Vienna Austria 5 Day Itinerary (Day Trips)

Five days from Vienna gets you all four day trips that work as a single day: the Wachau Valley, Bratislava, Salzburg, and Graz with the Semmering railway. Only got 4 days? Drop Graz and see the 4-day version . Got a sixth day? The 6-day plan adds Hallstatt, the honest way.

Book these before you go

Day 1: Land and settle into Vienna as your base

Vienna International Airport (VIE) sits about 18km southeast of the center. Skip the City Airport Train unless you’re checking bags at Wien Mitte or traveling at a brutal peak hour: it charges close to three times the S7 suburban rail fare to save under 10 minutes. The S7 covers the same route in about 25 minutes for around EUR 5.40. Check in near Hauptbahnhof, since it handles three of your next four days, then spend the evening walking the Innere Stadt. Save the deep sightseeing for our full Vienna city guide .

Day 2: The Wachau Valley and Melk Abbey

Direct trains from Wien Westbahnhof reach Melk in about an hour. The ÖBB Wachau-Ticket bundles that train, Melk Abbey admission, and a Krems-Melk river boat leg into one ticket, roughly EUR 59 and valid 36 hours. The boat, run by DDSG Blue Danube , skips some weekdays in spring and autumn 2026, so confirm the sailing calendar first, or use the Wachaubahn local train instead. Tour the abbey, walk into Dürnstein, and return by early evening.

Day 3: Bratislava, a second country in under an hour

The Bratislava-Ticket (linked above) covers the round trip; the fastest trains take about 56 minutes since 2025 electrification work finished, with one-way fares from roughly EUR 6-7 booked ahead to about EUR 15 walk-up. Trains run every 30 to 60 minutes. Walk the old town, climb to the castle for the river view, and head back before a late dinner.

Day 4: Salzburg, the long day

The Railjet covers the roughly 300km to Salzburg in 2h15 to 2h32, twice hourly, mostly from Wien Hauptbahnhof; the rival Westbahn operator runs the same route from Westbahnhof, so confirm which station is printed on your ticket. ÖBB’s own timetable and Salzburg’s own arrival advice both spell out the current schedule. Catch an early train out; this is a full historic city, not a quick stop.

Day 5: Graz and the Semmering railway

Vienna to Graz runs about 2h40 from Wien Hauptbahnhof, with up to 30 departures a day, so a missed train costs almost nothing. Mid-route, the Semmering railway , a UNESCO-listed mountain line opened in 1854, runs a roughly 40-minute scenic stretch between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag. Ride the full route into Graz and use Graz’s tourism site to plan the old town, or treat the Semmering stretch alone as a shorter there-and-back half day if a full Graz day feels like too much after four straight days of trains.

Do you need a car for any of these day trips?

No. All four run on direct or well-timed train connections from Hauptbahnhof or Westbahnhof. A car adds parking costs and, for Bratislava, a border crossing, for zero time saved on any of these specific routes; save a rental for a separate Austrian road trip, not a Vienna base week.

Should you do Graz or Salzburg if you can only pick one?

Salzburg wins on sights per hour: the Altstadt, the fortress, and Mozart’s birthplace all sit within walking distance of the station. Graz wins if the Semmering railway itself, not the destination, is the point of the day, since the scenic stretch alone justifies the round trip even without much time in Graz’s old town.

The day trips, in numbers

Day trip Distance from Vienna Train time One-way cost
Wachau Valley + Melk Abbey roughly 90km west about 1h direct EUR 15-20 by rail, or roughly EUR 59 for the Wachau-Ticket bundle
Bratislava, Slovakia roughly 55km east 56min to 1h EUR 6-15
Salzburg roughly 300km west 2h15 to 2h32 from EUR 19.90 in advance
Graz + the Semmering railway roughly 200km southwest about 2h40 varies by fare class
Hallstatt far southwest, indirect route 3.5 to 4h plus a ferry EUR 19.90 advance to roughly EUR 59.60 walk-up

Four day trips in four days is a real pace; build a slow morning into at least one of them rather than an early train every single day, or the week starts to feel like a commute.