The Semmering Railway

Europe’s first standard-gauge mountain railway, the Semmering Railway, or Semmeringbahn, is one of Austria’s most scenic train rides and a UNESCO-World Heritage Site. Over a 41km stretch of track, the line passes jagged cliff faces and cuts through thick forests and deep valleys from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag, and is part of the mainline route linking Vienna and Graz (and beyond to Venice, Ljubljana or Trieste).

Opened in 1854 and designed by master railroad engineer, Carl Ritter von Ghega, the Semmering Railway is often called the world’s first true mountain railway due to the challenging terrain and significant elevation change overcome during its construction. Over six years, workers carved 14 tunnels, built 16 viaducts (some double-decked), and stitched a trackbed into slopes that rise more than 450 metres in altitude. Today, the railway remains in daily use as part of Austria’s busy Southern Railway, connecting communities in the region with Austria’s main cities. It is also a rewarding and scenic slow travel journey that can be taken as a day trip or as part of a longer onwards route.

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about the Semmering Railway: the train services, tickets, flexibility, and a station-by-station walkthrough with ideas for stopovers and onward connections.

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Map of the Semmering Railway.

The Semmering Railway: the train

Operator and route details

The Semmering line is operated by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) as part of the main Southern Railway connecting Vienna and Graz, continuing south to Villach, Klagenfurt, and beyond into Italy and Slovenia. The full Vienna to Graz journey takes about 2 hours 40 minutes, with the famed mountain stretch between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag lasting around 40 minutes. There are up to 30 departures daily, with a mix of Regional-Express (REX) services making every stop, high-speed Railjet services, long-distance Intercity (IC) and EuroCity (EC) trains, and Nightjet sleeper trains passing through overnight.

Train types and onboard facilities

The REX trains run hourly or more, stopping at every station along the Semmering Railway. These are three to five carriages long, with standard seating, bike spaces, and large windows perfect for the slower journey through the Alps. They have no catering but are ideal for hop-on, hop-off travel between local stations.

The Semmering Railway is also serviced by high-speed Railjet trains, usually seven carriages long, offering three classes: economy (second class), first, and business. Expect spacious seating, large windows, power outlets, luggage racks, free Wi-Fi, and a dining car serving meals, snacks and drinks. First class provides more space and quieter carriages, with table service for food and drink, while business class adds even wider seats and complimentary beverages.

Several IC and EC trains cover the route each day. These typically have five to seven carriages, with comfortable first- and second-class seating, toilets and luggage racks. Wi-Fi is not guaranteed on these trains, but they are equally punctual and clean.

At night, Nightjet sleepers pass through en route to Italy. They offer couchettes and private compartments but make limited stops along the mountain stretch, and depending on the time that you arrive/depart, you may miss the scenery if it’s dark.

Ticket options and flexibility

A one-way flexible ticket from Vienna to Graz starts from around €19 in economy class, or approximately €32 for a semi-flexible ticket in first class. Shorter hops over just the Semmering section from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag, cost roughly €10 in second class.

Flexible tickets allow you to hop off and catch a later regional or long-distance train, as long as you're travelling onwards on the same day. If you break the journey on a reserved Railjet, IC or EC train, you’ll need a new reservation for your next train, but the base ticket remains valid. REX trains don’t require or accept reservations, making them the easiest for flexible, stop-start travel.

Interrail passes

The entire Vienna to Graz route via the Semmering is included in Interrail passes. No reservations are needed for REX trains, meaning they offer a higher level of flexibility to explore stops along the line. On Railjet, IC or EC trains, reservations are optional but recommended during peak times. Nightjet sleepers require a supplement and reservation.

The future of the line

Work on the Semmering Base Tunnel is currently underway, aiming to open by 2030. Until then, all train services will continue to use the historic rail route for daily operations, offering the full experience of the Semmering Railway.

When the new 27.3km twin-tube tunnel opens, many long-distance trains will divert underground to ease pressure on the line and shorten the Vienna to Graz journey time by roughly 30-minutes. These services will bypass the stone viaducts and alpine views that make the journey so special. Thankfully, REX services are expected to remain on the original UNESCO-listed section, although there may potentially be fewer departures than now.

It’s also worth noting that construction on both the new tunnel and maintenance on the historic line can sometimes disrupt services. Rail replacement buses occasionally operate instead of trains on parts of the Semmering Railway during planned works. For example, in 2025, construction closures are scheduled on various sections of the line between September and December. Always check the ÕBB website for updated timetables and replacement services before planning your journey.

Rosso Robot/CC BY-SA 4.0

Railjet train leaving the Kalte Rinne viaduct.

The Semmering Railway: the journey

Vienna

To reach the Semmering Railway, most journeys start in Austria’s capital, Vienna. If you’re overnighting here before departure, walk the Belvedere Palace gardens for city views then enjoy a Käsekrainer (a cheese sausage) from one of the city’s many Würstelstands – head to Würstelstand zum Hohen Markt if you’re vegan. Before boarding the train, treat yourself to a traditional Viennese or Goldegg Spezial breakfast (with a glass of prosecco if you fancy), at Café Goldegg. Opened in 1910, the cafe is two-minutes from the station and is an icon of Viennese coffee house culture, with black marble table-tops, parquet flooring and intricately patterned wood-pannelling in the Jungendstil (Viennese Art Nouveau) style.

The train rolls out of Vienna Hauptbahnhof through the city’s southern districts. From your seat, you pass rows of modern apartment blocks, with the spire of Stephansdom fading into the distance. Soon, the urban views give way to flat farmland with fields marked out in neat plots, punctuated by chapels and lines of trees.

Leyre

Belvedere Palace, Vienna.

