bosnyc

Hi,

The wifey and I are planning on taking the train from Vienna to Prague in mid-April. Do you guys suggest buying our tickets now or wait until we get to Europe? If possible, I'm trying to avoid the ~$20 Rail Europe's website is looking to charge to ship tickets (I didn't see an e-ticket option). Also, what's everyone's thoughts on 1st vs 2nd class. It's a 4-hour ride, but we'll have luggage (1 suitcase + a rollaboard). Is it worth the price difference (I think it's something like ~$50 each). We're not doing the overnight option.

Thanks in advance for your 2-cents!

Track

Avoid Eurail for point-to-point tickets at all costs! They charge $88 for Vienna-Prague + shipping charges, whereas on-line the Austrian railroad (OeBB) charges 29 Euros (about $31), available even for the next day. There's a train every two hours from Vienna to Prague - with dining car; buy your ticket in Vienna, and second-class is fine.

bosnyc

Thanks for the info. I forgot to mention, is the train a set price, or is the train fare like a plane ticket where I can find myself paying sky-high rates if I wait until the day before travel?

airsupply

Have a look at Czech Railways eshop. I believe you can buy tickets online directly.

https://old.cd.cz/eshop/connres_2G.a...7-7a71ceb65c4b
If you have difficulty figuring the website out seat61 has pretty detailed info.

bitterproffit

I purchased my tickets online from the Oebb.at website in advance. I was sent the e-tix in an email and printed them off. Looking at the website, you can pick a specific train on a specific time or leave that open ended. There are different costs. You can pick 1st or 2nd class. Business Class on Railjet is the nicest class. It was very nice. Not sure it was worth the extra money, but you have a reserved seat. I also agree seat61 is a great resource.

stut

I would try the Austrian Railways (OEBB) site. Some countries have restrictions on only buying international tickets from the railway of the country of origin, too.

https://tickets.oebb.at/en/ticket/travel

The fares are a mix of fixed and quota-controlled. There's a fixed, flexible fare of €64, and levels of quota-controlled fares from €19 up. E-ticket is an option.

Arctifox

The best thing is, as already mentioned here, to check the train operator web sites: Check either the ÖBB links stated above or the Czech railways' web site (https://old.cd.cz/en/default.htm). Be aware that ÖBB shows prices in Euro, while CD shows prices in Czech Crowns.

The Railjet trains used on the direct trains between Vienna and Prague can be bought on with both operator's, so you can just see which one is cheaper.

BTW: Remember that when you book a ticket on ÖBB you have to perform an additonal step to actually receive the printable PDF ticket (alternatively you can get a mobile ticket on your phone or a code for printing it at an ÖBB ticket machine, but you have to choose one of those three options).

leadhead

I used the czech railway site last summer when traveling to prague. The website takes a little screwing around with to figure out but it's manageable. I was coming from Germany and the exact same tickets were like 1/3 the price on the czech website as the Bahn website!

the810

CD has a new website, including new e-shop and it's very nice and easy-to-use: www.cd.cz. (EDIT: I just found out it's not yet translated into English Hopefully this will change soon.)

For future reference: If you wish to buy ticket between Austria and Czech Republic with seat reservation, I suggest you buy on OBB/CD website depending on where your travel originates. Both websites allow you to book tickets for both directions, however, they will only let you select seat from seat map if train originates in that country. It is generally good idea to book in advance to get a better deal (but note that cheap tickets are less flexible) and also to avoid bad seat or no seat - these trains can get very busy during high season.

:D!

I was able to use cd.cz in English to buy tickets last month.

the810

Yes, but that's the old version of the website and e-shop, not the new one I was referring to.

:D!

Oh I see, if you choose English it just sends you to the old site automatically. The old site is also very easy to use and I think I prefer it to the new site...

EmailKid

As long as at least three years ago I met Americans who bought intra Czech Republic tickets on their smart phones and showed the phone to person checking tickets. It may have been even earlier, but that was the last time I was in Europe. Don't know if this works for intrernational, such as it is.

For whatever reason I was using Engish web site and on more than one occasion it kicked me to Czech version. Not a problem for me, but it could be for many.

FWIW, Renfe did the same thing to me, and while my Spanish isn't the greatest, still managed to get my tickets online. The high speed rail tickets are DEFINITELLY better bought early, as the cheap tickets sell out .... at least for Renfe, don't know about the others.

You can also buy your train ticket in Vienna when you arrive for a day you wish to travel. I don't speak German, but didn't need it in Vienna.