musicmuse

My friend and I will be in Vienna for several days this fall, and plan to take the train to Budapest for 4 days there. Since Bratislava is close by, we want to have a 4-5 hour stopover. It will be a Monday, so I know the museums and interior of the castle will be closed, but there should be several things for us to see and do:
- Michael's Gate
- Old Town Hall and several sites near there
- Cumil
- St. Martin's Cathedral
- Bratislava Castle (grounds are open Mondays)
- Bridge of the SNP

I've found a few options on how to travel between the cities, and I'm looking for advice on the best way.

Option 1: take the REX 2508 train from Wien Hbf (main Vienna train station) to Bratislava-hl (main train station). Departs 8:16am, arrives 9:40am.
Store luggage at the Bratislava-hl train station lockers
Take a bus or tram to old town Bratislava - it appears to take about 10 minutes on bus X13 to get to Námestie SNP (alt options: take bus 93 – get off at the Hodžovo námestie stop, or tram 1 – get off at the Poštová – Martinus stop). Tour several sites, and take the bus/tram back to the train station.
Take the EuroCity train departing Bratislava-hl to Budapest-Keleti (main train station) train EC279 Departs 15:53, arrives 18:35.

Option 2: Leave our luggage in a locker at the Wien Hbf station.
Take the REX 2508 train from Wien Hbf (main Vienna train station) to Bratislava-hl (main train station). Departs 8:16am, arrives 9:40am.
Take a bus or tram to old town Bratislava as listed in Option 1, and take bus/tram back to the train station.
Take the regional train OS 2523 departs 14:38, arrives 15:43.
Grab our luggage from the lockers at the Wien station.
Take the RailJet RJ67 at 5:39pm (arrives 8:19pm). Dinner is available on the train.

Either of these options could also be altered by taking a bus or hydrofoil between Vienna and Bratislava. The key is that I don't want us to have to carry our bags while on our quick visit to Bratislava.

Is there a measurable difference between the EuroCity and RailJet trains? I like the idea of reserved 1st class seats on RailJet for the longer trip to Budapest. (By the way, thank you to people who have recommended http://www.seat61.com/ and http://www.vagonweb.cz for train info). But I'm wondering if that comfort is worth doubling back to Vienna to catch that train.

I've also read that reservations are not needed ahead of time on the EuroCity, and cannot be purchased online. If we take Option 2, I could - and probably should - purchase the RailJet train tickets soon.

Any advice, including alternate suggestions, is very appreciated!

jan47ete

I will be leaving Vienna Oct 5 and stopping at Bratislava for the day and then heading on to Budapest. I'm doing your Option 1 and looks like your train times match my tentative ones.

Prices for storage of bags is cheap but based on weight 1-3E but lockers are closed periodically during the day 10-45-11:15, 1700-1715. Self storage lockers are outside of the TS at platform 1 and is 2E, coins only.

Tickets for Vie-Bra are bought through OBB, price includes X13 bus to city center.

PalenQ

Bratislava is yes only an hour from Vienna and I did it as a day trip -which if staying several days in Vienna I would also recommend- no luggage to bother with and leisurely spend all day without a deadline to make your Budapest train-also makes Vienna-budapest shorter. Consider taking hyrofoil Vienna-Bratislava one way- docks right in old town - the two Brat train stations are a fair poke from old historic center.

Yes www.seat61.com THE best site for ticketing and trains in general -I also like www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com for general info on trains.

1st cl IMO has benefits -check discounted fares in that class too - may not be much more than 2nd cl. Make a seat reservation when you book your ticket if not included as 2nd cl can always be rather full.

musicmuse

Thank you for your replies! I greatly appreciate your experience and advice.