Travelling from Austria to Croatia

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Travelling from Austria to Croatia

With only Slovenia in between the two countries, it’s easy to travel from Austria to Croatia. There are a number of different routes and methods of transport available to you! Most journeys will take you to Zagreb, where you can then travel on to other parts of Croatia.

Travelling from Graz to Croatia

If you find yourself arriving in Graz by plane, you can travel from Graz Airport to the town using the inexpensive bus service (journey time 20/30 minutes) which takes you to the city centre or, more conveniently, directly to Graz train station (“Graz Hauptbahnhof”); see the timetable.

Alternatively, you can get a train (journey time: just over 10 minutes) from the airport train station to Graz – the airport train station is in fact a 300-metre walk along a road from the terminal, although it’s not as daunting as it sounds. As long as you have an airport trolley to transport your luggage with, the walk is completely flat and doesn’t involve any steps or similar. Search for the timetable on the Austrian Railways website. (Look up journeys between Graz Flughafen and Graz Hauptbahnhof.)

Graz – Zagreb by Bus

On the left-hand side of the railway station building, there is a bus stop where your airport bus will bring you to (opposite the Ibis Hotel). There are now four buses a day (five on Fridays), run by either Croatia Bus or Crnja Tours). Journey time is 3-4 hours. Please note that the buses on Fridays can be very crowded as some Croatian workers return home for the weekend.

Graz – Zagreb by Train

There is a direct train to Zagreb that departs at 6.40pm, which takes just under 4 hours. The Die Bahn website is the best place to look up details. There is also an early morning train that departs Graz at just after 7.30am.

Graz – Split by Train

There is an overnight train service that connects Graz with Split. This is a very useful service if you’re looking to travel direct to Croatia’s coastline from Austria – you would otherwise need to transfer trains (or buses) in Zagreb. The NightJet service connects Graz with Split three times a week (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) from May to early October. (The service in fact starts in Bratislava in Slovakia and travels via Vienna too.) Journey time from Graz to Split is 11 hours and 15 minutes.

Travelling from Klagenfurt to Croatia

Your only option in travelling from Klagenfurt is train. There are a few train services a day, and all involve at least one stopover (usually at Villach). Journey time is about 4 and a half hours.

Travelling from Salzburg to Croatia

Once again, train will be your most likely mode of transport. There is normally at least one direct train a day, with a journey time of around 7 hours.

Travelling from Linz to Croatia

Train is the best option once again! All train journeys will require at least one stopover; the fastest journey time is about seven and a half to eight hours.

Travelling from Austria to Croatia
Graz

Travelling from Vienna to Croatia

The easiest way to travel from Vienna is by plane:

  • Croatia Airlines operates daily flights from Vienna to Zagreb year-round; from here, you can take connecting flights to cities on the coast. During summer, they also operate flights to Split.
  • Austrian Airlines also has direct flights from Vienna to Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik.
  • Eurowings also has flights from Vienna to several Croatian airports, though a change in Germany is required!

There are also direct trains from Vienna to Zagreb, with a journey time of 6 to 6 and a half hours.

As mentioned above, there is a seasonal NightJet overnight train service from Vienna to Split (via Graz) that operates from May to early October. Trains run three times a week, and the journey time from Vienna to Split is just over 14 hours.

Flixbus offer an ecologically friendly and cheap route from Vienna to Zagreb with their daily bus, which takes five hours.

Travelling from Innsbruck to Croatia

There is a daily overnight direct train from Innsbruck to Zagreb, with a journey time of 9 and a half hours.

Why not enjoy a brief stay in Austria?

If you have the time, it’s lovely to stay in one of these beautiful Austrian towns or cities before travelling on to Croatia!