2026.
The route at a glance
Vienna is the middle stop, so the trip is two rides of half a day or less. Times are for direct trains on Thursday, November 19, 2026; the return direction runs the same way.
| Leg | Journey time | Direct trains on a weekday | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prague → Vienna | Railjet 4 h 12 min; RegioJet 4 h 17 to 4 h 20 min | 7 Railjets (ČD and ÖBB) from the main station, 4:35 a.m. to 6:37 p.m.; 2 more from Praha-Holešovice at 10:36 a.m. and 7:36 p.m.; 4 RegioJet trains | Praha hlavní nádraží → Wien Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) |
| Vienna → Budapest | 2 h 39 to 2 h 58 min; RegioJet 2 h 24 to 2 h 31 min to Kelenföld | 15 Railjet Xpress and EuroCity trains (ÖBB and MÁV), about hourly from 6:40 a.m. to 9:40 p.m.; 4 RegioJet trains | Wien Hbf → Budapest-Keleti; RegioJet to Kelenföld and Déli |
| Prague → Budapest, direct | 6 h 51 min; RegioJet via Vienna 6 h 57 min | 5 "Metropolitan" trains (ČD, ZSSK, MÁV) every two hours, 5:37 a.m. to 1:37 p.m.; 1 from Praha-Holešovice at 3:36 p.m.; 3 RegioJet trains | Praha hl.n. → Budapest-Nyugati via Brno and Bratislava; RegioJet to Kelenföld |
| Prague → Budapest, overnight | 10 h 31 min | 1 night train (ČD), departs 9:58 p.m., arrives 8:29 a.m. | Praha hl.n. → Budapest-Nyugati |
ČD is Czech Railways, ÖBB the Austrian, MÁV the Hungarian and ZSSK the Slovak state railway. Mind the stations: in Budapest, trains from Vienna use Keleti, direct trains from Prague use Nyugati, and RegioJet stops at Kelenföld and Déli. In Prague, two Railjets from Berlin skip the main station and stop only at Praha-Holešovice, on metro line C.
Timetable change. European rail timetables change on December 13, 2026. In IDOS for December 16 the pattern stays: Railjets leave Prague at :36 instead of :37, and two Railjets to Vienna (6:36 a.m., 2:36 p.m.) take 4 h 32 min. On regiojet.com, RegioJet's Prague departures move from :01 to :05.
Tickets and seat reservations
Buy from the carriers, online or in their apps. A ČD or ÖBB ticket is not valid on RegioJet, and the reverse. Around Prague is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with any carrier named here.
- ČD (cd.cz, Můj vlak app): the early-booking fare is listed from €18.50 (457 CZK, about $21) for Prague–Vienna and from €30 (741 CZK, about $34) for Prague–Budapest in second class. Tickets are limited, tied to one train and sold up to 180 days ahead; the actual price appears at purchase.
- ÖBB (oebb.at, ÖBB app): "Sparschiene" saver tickets are limited, valid only on the train you choose, non-refundable and sold up to six months ahead. A seat reservation on day trains costs €3 (about $3) online. ÖBB publishes no fixed starting fare for Vienna–Budapest. MÁV sells the same trains at jegy.mav.hu.
- RegioJet (regiojet.com): seat reservation is compulsory and included in every ticket. On November 10, fares for November 19 started at €16.90 (about $19) for Prague–Vienna, €11.90 (about $13) for Vienna–Budapest and €26.90 (about $30) for Prague–Budapest. Prices move with demand; see our RegioJet guide.
On ČD and ÖBB day trains a reservation is optional, except in Railjet business class. Night trains require one, included in the fare.
Bus or plane instead?
Bus. For November 19, FlixBus listed Prague–Vienna at about 4 hours to 4 h 25 min from €14.49 (about $16), Vienna–Budapest at 2 h 50 min to 3 h 30 min from €9.99 (about $11), and Prague–Budapest by day at 6 h 50 min to 7 h 55 min from €25.99 (about $29). RegioJet buses Prague–Vienna take 4 h 30 min to 4 h 50 min, from €11.90 (about $13). A bus is no faster than the train, but can be cheaper. In Vienna most FlixBus services stop at Erdberg (VIB), not the main station.
Plane. Flying saves no time. Prague Airport advises arriving at least two hours before departure if you check a bag. Trolleybus 59 from the Nádraží Veleslavín metro station to the terminals takes about 15 minutes. At Vienna Airport, the City Airport Train, running as non-stop coaches during rail works as of November 2026, needs 21 minutes to Wien Mitte. Two hours at the airport, 15 minutes on the trolleybus plus the metro ride, and 21 minutes into Vienna add up to over two and a half hours on the ground, plus the flight, against 4 h 12 min by train from city center to city center. This is our calculation from the airports' own figures; we did not compare airfares.
How many days: 7, 10 or 14
| Trip length | Nights in Prague / Vienna / Budapest | Full sightseeing days (plus three half days) | What fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days (6 nights) | 2 / 2 / 2 | 1 + 1 + 1 | The main sights of each city, no day trips |
| 10 days (9 nights) | 3 / 3 / 3 | 2 + 2 + 2 | One day trip: Kutná Hora from Prague or Bratislava from Vienna |
| 14 days (13 nights) | 5 / 4 / 4 | 4 + 3 + 3 | Day trips from each city, or a night in Brno on the way |
This split is our own calculation, not an official recommendation. It assumes each move between cities takes half a day door to door, and that arrival and departure days are not full days. For Prague itself, see our 1-, 2- and 3-day itinerary.
