Austria
Austria is famous for its railways, which are popular among residents and tourists alike. With a whopping 1500 km (930 miles) of passenger rail travel per year per capita, this alpine country is third in the world in terms of railway usage popularity.
While full ticket prices are on the expensive side, generous discount offers exist for the resident and the occasional visitor alike. The Austrian government is making efforts to increase the share of efficient and environment-friendly transportation: the state-subsidized KlimaTicket (‘Climate Ticket’) allows unlimited travel for EUR 1095 a year, a price much lower than any other comparable offering in Western Europe.
How to buy tickets?
You can buy digital tickets on the homepage of ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) and in their mobile app for iOS, Android, and in the Huawei App Gallery.
For occasional visitors: 50% off all rail tickets
The ÖBB Vorteilscard 66 costs only 66 EUR a year (only slightly more than a single ticket from Vienna to Salzburg) and gives you 50% off all full-price rail tickets of ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) and numerous private railways (see the map on this site).
You can order the ÖBB Vorteilscard 66 here.
For residents and digital nomads: Unlimited travel for a year
The KlimaTicket (‘Climate Ticket’) is a yearly ticket for unlimited public transport usage in Austria.
How much? It costs EUR 1095 / year (also payable in monthly installments). Discounted prices are available for people under 26, over 65, people with special needs, and families.
Who can purchase it? Anyone, no residency in Austria is required.
Where is it valid? It is accepted by almost all rail, bus, and local transit providers (including ÖBB, Westbahn, Postbus, Wiener Linien, etc.). Excluded are mainly those services that primarily serve a touristic purpose such as heritage or mountain railways. Here is a map listing those services where KlimaTickets are NOT valid (in German only).
Regional KlimaTickets valid for particular federal states are also available at a reduced price.
How to get it? It can either be ordered online or bought at the ticket counters of participating service providers (e.g. at every major railway station). You can check the opening times of ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) ticket counters here.
Important: As of 2022, the KlimaTicket is a physical card (this will change sometime during 2023). If you order it online, you will need to consider the shipping time. However, if you buy it at a ticket counter, you will get a temporary card that you can use right away.
For those who plan ahead
ÖBB has discounted tickets called SparSchiene for advance bookings. They are automatically offered to you when buying tickets online. Please note: these tickets are valid for a specific train connection only and are non-reimbursable (with the exception of the variant Sparschiene Komfort).
For small groups traveling short distances
The Einfach-Raus-Ticket is a cheap flat-rate daily ticket to use all local rail services in Austria (S-Bahn, R, REX), with the exception of the Region of Vorarlberg to groups of 2 to 5 people. It is not valid for long-distance services such as InterCity, Railjet, or EuroNight.
Passengers with Special Needs
Owners of an Austrian ‘Behindertenpass’ with a disability grade of 70% or more are entitled to a 50% discount on full-price railway tickets.
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