Wiener Neustadt

About half an hour south, you stop briefly in Wiener Neustadt. Look east to see the Leitha hills, and west toward the Rax massif, an introduction to the mountain scenery ahead. This is also a junction for local trains to Puchberg am Schneeberg, where a cog railway climbs to Schneeberg mountain.

Bryan Dijkhuizen

Puchberg am Schneeberg

Gloggnitz

Leaving the plains, the line narrows into the Schwarzatal valley, the river appearing beside the tracks. At Gloggnitz, the engineering challenge of the Semmering becomes visible: steep forested slopes, the track already bending sharply ahead. Stop here for a short walk to Schloss Gloggnitz, a former monastery with an exhibition on local history.

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Schloss Gloggnitz

Payerbach-Reichenau

The train hugs the riverbank past fishing huts and meadow pastures. At Payerbach, heritage trams on the Höllentalbahn branch off into a narrow gorge for a worthwhile side trip. In the village, Cafe Konditorei Alber is located across the River Schwarza, and serves large slices of Himbeerkuchen (a raspberry-topped pie), a real treat to break the journey.

Klamm-Schottwien

Soon after departure, the train hits its first viaducts before diving through multiple tunnels. Emerging on the far side, you’re suddenly perched high above the Adlitzgraben gorge, looking down on roads far below. A preserved 19th-century railway watchman’s hut is a short walk from Klamm-Schottwien station.

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Krausel Klause Viaduct.

Breitenstein

From Klamm-Schottwien, the train enters the Klamm Tunnel, then surfaces onto the impressive Wagnergraben and Gamperlgraben viaducts, winding higher into the mountains before pulling into Breitenstein station. The village’s Carl Ritter von Ghega Museum is a stop for rail enthusiasts, dedicated to the engineer who designed the Semmering Railway. The small museum, on the railroad hiking trail near the Kalte Rinne viaduct, houses tools, maps and model locomotives explaining how the team of workers built the line through the Alps.

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Semmering

Between Breitenstein and Semmering the train traverses some of its most famous engineering works. First comes the Krausel-Klause viaduct, a multi-arched bridge where you can look back and see other sections of track layered above or below you. Moments later after another tunnel, the line sweeps across the Kalte Rinne viaduct, its double-deck stone arches spanning 184m with a height of 46m. Sit on the right-hand side of the train for the clearest views down into the valley and across to the mountain ridges.

After this dramatic sequence, the train plunges into a short series of tunnels to reach Semmering station. From here, the Bahnwanderweg trail starts, leading in 20-minutes to the 20-Schilling Blick viewpoint with a classic shot of the railway’s stacked viaducts. The grand Südbahnhotel, built in 1882 to welcome early railway tourists, sits on the nearby ridge.

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Spital am Semmering.

Spital am Semmering

The forest becomes thicker here, the train weaving through rock cuttings and over smaller stone bridges above streams. At Spital am Semmering, a 45-minute loop trail starts from the station, offering views down the Roschnitz valley where the railway spirals below.

Mürzzuschlag

The landscape flattens into a broad valley as you approach Mürzzuschlag, the final stop on the Semmering Railway section of the route to Graz. The Südbahn Museum here is the largest on the route, with full-size locomotives and original surveying maps from the 1850s. If you stay overnight, try the family-owned Wirtshaus Musiwirt Gärtner for classic Styrian Backhendl (fried chicken), and stop at local institution, Bäckerei Köck, for breakfast before heading on.

Alejandra Cifre Gonzalez

Mürzzuschlag.

Kindberg and Bruck an der Mur

Continuing on the Südbahn south of Mürzzuschlag, the Alps soften into rolling hills lined with vineyards. Kindberg is a small town at 565 m elevation in the Mürz valley, lying amid orchards and home to the Pfarrkirche St. Peter und Paul, a Baroque church with a 15th-century defensive round tower, surrounded by remnants of a medieval wall and small chapel buildings inside the courtyard. At Bruck an der Mur, explore the triangular main square, one of Austria’s oldest, and walk along the banks of the Mur river before reboarding.

3DVISU

Uhrturm, Graz

Graz

The final approach weaves through suburbs and parkland before reaching Graz, Austria’s second-largest city and the regional capital of Styria. End your day climbing the tree-clad Schlossberg hill for sunset views over terracotta rooftops beside the city’s signature landmark, the Uhrturm (Clock Tower), then head to Der Steirer for dinner with local pumpkin-seed oil salad and hearty Styrian dishes in a laid-back setting. If you have a bit longer to linger in Graz, it’s worth taking a train out of the city to the Zotter Chocolate Experience World. You can explore the fairtrade factory and see the production line from start to finish, discover a bit about the company’s history, then enjoy their outdoor area.

Onwards from Graz

Graz is a major hub for trains heading deeper into southern Europe, or westwards. Direct services run to Maribor in Slovenia in an hour and on to Ljubljana or Zagreb in around three to four hours. This route is ideal if you want to combine Austria’s mountain landscapes with time in Slovenia’s wine regions or Croatia’s lively capital (or onwards to the beaches).

For more Alpine scenery, continue by local train on the Styrian Eastern Railway towards Bad Radkersburg, a spa town on the Slovenian border known for thermal baths and cycling routes along the Mur river. Alternatively, head west via Leoben to Salzburg through the Enns Valley, a line that threads past limestone peaks and offers easy access to hiking around the Gesäuse National Park.

Every onward route from Graz is covered by Interrail passes, making the Semmering Railway a stepping stone for a longer rail journey, whether you’re looking for city culture, spa escapes, or mountain adventures.

Travel along the Semmering Railway

Europe’s first true mountain railroad, the Semmering Line climbs from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag over stone viaducts and through Alpine forest. Keep an eye out for the peaks of Rax and Schneeberg, and grand old resort villas.

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