Plan your Prague trip
1. From the airport to the centre
2. Public transport and tickets
3. Money and currency exchange
4. Where to stay
5. What to see in 1, 2 and 3 days
6. What to book in advance
7. Beer halls and pubs
8. Day trips from Prague
9. What is on this week
Which order: Prague first or Budapest first?
- Trains do not decide it. Frequency and journey times are the same in both directions.
- Flights might. For 2026, Prague Airport announced a seasonal nonstop from Philadelphia on American Airlines, daily from May 21 to October 5. Its winter schedule (October 25, 2026 to March 27, 2027) names no U.S. route, and the airport had published no 2027 U.S. dates as of November 10, 2026. In winter you connect in Europe at either end, so price both directions.
- Prices. Eurostat's 2025 price index for restaurants and accommodation (EU average = 100) is 69.5 for Czechia, 82.4 for Hungary and 116.8 for Austria. These are national figures, not city ones, but they make Vienna the costliest stop: put spare nights in Prague or Budapest.
Stops along the way
- Brno: every direct train from Prague to Vienna or Budapest in the table stops here, 2 h 36 min from Prague and about 1 h 30 min from Vienna.
- Bratislava: regional trains leave Wien Hbf every hour and take 56 minutes. Direct Prague–Budapest trains stop here too, 4 h 25 min from Prague. Slovakia uses the euro.
- Kutná Hora: a day trip from Prague, about an hour by direct train.
- Český Krumlov: not on the main line. The direct train from Prague takes 2 h 28 min; going on to Vienna by rail takes 4 h 38 min to 5 h 50 min with two changes. Better as a day trip from Prague.
Money, borders and airports
Three currencies. Czechia uses the koruna (CZK), Austria the euro and Hungary the forint (HUF). Czech National Bank rates for November 10, 2026: $1 = 21.70 CZK, €1 = 24.34 CZK, 100 HUF = 6.70 CZK. From those we calculate €1 ≈ $1.12 and $1 ≈ 324 HUF; dollar amounts in this guide use these rates. Skip the airport exchange counters and decline conversion into dollars at ATMs; our safety and money guide explains why.
Borders. All three countries are in the Schengen area, so there is no routine passport control between them. Carry your passport anyway: Austria has notified the European Commission of temporary checks at its land borders with Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia from September 16, 2026 to March 15, 2027, so police may ask for documents on the train. Entry rules for Americans, including EES and ETIAS, are in our guide for U.S. citizens. This is not legal advice; the border officer decides.
Airports. For Prague, see from the airport to the city center. From Vienna Airport (VIE), direct trains reach Wien Hbf in 14 to 20 minutes. From Budapest Airport (BUD), bus 100E runs around the clock to Deák Ferenc tér in about 40 minutes; the ticket costs 2,500 HUF (about $8).
What to book ahead
- Prague: see what to book in advance in Prague and where to stay.
- Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace admits visitors at fixed times. The palace says genuine online tickets are sold only at imperialtickets.com, and the Vienna tourist board advises buying ahead.
- Budapest: the Parliament is visited on a 45-minute tour with an audio guide or a tour guide, says the city's official tourist site. Check tickets on the Parliament's own visitor pages.
By river instead? A Danube river cruise links Vienna and Budapest, and many cruise lines sell a Prague extension: see our guides to the Viking Prague extension and to getting from Prague to the ship in Passau, Nuremberg or Regensburg. Around Prague is not affiliated with Viking or any other cruise line.
Prague, Vienna, Budapest FAQ
How many days do you need for Prague, Vienna and Budapest?
Ten days is comfortable: three nights in each city. Seven days is the minimum; 14 adds day trips.
How long is the train from Prague to Vienna?
4 h 12 min by direct Railjet. On a November 2026 weekday, 7 Railjets and 4 RegioJet trains leave the main station.
How long is the train from Vienna to Budapest?
About 2 h 50 min to Budapest-Keleti, with 15 direct trains a day, roughly one an hour.
Is there a direct train from Prague to Budapest?
Yes. Five daytime trains run from the main station to Budapest-Nyugati in 6 h 51 min, plus a night train at 9:58 p.m.
Do I need my passport on the train between the three cities?
Yes, carry it. Austria has announced temporary border checks until March 15, 2027.
Sources: IDOS timetable, ČD early-booking fares, ÖBB: Vienna–Budapest, ÖBB Sparschiene Europe, RegioJet, FlixBus, MÁV tickets, Prague Airport: Philadelphia route, Prague Airport: when to arrive, Vienna Airport, BKK: bus 100E, European Commission: internal border controls, Eurostat price levels, Czech National Bank, Schönbrunn Palace, wien.info, budapestinfo.hu. Checked on November 10, 2026; confirm times and fares before you travel.
See also: Trains to Prague from Berlin, Munich and Vienna, Prague itinerary for 1, 2 and 3 days, Where to stay in Prague, Prague walking tours, What to book in advance in Prague, What's on in Prague this week, Entry requirements for U.S. citizens, Czech citizenship by descent for Americans,Luggage storage in Prague, Tax-free shopping and VAT refunds.
Photo: an ÖBB Railjet at Prague's main station, Praha hlavní nádraží. NÖLB Mh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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